Grow Hosta
HOSTA
Hosta, also known as Plantain lily is a popular shade plant that is grown primarily for its attractive foliage. Hardy in UDSA zones 3-10, this frost-hardy perennial is ideal for border plantings, large containers, and ground covers in shady areas. They also make great companion plants for early blooming bulbs because they hide the dying foliage.
Numerous cultivars range in all sizes from 6 inch tiny dwarfs to large cluster 2½ ft tall. The leaves can be dark or bright green, gold, yellow, blue, smooth, puckered or variegated and can grow up to 2½ ft long and wide.
Care: Young hosta require some pampering but once established, need little care. Plant it at the same soil level as grown in the container, in rich, moist, well drained organic soil with a ph 5.5 to 6.5. It prefers partial shade to shade (2 1/2 hrs. of morning sun and afternoon shade) and needs protection from the hot summer sun. The bluer hostas need more shade to retain a true blue color conversely; the yellow and white leaved variety require more sun to maintain a brighter color. Thicker leaved hosta will tolerate more sun compared to thin leaved variety.
Water: Give them plenty of water; they require at least 1 inch of water per week and more if grown in sandy soil. The larger leaved variety may also need more water. It’s best to water early in the day.
Feed: Fertilize in spring to mid summer at 6 week intervals (April, mid-May and July) with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer. Stop feeding after July to allow the plant to harden for the winter.
Hosta bloom in midsummer on tall spikes of lavender, blue, or white tubular flowers that rise above the leaves. Both leaves and flowers can be used in floral design. When finished blooming, remove the dead stalks. Hosta platanginea (Fragrant Plantain lily) is the only hybrid that produces white fragrant flowers that smell like tuberose.
Propagation: It takes 4-8 years for a hosta to reach full size. Propagate by dividing crowded clumps in the spring when new shoots appear, in the fall after the leaves die back or in August, 30 days before the first frost. Hosta needs to be divided when it develops a the bare circle on the inside of the plant and new growth comes from the outside of the circle.
Hosta can also be started from seed but take 2-3 years to mature and will not come true (except H. ventricosa).
Troubleshooting
Slugs and snails cause large holes in the leaves
Deer will eat the leaves down to the stem; rabbits will eat new emerging shoots.
Scorched leaves- plant needs more shade
Crown rot-outer leaves wilted and yellowed
Wilted and browning leaf tips-not enough water
No related posts.
When diving my Hosta and transplanting portions of it….I have transplanted an “eye” with roots and 2 with just a small root, seems to be doing fine except the ones with the small root. “Small root” meaning only one root, has witled, the others had a large root system, and seem to be doing very well…. Now, will the ones with the one root come back next year if they don’t develop a root system like the others had when transplanted? What is a good way to determine where to divide a plant that has lots of roots? Sorry to bug about the hosta but this is my first attempt at dividing a plant.
Kimberly
Is it too early to divide hostas?
Hi I have a light problem. I have been searching for a very low lite plant or plants that can be planted inside a building in a court yard that is exposes to outside temperatures. The building surrounds the court yard and the only light comes from the top of the building (12 stories). There is a roof so no direct light. Can you suggest anything that can survive cold and heat and low light. Ga area. Thank you.
Name: Dena Harbert
Here in Elkview, WV (southwestern WV) the deer will not eat Marigolds so I plant them around my Hostas which they love.
> Kris, I live in zone 6 and want to plant ice crop which is approved for planting in zone 7-9. One year it survived over winter and was awesome for the summer but lost it the following year. I just love this plant. Is there a way of protecting it for winter? Or should I dig it up in fall and bring it inside? I plan to use large pots buried in ground for summer and then lifting pot in fall. Should I trim off the growth in fall or leave it alone. This is a nice spreading ground cover plant. Thanks in advance. George
Something is eating my hosta plants. It has chewed up holes and slimy trails on the leaves. Please help!
What should you do when your hostas have been damaged by a late frost?
good information!
I woke up to find all of my Hosta plants leaves cut off. The leaves were laying beside each stem. They were cut in an upward slice. Was this deer, rabbits or vandalism? They were planted just last summer, will they grow back?
I have a hosta in a large pot outdoors. Can I bring my plant indoors during the winter? Or should it stay outside? I live in Nebraska, and it gets pretty cold here.
My Hostas were just beautiful and we had a hail storm that rip them to shreds…..can I trim them off and will they re-grow? Thanks, Kath
I’m a newcomer to the Mega World of Gardening ; )
I bought a package of Hosta bulbs about 7 months ago. Ignorant to the rules of planting Hostas… I separated each bulb into its own container – creating 3 plants. They began growing very well and within weeks I had 3, very big, clover-like Hostas. A couple months later I got a puppy who was very intrigued with Hostas and he munched all 3 plants. Since then my clover-like trio has turned into a pitiful sight = (
I’ve also placed these plants outside in full ray of the sun hoping that this might encourage growth � BAD IDEA – I�ve learned! The leaves seem to be gradually shriveling inward towards the stem.
Is there any hope left for my poor Hostas? Please help because I’d love to plant them in my flowerbed someday!
I have a hosta called the “Love Pat”. I transplanted it. Now the deep green leaves have lime colored plotches in them. Is it too much sun or am I watering it too much? It is getting the same amount of light as before.
Our hostas are looking so healthy this season and have tall flowers blooming. Our question is: we want our hostas to grow in size as soon as possible. Can that be achieved by cutting the flowers off, or should we leave them to die naturally? Thank you
Can I take hostas from my yard, put them in pots, and make them houseplants indoors?
I have grown Hostas in pots on my north-east facing balcony (22nd floor) in southern Ontario. Now that the nights are cooler, I would like to know what steps to take for the winter. Can I leave them outside? If yes, how do I protect the roots from freezing? Any info on wintering my hostas would be a great help.
Thanks!
Hello, I have two hostas in my backyard which were never transplanted this year. Should I plant them now (I live in Montreal QC) or should I bring them inside, put them in big pots, and try in the spring? They are still very healthy.
thanks in advance,
Jennifer
Help, I need to know if I’ve done irreparable damage by cutting back my 2 large well established hosta too early. They were at the point of almost being at decaying point w/ very limp leaves but the stalks were still somewhat upright.
.
Hi,
When is the best time to re-pot hostas? Since temperatures are now above 0C, can I remove the protective wrap they’ve been in during winter?
Thanks!
Yes, you can remove the protecitive wrap and re-pot at this time.
I had 2 hostas 1 did not grow good and after a while it diminished into the ground. The other was a good size and last year it dimished into the ground too. I want to know was something eating them in the ground or did it just die? What do you think about small black ants in the soil? Could they be eating my hostas and other plants/flowers?>
Hello, I am a beginner at planting hostas. I would like to plant my hostas on the side of my house, but there is a colony of red ants. Would it be ok or what should I do? I also planted some in the front of the home, some are growing, and look they are dying with a light brownish crisp texture. Some of them don’t look like they are growing at all. What’s wrong?
Can I polish the leaves on my hosta plants?
Repeatedly in this thread, I have read that Hosta will send up new leaves when the old ones are damaged. I’m in zone 2b/3a, and that has not been my experience to date, with slug/deer/hail damage. Could you expand? Do you mean they will send up new leaves until the middle of their normal growing season for example? Or in zones warmer than 3? Or do you truly mean that Hosta send up new leaves until their fall dormancy is pending?
When removing the stems after Hosta bloom – is it necessary to wait until the stems turn brown or can they be cut off sooner? Thank you. BJK
I planted my hostas in too much sun! They faded from the rich green to a sickly yellow and some of the leaves have been browning! Help! What do I do?