Illustration
Francee
Hosta 'Francee'
Also called funkia and plantain lily
Francee is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Francee
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Francee
Plant Francee in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Francee get?
2 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3 ftwideSee Francee in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Francee
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Francee about 3 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Francee to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Francee's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on July 31, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionHostaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Perennial Resource (Walters Gardens)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Walters Gardensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Pleasant Run Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Centerheight, spread and sun
- gertens.comGertens Garden Centerheight, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Illinois ExtensionHort Answersheight, hardiness zones and sun
- Iowa State University ExtensionYard and Gardenheight and spread
- University of Minnesota Extensionhardiness zones and sun
- patuxentnursery.comPatuxent Nurserytrait tags
- University of Georgia ExtensionC955sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Francee
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses. All parts contain saponins; eating it causes vomiting, diarrhea and depression (lethargy). per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.