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Planting and Growing Hostas

Image Credit:
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Hosta spp.
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Shade
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
3-6 feet
Spread
3-6 feet
Soil pH
Acidic
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Disease-Resistant
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Resilience
Clay Soil Tolerant
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Foliage Plants
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Want to add some drama to your shade garden? Hostas bring bold texture and color to even the dimmest corners, with leafy looks that range from crisp lime green to deep blue-green ruffles. 

They’re the no-fuss perennials of your dreams—hardy, reliable, and adaptable to all kinds of garden designs. Let’s dig into everything you need to know to plant, grow, and care for hostas like a pro.

What’s neat about hostas is that there are so many sizes, heights, textures, and colors to work with! They fit into so many different kinds of gardens (patio, border, container, rock, shade) and are cold-hardy, too.

Though mainly known for their interesting foliage, the plants also produce lovely flowers in pink, lavender, light blue, or white from early summer to early fall. Hummingbirds and other pollinators love the flowers, which may even be fragrant, depending on the variety.

Note: Slugs, snails, rabbits, and especially deer like hostas almost as much as people do. Keep this in mind if deer regularly wander your garden, as they will readily graze a hosta patch down to just stems.

Planting

When to Plant Hostas

  • Buy hostas as dormant, bare-root divisions or potted plants and plant them in the spring or fall.
  • Hostas can be planted during the summer growing season but will need extra attention (mostly watering) to ensure that they do not succumb to the heat of summer.

Where to Plant Hostas

Hostas’ large leaves do not lend themselves well to full sun; they do best in partial sun or dappled shade but will grow in deep shade, too. Once established, they can take the summer heat and withstand mild droughts. 

Hostas prefer soil that is well-draining and fertile (amend the soil with compost or rotted manure if your soil is poor). They do not like to sit in wet soil, so plant in a raised area or where the soil doesn’t stay saturated (especially in winter). Ideally, the soil should have a pH between slightly acidic and neutral (6.5 to 7.0), although hostas are forgiving.w

How to Plant Hostas

  • Dig a hole that’s about twice the width and depth of the root ball of the plant. Loosening the soil in the planting area will benefit the hosta’s roots as they expand outward.
  • If planting multiple hostas, space them out according to their expected size at maturity. Hostas are adept at filling empty spaces!
  • Set the plants in the hole so that the crown (base) of the plant is even with the surrounding soil and any emerging leaf tips are visible at the soil surface.
  • If buying potted hostas, plant them at the same soil level as in the pot.
  • Gently dampen the soil around the plants and water until the soil is moist to settle the roots.
Hosta flowers
Hosta flowers are much-loved by bees and hummingbirds.

Growing

How to Care for Hostas

  • Apply a well-balanced, slow-release fertilizer after planting or when growth emerges in the spring.
  • Keep the soil moist but not soaked.
  • If the soil tends to dry out quickly, consider placing mulch around the plants to help retain moisture, but be aware that mulch can be a hiding place for slugs.
  • Remove flower stalks after bloom to encourage new growth.
  • Many hosta cultivars have nice colors in the fall, so let them thrive until they start to suffer from frost.

Pruning and Cutting Back Hostas

  • When the foliage fades, the plant begins its dormant season. Remove any dead or brown leaves as they attract pests.
  • After a few frosts in late fall, some hostas will flatten out and get mushy. We suggest cutting them back to avoid slug and disease issues.
  • By early winter, cut back the entire plant at ground level. Do not leave any plant debris or leaves on the ground; bag them up and dispose of them.

Transplanting or Dividing Hostas

Hostas do not usually need dividing for their health. If they have less space, they’ll simply grow less quickly. However, if you wish to divide a hosta for a neater garden appearance, it’s best to do so in early spring once the “eyes” or growing tips start to emerge from the ground. This is also a good time to move or transplant a hosta to a new site.

Leave as much of the root attached as possible to each crown or plant. Plant the new hostas at the same soil level as they were previously. Water well until established.

See the video to learn more about dividing hostas:

Pests and Problems

  • Slugs and snails:  If you see irregular holes along the leaf’s edges or entire leaves chewed off at the stem nocturnal slugs may be the culprit. Look for shiny slime trails on the leaves or on the ground around the plants.
  • Deer: It’s true that deer love hostas. To discourage deer, use fencing or motion-sensitive sprinklers. Speak to your local garden center about odor-based sprays and deer repellents; the deer will taste the distasteful repellent first. Here’s an example.
  • Rabbits: If you see clean-cut chew marks on young hosta stems and leaves you may have rabbits in your garden. Look for dropped leaves and rabbit droppings on the ground and around the plants.

Types

Most varieties tend to have a spread and height of between 1 and 3 feet, but larger or smaller varieties are readily available. Leaf colors include variegated white, lime green, and blue-green, to name just a few. The texture and shape of hosta leaves are also diverse, ranging from smooth and narrow to ridged and heart-shaped. 

Once you start exploring hostas, you’ll find they get rather addictive! From 4-inch miniature hostas to 6-foot-wide giant hostas, there’s a hosta variety to fit any situation from large borders to tiny rock gardens. Here are just a few:

  • H. fortunei ‘Aureomarginata’: Deep-green oval leaves accented by a golden edge. 

hosta fortunei aureomarginata

  • H. x ‘Blue Cadet’: A small hosta with heart-shaped, bluish leaves. It makes for a nice edging plant. In mid-summer it blooms with mauve-blue flowers. 

hosta blue cadet

  • For sunnier spots, select plants from the Hosta plantaginea group. These plants also tend to have fragrant flowers in late summer. ‘August Moon’, ‘Honeybells’, and ‘Sum and Substance’ are a few of the varieties in this category.

plantaginea hosta

Check out more hosta varieties.

Wit and Wisdom

  • Young hosta leaves are edible. Known as urui in Japan, they’re commonly boiled, fried in tempura, or eaten raw. The flavor is similar to lettuce and asparagus.
  • If you wish to remove your hostas, cut off the leaves to the ground and then dig out the crown located just below ground level. Pour vinegar or boiling water over the plant. If you have a larger area of hostas that you want to remove, cut the leaves off, remove the crowns, and then cover the area with black plastic for the rest of the growing season.

Ornamental Gardening

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Connie</span> Thu, 05/21/2020 - 19:44
I have three hosta plants in my garden but the last year they grew too big and I don't have too much space. Is it possible to remove some leaves and how can I do it?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/01/2020 - 11:36

You want to divide the plants, not just pull out leaves. Per above, if you wish to divide a hosta for a neater appearance, it’s best to do so in early spring once the ‘eyes’ or growing tips start to emerge from the ground. use the spade of a shovel on the outer edge, then push the spade into the center of the plant. Dig and lift the clump -- which is actually a fresh new plant. Leave as much of the root attached as possible to each crown or plant. Transplant a hosta to a new site. Plant the new hostas at the same soil level as they were previously. Water well until established.

Of course, if you have no place to plant it, consider giving it to a friend or neighbor, or ask a community garden if it would be useful as a border plant. It would be a shame to simply discard it.

 <span>Jo</span> Sat, 05/16/2020 - 16:21
We had a freeze after the large leaf hosta I love came out,now the leaves are turning yellow/ brown. What should I do? - Zone 6
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 05/19/2020 - 10:01

Show the plants some love—tough love—and leave them alone. As fairly hardy perennials they should survive; the brief spring chill was a shock and they suffered a set back. When the weather warms they should get back into their growth cycle. When they appear to be back to normal you could gently trim off some of the most faded foliage or just leave them alone.

 <span>Narcissus</span> Mon, 04/27/2020 - 09:50
I planted two hostas plants last summer, 2019. they have not come back up. what do I do?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/27/2020 - 16:20

Well, is this when they are due to come up? You give no clue to your location, and we can tell you that hostas are still in hiding in many parts of New England. Check the variety/type, if you know, and Google it or ask the folks/nursery from whom you bought it about its timing. If it does not appear at all, it could be that slugs got it . . . but don't give up on it yet.

 <span>Coyne Quinn</span> Sat, 04/25/2020 - 21:08
they are badly twisted and a lot of the eyes are missing so the plant is very irregular. I am I zone five. What do you suggest?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/27/2020 - 16:29

Hard to know exactly from your description, but if the eyes are missing more or less from the center, it could be crown rot. Not pretty but not unusual; in fact, natural. Hostas put on growth on the outside of their clump each year and dead growth accumulates in the center. Dig up the crown, roots and all, and cut out or cut away from the dead center. (This amounts to dividing the plant.) You can replant each smaller plant—or give away a few.

 <span>Coyne Quinn</span> Sat, 04/25/2020 - 21:04
Two years ago these med. size hostas looked great. Starting last year there seemed to be some die out and the leaves and stems were twisted and disfigured. This year as they are just starting to come out of the ground
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/27/2020 - 16:31

See above for your answer, Coyne