How to Grow and Care for Hostas

Hostas are popular garden plants for very simple reasons. Hostas don't need sun; they thrive in shade and part-shade, unlike many other plants, and hostas are extremely easy to care for and propagate. They come back every year with proper care. You can even grow hostas in pots.

These clump-forming plants grow from rhizomatous roots and produce blooms on long stalks that extend well above the clumping foliage in late spring or summer, though their leaves are the main attraction. You can find hostas in a wide range of foliage colors and sizes, from mini to mammoth.

Hostas can be planted in early spring or as soon as the heat of summer ends in early fall. Note that hostas can be toxic to pets.

Hosta Care

Hostas are normally planted as potted transplants or bare root divisions. They are commonly considered shade plants, but they benefit from a little sun in the morning. Do not plant hostas in perpetually hot, sunny areas.

Planting

Plant hostas roughly one to five feet apart, depending on mature size, and loosen the soil around a foot deep. Nursery plants should be planted at the same depth they were in their container. You can start planting in the early spring once the ground has thawed or 30 days prior to your first frost.

Light

Hostas can survive in full shade, but most varieties grow best when they receive dappled sun for a few hours each day. When plants have green and yellow variegated leaves, exposure to the morning sun helps to enhance the yellow coloring.

Soil

Hostas are tolerant of most types of soil, provided that the soil is well-drained. Do not plant hostas in clay soil, which holds too much moisture. They also like their soil to be rich and full of organic matter with an acidic soil pH.

Water

Water hostas as needed to keep the soil moist but not wet. Once established, hostas will tolerate occasionally dry soil, but they won't survive long periods of drought. Deeper, infrequent watering is better than frequent shallow applications.

Temperature and Humidity

Hostas are not fussy about temperature or humidity and can grow in a wide range of climates. It's best to plant them in a location that is protected from strong winds.

Fertilizer

The best and easiest way to feed hostas is by adding a healthy layer of compost to the soil in the spring. This feeds nutrients into the soil and helps promote the soil food web.

You can also feed hostas with a well-balanced organic fertilizer, applied after planting or when plants begin to come up in spring. But be careful not to get fertilizer granules trapped in the leaves, which can burn them.

Types of Hostas

A single description of hostas is almost impossible, as there are over 2,000 varieties available in a wide range of sizes.

The foliage colors can vary from pale yellow to the deepest of blue-greens, with many variegated forms also available. Leaf shapes can be anything from long and sword-like to huge and round with corrugated textures.

Hosta Sizes

Growers generally categorize hosta plants by size:

• Miniature: Plants that mature to less than 9 inches tall
• Small: Plants that mature to 9 to 15 inches tall
• Medium: Plants that mature to 16 to 21 inches tall
• Large: Plants that mature to 22 to 29 inches tall
• Giant: Plants that mature to 30-plus inches tall; some grow as much as 48 inches in height

Popular Hostas

Some of the favorite hosta varieties include:

• H. 'Blue Mouse Ears': Grows only 6 to 12 inches high with round, heart-shaped blue-green leaves
• H. 'Golden Tiara': Light green leaves with yellow edging; grows about 16 inches tall and over 3 feet wide
• H. 'Patriot': Medium-size green leaves with white margins; grows up to 18 inches tall and just over 2 feet wide
• H. 'Sum and Substance': A huge hosta growing up to 36 inches tall and up to 5 feet in spread; large leaves (15 by 20 inches) are heart-shaped, starting glossy yellow and gradually turning golden
• H. sieboldiana'Elegans': Grows 30 inches tall with up to a 4-foot spread; large leaves (10 by 13 inches) are heart-shaped and have a corrugated texture and blue-green color
• H. sieboldiana'Frances Williams': Large, puckered leaves 12 inches wide, dark green with light-green veining; grows 18 to 24 inches tall and up to 5 feet in spread
• H. tardiana 'Halcyon': Pale, spade-shaped leaves, gray-blue in color; grows 18 to 24 inches tall in clumps up to 3 feet wide

Pruning

Some gardeners clip off the flower stalks when they appear, though other growers recognize the value of the white or purple flowers to bees and other pollinators. If you do allow the flowers to bloom, clip off the stalks after the flowers have faded.

Propagating Hostas

If you want to propagate them, hostas are easy to divide and transplant. A very small piece of root is all it takes to create a new plant. Here's how to do it:

1. In fall or early spring, use a sharp shovel or spade to dig up the entire plant, freeing it from the soil.
2. Break the root ball into segments, using your hands if possible, or use a trowel or shovel if the clump is too tough. Each segment should have some leaves attached, but even a small bare piece of root will usually survive and send up new shoots.
3. Plant the pieces in the desired location. If you keep the pieces damp, they will keep for several weeks before replanting.
   

Potting and Repotting Hostas

Hostas in pots filled with ordinary commercial potting mix can grow quite well. There are no special potting requirements, but the container should be at least as wide as the mature plant's foliage spread and have drainage holes. Use a standard, well-draining commercial potting soil.

Remember that container plants are subject to temperature extremes, so you might need to shelter outdoor pots in cold frames or an unheated garage (or dig them down into garden soil) for the winter in cold-weather regions.

If growing hostas in pots indoors, give them a spot with bright indirect light and water them frequently—indoor winter air is usually quite dry. Remember that they will need a six-week chilling period at some point during the winter.

If desired, you can repot container-grown hostas at the start of the growing season in spring. Transplanting hostas might be necessary as the plant spreads over time, but many varieties can remain in the same pot for many years.

Overwintering

To care for hostas in the fall, keep watering but pull back on fertilizing. The foliage will naturally start to die back. At that point, it's best to cut the plants to the ground to prevent pests or diseases from infesting the depreciating foliage.

Hostas in winter are overall hardy and survive just fine. In cooler climates, it can help to add a layer of dry mulch over the roots to insulate them. Hostas in pots that will remain outdoors for the winter are best buried in the garden up to the rim of their containers and then covered with mulch.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

• Slugs and snails chew ragged holes in the leaves and can kill the plants if left untreated. A variety of baits are available to trap and kill these pests.
• Foliar nematodes can cause the leaves to brown between the veins. Affected plants are best removed and destroyed, as the chemical controls are extremely toxic to wildlife and fish.
• Deer and rabbits love hosta leaves. Plant them where they won't be snacks for them, or consider using a commercial repellent on your plants.
  
• Anthracnose is common in warm, wet weather. Affected plants will show leaves with large irregular spots surrounded by dark borders. Fungicide spray preemptively applied in the spring might prevent the disease, but once it takes hold, plants usually need to be removed and destroyed.
• Leaf spot and crown rot also occasionally are seen. Fungicides and watering at the base can help prevent these, but badly affected plants may need to be removed.

How to Get Hostas to Bloom

Most people grow hostas for the color and texture of their foliage, not their blooms. Many people even find the blooms unattractive and clip off the flower stalks before the blooms open. Hosta flowers do appeal to pollinators, and the blooms can offer a subtle, pleasant scent in the garden.

Enough sunlight and ample water is usually all that's needed to ensure that hostas flower. While these plants are known as shade plants, they do not flower much if planted in dense shade that receives no sunlight at all. Some varieties of hostas do not flower much until they are mature.

Common Problems With Hostas

Hostas are free of most serious problems, and those that do occur are usually cosmetic and rarely fatal. Here are some common problems noted with hostas.

Holes in Leaves

When you see ragged holes in leaves, you are usually witnessing the damage of slugs and snails. Keeping the ground area around plants free of debris will discourage these destructive mollusks.

Shredded Leaves

Hail storms can severely damage hosta leaves, which sometimes leads to disease problems. Affected leaves should be removed, and the plant should soon recover.

Leaf Edges Burned

Brown, shriveled edges on hosta leaves are usually caused by too much sun, which burns the leaves. Keep the plant well watered in the summer, and provide some shade if possible. Badly affected leaves can be trimmed away and discarded; new leaves will replace them.

Leaves Have Spots

This is usually a sign of some kind of fungal or bacterial disease. Prevent these diseases by giving good space between plants and watering with soaker hoses rather than overhead spraying.

Foliage Is Yellow, Growth Is Stunted

This is often a sign of crown rot; your plant is probably a victim of too much watering or rainfall. Badly affected plants will need to be removed and destroyed.

From: thespruce