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.
Care:
Young hosta plants 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. A dry growing season (drought) will produce a smaller plant the subsequent year.
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 one 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. The best time is in the fall after the leaves die back or in August/mid-Sept, 30 days before the first frost. This will give the roots time to establish themselves before winter. 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. It takes 2-3 years to mature and will not come true (except H. ventricosa) to the mother plant.
Troubleshooting
Slugs and snails cause large holes in the leaves
Cutworms and black vine weevil will chew on 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 (Southern blight fungus)-outer leaves wilted and yellowed
Wilted and browning leaf tips-not enough water
*Foliar nematodes-parallel damage between veins is becoming a major problem
*Hosta virus X -Tannish spots on leaf surface, added color to leaves (ink bleed) – big problem esp. in nursery stock. Plant material can be tested for the virus.
How to treat slugs on hosta http://hortchat.com/info/slugs
From the reader archive
Useful reader questions
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,…
Read JOan discussionI’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…
Read Tremaine discussionI have a large fence surrounding our pool that is lined with hosta plants (approx. 40-45). We have paving brick that surrounds our pool up to the fence. The hosta plants are in direct sun but in years past have done extremely…
Read Julie discussion> 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…
Read George discussion
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?
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?
Hi, l was given a lot of really big hosta plants my neighbour wanted removed, and last month l just stuck them in the ground and was going to deal with them in spring,unfortunately we are moving and l need to know if l can remove them all from the ground and put the bulbs in paper bags for the winter,and replant when we move to our own house next year, l won’t leave them here but would they be safe to replant at this time in friends yard until l can deal withem in spring, or put bulbs away till we move from her place next yr.
New shoots eaten
My Hostas just started growing for the season and the shoots just got eaten off. Will they still grow full this season?
hello,
i planted hosta’s last year in pretty poor soil,( a lot of clay) and when there is no rain, the soil is like cement. they are starting to come up and do get a pretty good size, but im wondering if i should dig them up and put them in better soil. what do you think? and, what mixture should i use?
Deer eating hosta
Hi,
I had a beautiful hosta garden until deer jumped our fence and had a field day. 24 of my hostas have been chewed on or completely stripped of the leaves leaving tall stems. Will the hostas regrow this season? What should I do with the tall stems left behind? I woke up after days of rain to find a large deer laying in my hosta bed this morning. I had been so good with spraying for deer but we have had heavy rains. Now I am sad that my hosta beds will not be the same for the rest of the summer. I also had other types of plants damaged. UGH!
Missing hosta leaves
I planted hosta bulbs this year around my day lilies. At first, I didn’t know if the hostas were growing and thought I was picking weeds. However, I realized I pulled the leaves off some of the plants. The plants are doing okay but I’m noticing leaves missing. What pests might concern me?
Transplanting hosta
I have some hostas that are getting too much sun and the leaves are yellowing. Can I transplant them in mid July?
Two hosta problems. #1 leaves are gone and only stems remains–but I can’t see how deer could get into the spot. #2 Healthy stems and leaves are cut off close to the ground and left laying there. At first I thought someone stepped into the plants, but that’s not the case. Any ideas?
Just a query… my husband dug up the hostas in Sept to transplant them but between one thing or another we never got to plant them and now they have been exposed to the harsh frost and snow… is it too late to move them inside or has the roots been damaged.
Divide hosta
I have a vole problem and a pine tree root problem. The roots from the pines are going into the hosta roots what can i do ? I put the hosta in a big sized nursery tree pots so voles will not eat the hosta should i repot them every so often?
I have a large fence surrounding our pool that is lined with hosta plants (approx. 40-45). We have paving brick that surrounds our pool up to the fence. The hosta plants are in direct sun but in years past have done extremely well and continued to grow and flower. We have a sprinkler system but did not use it last year and it was really hot and sunny. The plants didn’t fair well at all. We also have a major problem with ants in our yard as well as around the plants. They are starting to come up now and I’d like to possibly fertilize but not sure with what and does the ant problem affect the hostas? Also, does the paving brick have any affect on the hostas? Any help would be appreciated!
Hail damage
Hello,
We just had a huge hail storm and my hostas are shredded….if I cut them back to ground, will they regrow this season or do I need to plant more to have coverage this season?
Thank you.
I HAVE SEVERAL HOSTAS AND THEY COME BACK BEAUTIFUL EACH YEAR WITH NO EFFORT. EACH YEAR THE LEAVES HAVE HOLES IN THEM AND ALSO SORT OF “COTTON CANDY” STICKY WEBS ON THE LEAVES. I HAVE ALSO SEEN SMALL SPIDERS ON THEM???? I KNOW SLUGS CAN GET THEM BUT HAVE NOT HEARD ANYONE MENTION THE “WEBS”. ANY CLUES????? THANX FOR ANY INFO.
Cutting hosta leaves
I have several hostas in my backyard and once they come in full (as they are now at the end of May) some of the leaves block the landscape lighting that my husband has installed (solar). His solution to this is to cut down the leaves of the hosta that are blocking the lights. I’m concerned that doing this will damage the plants, not to mention that some of the plants look a little lopsided. Will this damage the hostas? Thank you.
Voles/moles
How much sun is too much sun. Live in sunny Mississippi. My Hostas get morning sun from mid morning until around 1:00 P.M. I moved them from a shady spot because of voles and moles. Voles will eat all the roots before you know anything is wrong. The leaves are browning and I water them generously. It’s July 100 degrees. Will it help if this fall, I put them in pots and sink them in the ground. Will this keep the moles and voles away.
I have many hosta that are doing great in zone 6. One new hosta, Empress Wu, was planted in the late Spring. It came with 4 large leaves and bloomed. The blossum and two of the leaves were eaten off by a woodchuck in the late Spring. I sprayed the hosta and the woodchuck left it alone for a couple of months until he ate the other two leaves off in July leaving only the stem. The stem then turned yellow in August and the hosta died back to nothing. Dying back to nothing is this early is unusual for our area. There has been no further growth. Is the hosta dead? Do I have to wait until next year or should I dig it up to find out if there is any life. All my other hosta’s have leaves.
I purchased 100 for $100 one year to add to my existing ones, so this nearly two acres has a lot of Hosta. It more or less swallowed them up, so it is not overdone. We live in the woods, so they like it. Hostas especially like to be under the eaves or near a drain pipe. This keeps them quite green all year if you have a drought spell.
I used to cut off the flowers if they look straggly, but noticed the bees like the tubular flowers, so I now leave them on until they are spent. We need our bees.
Jan from Michigan
Hosta color change
I have many variegated hosta with white center and green outer, lately the white is fading and many seem to be turning completely green. How can I bring back the white centers.
I used a mixture of 11/2 cups ammonia, 11/2 cups water, and 1tbsp murphys oil soap to spray on hostas to kill slugs. Now the hostas are wilting. Why? What can I do to help the hostas/
The leaves on my plaintain lilies are brown. Should I cut them back and replant them or are they lost forever?