About Hostas

Hostas require no special cultivation which is one of the reasons they are so popular, becoming known as the lazy gardener's plant. They produce a display for approximately 7-8 months of the year from the early spring and die back naturally as the winter approaches. The following spring they will sally forth again, generally bigger and better.

Choose a moist, well drained site, ideally sheltered, and with some shade. The sun tolerant varieties will be happy in more sun than other hostas. Hostas will also tolerate deeper shade, but they may not grow as large or flower as freely.

It is always worth adding plenty of organic material to your planting hole.

Dig a hole with plenty of room for the width of the hosta. It is always worth adding plenty of organic material at this stage – your hosta may grow undisturbed for several decades and deserves a good start! Mound the soil so that you can sit the hosta on top, with its roots spreading over the mound. Keep the plant at the same level as it has previously been grown, with roots all under the soil and shoots or leaf growth above soil level.  Back fill the soil and water in. Keep your hosta well watered until it is established.

Hostas benefit from feeding, either a granular feed in the spring, or liquid feed throughout the growing season. Stop after flowering to allow the hosta to prepare for the winter.

In the autumn your hosta will become dormant and the leaves die away. You may want to mark where it is in the garden to avoid damaging shoots early next spring.

Hostas can be happily left undisturbed in the garden for many years. If you want to, you can divide hostas in spring as the shoots emerge, or in the autumn after flowering.

Enjoy watching your hosta thrive.

Most hostas are very happy growing in a pot long term. Avoid a big pot for a young hosta - choose a pot which will give 5-8cm room between the outer roots and the pot, then pot on after a couple of years. 

Be aware that if you choose a nice round-middled pot with a narrow neck, it can be quite a battle of wills to get the hosta out after a few years of growing (Yes, we speak from experience!) 

Use John Innes no. 3 or equivalent compost, with added grit or bark for extra drainage, particularly for the small growing hostas.

Water well, and avoid allowing the compost to dry out. Keep your hosta in a suitable place – most thrive in semi shade, although some enjoy more sunshine.

Your hosta should not be damaged by frost, but keep it from being overly wet in the winter. Your pot, however, may need frost protection.

We split our hostas throughout the year and quite frankly they are not at all fussy about it! However, the most practical time to split them is in the early spring when the shoots are just appearing like small pencils through the ground. The main reason for this is that it is far easier to see where the divisions are and of course you do not risk damaging the leaves.

Work out where the split needs to be and then take a knife, a hacksaw or a spade (depending upon the size of the plant) and cut through right to the bottom of the roots. The hosta will not suffer, indeed this often makes a plant throw up new shoots and you have an extra hosta to plant elsewhere or to give away. In America hostas are known as the friendship plant because of the ability to share in this way. 

However, bear in mind that Roger and Ann have a specimen of Snowden which has remained undisturbed for about 30 to 40 years and looks extremely content! So if your hosta appears to be healthy, then don't feel that you have to split it.

Slugs and snails like hostas. Of course they also like delphiniums, lupins and many other garden plants. But it is the hosta that they enjoy the most. We're aware that sometimes people avoid buying hostas because of the slug issue, but we are happy to say that these little critters can be controlled through a number of methods. We also provide a range of slug resistant hostas to lend a helping hand in your efforts against these pests.

More tips:

• If you use slug pellets, then start to put them out early in the year. We recommend St Valentine's Day as a date you won't forget. Then continue on through the season. Slugs will begin their reproductive cycle before the hostas are up. If you can exterminate one slug before it has reproduced, your hostas will be at much less risk.
• Encourage wildlife in your garden. Hedgehogs, thrushes and frogs will eat slugs and snails and contrary to popular belief, they won't be harmed by slug pellets.
• Any sharp mulch around your hosta will will deter a slug or snail from sliding across it. Not gentle, round pebbles, but pointy gravel, holly leaves, hair clippings etc.
• Go out at night and pick the pests up - rubber gloves, a torch, and a bucket are suggested.
• Make sure that there is as little garden rubbish around as possible. Slugs and snails love hiding in crevices and behind stones. Take their hiding places away.
• Try putting your hostas in pots, then protect the pots with vaseline or WD40 which make them greasy and prevent slugs and snails from climbing them.
• Try our Plant Elixir: Godfrey's Glorious Garlic Guard; this has been scientifically proven to send the slugs away - they really don't like garlic!