How to Grow Hostas

Hostas are shade-loving plants prized for their beautiful foliage. With a wide variety of cultivars available, you can find leaves in shades of green, dusky blue, and bright yellow-sometimes variegated with cream or gold, and with textures ranging from ruffled to smooth or distinctively ribbed.

Many hostas also produce small, trumpet-shaped mauve or white flowers in summer. While slugs and snails are attracted to hostas, gardeners also love them and often collect many varieties.

Quick Facts

• Easy to grow
• Striking foliage from spring to autumn
• Long-lived perennials
• Thrive in shade
• Best planted in spring or autumn
• Remove dead foliage in late autumn
• Easily propagated by division in spring or autumn

Before You Start

Choosing Hostas

Hostas are among the best plants for foliage interest. They are easy to grow and long-lasting. With a vast range of leaf shapes, sizes, and colors, your choice will mostly come down to personal preference. However, it’s important to match your selection to your garden’s conditions. Most hostas thrive in moist soil and light to medium shade. Blue-leaved varieties prefer light shade, while yellow-leaved types can tolerate some sun.

Miniature varieties, such as ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ or ‘Pandora’s Box’, are ideal for small spaces or containers. Most hostas also produce clusters of white, lavender, or purple flowers on tall stems.

Buying Hostas

Hostas are available in pots and can be purchased from spring to autumn at garden centers or online. To find specific varieties, you can browse Hostas on Amazon.

Planting Hostas

When to Plant

Hostas can be planted at any time of year, but it’s best to avoid mid-summer when high temperatures and dry soil can stress new plants.

Where to Plant

Hostas perform best in moist, fertile soil and partial shade, whether planted in the ground or in containers. Yellow-leaved cultivars and a few other types tolerate more sun. Improve heavy clay soils by adding compost or well-rotted manure. For drier soils, choose hostas with thicker, waxier leaves, as they are more tolerant. However, hostas are generally unsuitable for dry or exposed, windy areas.

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How to Plant

In Borders

• Space plants up to 90 cm (3 ft) apart, depending on their mature size (check the label for guidance).
• Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide.
• Gently loosen the roots, place the plant in the hole, fill in with soil, and firm gently.
• Water thoroughly after planting and continue to water regularly, especially during dry weather in the first summer.
• Mulch with well-rotted compost or manure to help retain moisture.

In Containers

• Use large containers (30–45 cm in diameter) with drainage holes.
• Fill with peat-free multipurpose or loam-based compost.
• Plant the hosta so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
• Water well and continue to water regularly when the plant is in leaf.

Miniature Hostas

Miniature hostas require good drainage and perform best in soil improved with grit and compost. They are suitable for rock gardens, containers, or troughs. Mulching around the plants with gravel not only looks attractive but also prevents soil from splashing onto the leaves.

Ongoing Care

Watering

Hostas in the ground may need watering during dry spells-keep the soil at least slightly damp to a depth of 15 cm (6 in). Container-grown plants dry out quickly and need regular watering in summer. Plants that dry out may develop brown leaf edges.

Feeding

• In borders: In fertile soil, an annual mulch of compost or well-rotted manure is usually sufficient. On poorer soils, apply a general-purpose fertilizer in early spring, then mulch. Adequate moisture and feeding will ensure healthy, lush foliage.
• In containers: Apply a general-purpose liquid fertilizer once a month during the growing season.

Deadheading and Tidying

Flower stalks can be left until late autumn when you tidy up dead foliage, or removed after blooming to prevent the plant from using energy on seed production.

Overwintering

Hostas are fully hardy, but their foliage dies back in late autumn and the plants remain dormant until mid-spring. New leaves can be damaged by frost in spring; protect them with two or three layers of horticultural fleece if frost is forecast. Plants in containers are susceptible to waterlogging, so place them at the base of a wall or fence during winter to keep them drier.

Caring for Mature Plants

Hostas eventually form large clumps and benefit from being divided every 4–5 years.

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Pruning

Hostas do not require regular pruning. Remove damaged or unsightly leaves as needed. At the end of the season, cut down foliage and old flower stalks to tidy the plant for winter.

Propagation

Dividing Clumps

You can easily propagate hostas by dividing large clumps in autumn or early spring:

1. Lift the clump from the ground with a fork or tip it out of the container, being careful not to damage the growing points.
2. Place the clump on a board or plastic sheet.
3. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide the clump, cutting between the shoots.
4. Ensure each division has 1–3 healthy buds and trim any damaged roots.
5. Replant divisions at their original depth, with the shoots just above the soil surface.
6. Water well and apply a granular fertilizer in spring as directed on the package.

Plants grown from divisions will be identical to the parent and should flower from their second year.

Growing from Seed

Hostas can be grown from seed collected in autumn. Sow seeds in spring in small pots of seed compost and place them in a cold frame. Transplant seedlings into individual pots as they grow. Note that seedlings from variegated plants will usually be a single color and may not resemble the parent plant.

Common Problems

Aside from damage from slugs and snails, hostas are generally trouble-free if grown in moist, fertile soil with some shade. They do not thrive in hot, sunny, or dry conditions, which can cause leaves to brown or scorch. If this occurs, move the plant to a shadier location. Hostas are disease-resistant, but growing them in containers can help reduce slug damage-though vine weevils may become an issue. Thicker-leaved cultivars, such as ‘Devon Green’, are more resistant to slugs and snails.

Final Thoughts

With proper care, hostas will grace your garden with lush, eye-catching foliage and delicate blooms year after year. Whether used as bold focal points or soft ground cover, these durable plants are a staple in any shady garden space.