If you are like us, you like collecting some of the dizzying arrays of different perennial Hosta plants for your yard. The diversity of size and color is endless, and the new cultivars continue to be introduced every year.
Keep your Hosta collection healthy and happy with these tips and tricks!
All About Hosta!
A popular perennial with striking good looks, Hosta plants are a landscaping favorite. You’ll find a spectacular selection of Hostas for sale right here at Nature Hills Nursery.
Also known as Plantain Lily, Hostas originally came from Japan, China, and Korea. Introduced to the United States in the mid-1800s, the Hosta is a shade-tolerant foliage plant. Hostas are perennials sporting ornate leaves that vary widely in size, with the smallest varieties called miniatures.
Broad and coarse heart-shaped leaves with prominent veins, crinkled or quilted leaves, and the unique ability to let water bead up on their surfaces!
Hosta flowers have six petals and are generally white, lavender, or violet, held on stems called scapes. These plants provide an ornamental focal point in any garden with eye-catching foliage. They are also edible and grown as vegetables in some Asian cultures, although they are toxic to some animals in large quantities.
These blooms are loved by Hummingbirds and pollinators, and look great in floral bouquets indoors too!
You’ll find Hostas for sale online in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors. Some are variegated, while others display brilliant hues of blue, green, and even chartreuse.
You can find the perfect Hosta plant for your planting zone using our USDA zone filters. You can also filter the Hosta selection by sun exposure levels, color, and other options.
Some of Nature Hills' Best Hosta Plants
With so many Hosta to choose from, here’s a quick rundown of our best sellers!
Hostas With Blue-Green Foliage
- Elegans Hosta
- Blue Angel Hosta
- Krossa Regal Hosta - Large, nearly silvery/gray blue-green leaves
- Arctic Blast Hosta
Largest & Smallest Hosta
- Big Daddy Hosta - Big soft matte blue-green leaves
- Empress Wu - Can grow 6 feet wide!
- Mighty Mouse Hosta - Little foot tall and wide, blue-green and white leaves
- Blue Mouse Ears Hosta - Little leaves in ribbed blue-green, 6-8 inches tall
- Krossa Regal
Hostas White Variegated Leaves
- Patriot Hosta
- Francee Hosta
- Wheee Hosta - Ruffled and rippled leaves!
- Fire and Ice Hosta
- Remember Me Hosta
Hostas With Yellow Variegated Foliage
- Stained Glass Hosta - Big green and chartreuse leaves
- Hosta Paul's Glory
- Rainbow's End Hosta
- Guacamole Hosta - Bright green mix with fragrant blooms
- Satisfaction Hosta - Light green-edged green leaves that turn gold in summer
Hostas With Chartreuse Foliage
- August Moon Hosta - bright lemon-green leaves
- Fire Island Hosta - Lemon-lime leaves
- Key West Hosta
- Maui Buttercups Hosta
- Sum and Substance Hosta - Very light lime-green leaves
Beautifully Unique Hosta Varieties!
- Hosta Waterslide - Curvy and wavy blue-green foliage
- Fragrant Bouquet Hosta - Fragrant lavender blooms with white and green leaves
- Praying Hands Hosta - Folded foliage that grows upright to the sky
- Hosta Fireworks - Curvy leaves are more white than green
- Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta - Big textured, cupped, and curled leaves that catch water
Planting Hostas
The process for planting Hostas is not much different than any other Perennial. The planting hole should be dug at least a foot deep, but the width should be one and a half times the expected mature size of the clump. Check the Plant Highlights section to find your Hosta’s mature spread and situate it so it can achieve its full potential without being crowded.
Generally, Hosta roots grow and spread horizontally, so a large, wide hole is best. When planting Hostas that are grown in a container:
- Carefully remove the plant from the nursery pot
- Sometimes the roots may be bound to the container
- Tapping the container sides should loosen the roots from the pot
- If the roots are difficult to loosen, it may be necessary to cut through some of them
- Shake the excess soil from the roots and set it into the prepared planting hole
- Take care to plant Hosta at the same level as it grew in the container
- The area where the leaves and roots meet should be at ground level
Soak the root zone thoroughly with water to remove dry pockets and air pockets in the surrounding soil.
Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch over the entire surface of the root system of your Hosta to keep the roots cool and moist while enriching the soil.
For bareroot Hosta, the process is about the same, just ensure the crown of the root is just below the soil surface as far as depth, and backfill with native soil, topping with mulch to insulate the roots.
Great Ideas for Hostas in the Landscape:
- Big shade garden perennials
- Bold color and large-sized foliage
- Dramatic array of colors - Bright color lights up shade gardens and dappled shade
- Scented trumpet-shaped blooms for Pollinator Gardens
- Loves having more moisture - Rain Gardens
- Spreads and are great groundcover/living mulch
- Edging and great along pathways and driveways
- Great lawn replacement in areas too shady for Turf
- Flowers for cut flower bouquets
- Lovely skirting and underplanting around larger shrubs and trees
- Great facer plants to hide bare leggy stems
- Easy to grow and low-maintenance for en masse installations
- The silvery/blue-leaved varieties look great in Moon Gardens!
Basic Hosta Care
Vigorous, very easy-care, and fast-growing, Hosta are fantastic herbaceous perennials that are great to use en masse without requiring much in the way of maintenance, and ideal for beginner gardeners and busy gardeners alike!
Some Hostas need full shade and appreciate the morning sun, especially when planted in hotter growing zones, which can range throughout USDA planting zones 3 and up to 11. In mid-range climates and cooler growing zones, Hostas can tolerate partial sun/shade and especially afternoon shade.
Hostas grow best in moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. These perennials do best in well-drained soil that is enriched and won’t become soggy after a rain or waterlogged in the winter. Provide regular moisture for young plants and do not let them dry out. Use the ‘Finger-Test’ to ensure your plant is watered deeply. Mulch helps to retain moisture and keep the root system cool.
You can top the crowns with mulch or compost for the winter to give them added protection from the frost and snow.
Pruning & Hosta Division
Dividing Hostas is easy and helps maintain the vigor of the root system, and will improve the plant's appearance. Most home gardeners will propagate their Hostas by division and be able to expand their collection!
Divide every 3-5 years. Hosta division is best done when no shoots are growing from the center of the mature clump, as this bare area detracts from the appearance of the plant.
Early spring is a good time for dividing and relocating Hostas because the new shoots are only a few inches high and the leaves have not expanded. Divide just as you see where the plants are emerging before any foliage unfurls, and move a small portion of the plant to a new location. Hosta can also be dug and divided in September in the colder regions, so they have plenty of time to re-establish.
- Going around the entire plant with a shovel, push down straight about a foot deep
- Lift the entire Hosta clump and remove excess soil carefully (a hose works great)
- Plan out where to make your cuts and how many are needed
- Use a sharp knife or a sharp spade to make the cuts (2-4 cuts depending on their size)
- Place the divided plants in their planting holes and backfill, tamping down firmly
- Water in very well to ensure it reaches the lowest section of the root system
- Keep them well-watered for the first two weeks
- Keep the plants consistently moist after plant division
Hosta Pruning
During the summer, once the flowers have finished flowering, it's time to deadhead to clean up your mounds.
Have a little patience and wait until mother nature puts your Hosta to sleep before pruning. Wait until Jack Frost comes along and kills back the tops of your Hosta plants, and let them turn brown before cutting your plants back at the end of the season. This helps keep the dead leaves from retaining fungal issues or harboring snails and slugs over the winter.
Allowing your Hosta leaves to turn brown and dry before cutting the leaves off will prevent the spread of viruses between plants. Remove the foliage from the area and either compost it or place it in yard waste bags away from your Hosta and other plants.
Happy Healthy Hosta
Big bold foliage, and lovely trumpet-shaped blooms on tall scapes, this gorgeous ornamental foliage perennial Hosta will add its outstanding leafy clumps to your garden for years to come! Keep your low-maintenance herbaceous perennials happy and healthy with just a few easy steps!
Order your new Hosta and add their delightful color and unique leaves to your landscape with the help of Nature Hills!
Happy Planting!
