How to grow hostas

Choosing hostas

Hostas are one of the best foliage plants. They are easy to-grow-plants and long-lived.

There is a wide range of hostas, which vary in leaf shape, size and colour. With a such huge range of leaf shapes, sizes and colours, choosing a hosta is mainly a matter of personal taste. However, it’s also wise to match the plants to the conditions you have in your garden. In general, most thrive in moist soil in light to medium shade. However, blue-leaved hostas flourish in light shade, while yellow-leaved ones prefer some sun.

Miniature types such as ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ or ‘Pandoras Box’ are a good choice if space is tight or for containers.

Most also produce clusters of flowers in shades of white, lavender and purple on tall stems.

Buying Hostas

Plants are sold in pots ready for planting and available in leaf from spring to autumn in garden centres and online. To track down specific ones you can use the RHS Find a Plant.

Buying plants by mail order

When should I plant?

You can plant hostas at any time of year, but it’s best to avoid mid-summer when temperatures are high and the soil is often dry due to little rainfall.

Where should I plant?

All hostas give their best in moist soil in partial shade, whether in the ground or a container. In general, though, yellow-leaved cultivars prefer some sun, along with a few hosta that are tolerant of sunny conditions.

Hostas like fertile soils including heavy clay, improved with the addition of garden compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. or well-rotted manure. On drier soils, try hostas with thicker, waxier leaves as they are more tolerant. Unfortunately, hostas are not really suitable for dry soils or exposed, windy areas of the garden.

We have put together a guide to help you identify you soil type:

Identifying your soil type

How do I plant hostas?

How you plant hostas will depend on where you’ve decided to grow:

In borders

Hostas are easy to plant and it takes just a few minutes. They are planted in the same way as other herbaceous perennials

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. , but here are a few extra tips:

• Space plants up to 90cm (3ft) apart, depending on their ultimate height and spread (check the label and plant bigger ones further apart)
• Dig a planting hole the same depth as the root ball and twice as wide. Tease out (use your fingers to loosen) the roots and place in the hole before drawing back the soil and firming with your fingers
• Water in the plant to settle the soil and continue watering regularly, especially in dry weather, during the first summer. Mulch
  Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings. with well-rotted organic matter such as well-rotted garden compost or manure to conserve moisture

Planting perennials

In Containers

Hostas can be planted in large containers 30-45cm (1ft-18in) in diameter. Choose a container with drainage holes. Use a peat-free multipurpose or loam-based potting compost such as John Innes No. 3. Plant the hosta so the top of the rootball

The roots and accompanying soil when a plant is removed from a container or lifted from the ground. sits at the same level it was in its previous pot. Water well and continue watering regularly when in leaf.

Miniature Hostas

Miniature hostas need good drainage and will do best in soil improved with the addition of garden compost. They are also suitable for rock gardens or containers and troughs. Mulching

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings. round plants with a layer of gravel not only looks good but also keeps soil from splashing up and spoiling the leaves.

You can also plant miniature hostas successfully in containers (as above) for a diminutive display.

Rock gardening

Watering

Hostas in the ground may need watering in dry spells – aim to keep the soil at least slightly damp to a depth of 15cm (6in) – check by digging down nearby if needs-be.

Plants in containers need regular watering in summer as they dry out quickly. Plants that dry out will brown along the leaf margins.

Feeding

In borders: In fertile soils an annual mulch

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings. of garden compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. or well-rotted manure is all the feeding necessary. On poorer soils apply a general purpose fertiliser, such as Growmore, at the manufacturers recommendation in early spring and then mulch. This together with adequate moisture will ensure large, healthy foliage.

In containers: liquid feed once a month when it’s in growth, using a general-purpose liquid fertiliser such as Phostrogen, MiracleGro or Seaweed feed.

Deadheading

The flower stalks can be left in place until plants are tidied up in late autumn when the leaves naturally die back. Alternatively, they can be removed once the blooms fade to save plants wasting energy on seed production.

Overwintering

Hostas are fully hardy but foliage dies back in late autumn and the plants remain dormant

Dormancy refers to a period of inactivity in plants, during which they slow down or stop their growth, conserving energy and resources. This is a natural process that helps them survive harsh conditions, such as winter or drought. Dormancy in seeds is a mechanism that prevents them germinating until environmental conditions are favourable for growth. until mid-spring. New leaves emerging in spring can get damaged by frosts. You can protect with 2 or 3 layers of biodegradable

Anything that can be decomposed by fungi, bacteria and micro-organisms, so it doesn’t persist indefinitely in the environment. Biodegradable plastics are usually made from plants, such as bamboo, rather than fossil fuels. Ideally, products that claim to be biodegradable should break down quickly and leave nothing harmful behind. However, they may need specific conditions in order to biodegrade successfully or may produce greenhouse gases such as methane in the process. horticultural fleece

A soft, fibrous, translucent material laid over or around plants hastening their growth and protecting them against weather and pests. Heavier grades of fleece give about 2°C of protection from frost. It is usually used without supporting hoops. if frost is forecast – however this one is really just for the very keen gardener.

Caring for older plants

Hostas eventually make large clumps and benefit from dividing every 4-5 years (see propagation as the method is just the same).

Hostas requires no regular pruning, but damaged or unsightly leaves can be removed. At the end of the season cut down foliage which naturally dies back in autumn and old flower stalks, so that it’s tidy for winter. For more details see our guide here:

Perennials: cutting back

Dividing clumps

You can easily make more hostas by dividing large clumps in autumn and early spring.

1. Lift the clump from the border with a fork, or tip out from containers, taking care not to damage the growing points on the top
2. Place the clump on a board or plastic sheet on the border, lawn or hard surface
3. Divide by chopping through with a sharp spade or an old kitchen knife, cutting down between the shoots
4. Make sure each piece has between 1 and 3 good buds
   A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers. and trim away damaged roots with a knife
5. Ensure the divisions are replanted at their original depth in the ground with the shoots just poking through the soil surface
6. Water the plants after replanting

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

Dividing perennials

Growing from seed

Hostas can be grown from seed collected in the autumn from dry seed heads. Sow in spring into small pots of peat-free seed compost

Seed compost is a free-draining compost formulated for germinating seed. It often contains a mix of fine materials including sterilised loam, coir, coarse sand or grit. It contains low levels of nutrients, as high levels could damage seedlings. and place in a cold frame

Cold frames are glaze box-like structures made from brick or wood with a  hinged or removable, glazed, sloping lid. Useful to protect plants from cold weather over winter or acclimatise (harden off) young plants in spring and provide extra warmth for tender crops in summer. . Pot seedlings

A seedling is a young plant grown from seed. into individual pots and grow on. Seed will generally not come true (be the same) and plants from seed of variegated

Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white. plants will be just one colour.

Propagation techniques

Other than damage to the leaves from slugs and snails, hostas tend to be trouble-free if grown in moist, fertile soil in some shade. They will not do well in a hot, sunny spot in dry soil. Brown and scorched leaves are common where soils get dry or where there is excessive sun. Replanting in a shadier place is the best long-term remedy.

Plants are disease-resistant. Slugs and snails can strip the foliage if precautions are not taken. Growing plants in containers may help, although vine weevil may then be a problem. An alternative is to stick to thicker-leaved cultivars, such as 'Devon Green', which are generally less eaten by slugs and snails.

Related links

Slugs and snails