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How to Grow Hostas: Your Guide to These Easy, Elegant Shade Plants

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Hosta spp.
Plant Type
Foliage Plants
Sun Exposure
Shade
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
White
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Songbirds

Big Leaves, Big Personality—Hostas Are the Superstars of the Shade!

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. While their leafy charm is the main act, don’t overlook the delicate blooms that butterflies and hummingbirds adore. Just be warned: deer and slugs are big fans, too. Let’s dig into everything you need to know to plant, grow, and care for hostas like a pro.

About Hostas

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.

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. 

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.

Read Next

Planting

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.

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.

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:

Types

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.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • 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.

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 is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<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

 <span>Karen Wolski</span> Tue, 04/21/2020 - 09:34
I enjoy reading Farmer's Almanac even though there is barely a mention concerning growing for zone 9+. Can I grow a Hosta in Miami city? I have a huge shady area and don't know what to plant. Thank you
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 04/24/2020 - 15:22

Hello, Miami! Thank you for your enthusiasm for the Almanac! Many plants, most hostas included, require a winter dormancy period. For most hostas, that minimum 30 days at temps below 43°F. (The need is genetic, so specific to the species.) A few species have lower requirements; these include Hosta clausa, Hosta gracillima, Hosta kikutii, Hosta longipes, Hosta montana (southern forms), Hosta nakaiana, Hosta plantaginea, Hosta rupifraga, Hosta sieboldii,Hosta ventricosa, Hosta venusta, and Hosta yingeri (thanks to plantdelights.com). However, these may fail to thrive and eventually deteriorate.

Your best bet is to visit a nursery in the area and ask them for recommendations. They would be most familiar with the conditions and so knowledgable about the options.