necessary in late summer, particularly
if plants have gotten dry.
Leaving foliage on hostas over the
winter can provide additional protec-
tion against cold temperatures. It can
also provide cozy hangouts for slugs;
the choice is up to the gardener. Hosta
grower Van Wade, of Wade and Gatton
Nurseries in Ohio, who has a “kajillion”
hosta plants (what hosta grower
doesn’t!), cuts some of his plants down
in the autumn and the rest in the
spring to spread out the workload.
Remember to leave seed-bearing
hostas for bird feeding, if desired.
other maintenance Best
performance for hostas is in moist,
high-organic, well-draining soil, but
these are adaptable plants. Hostas
with a thick, waxy substance to their
leaves are often more tolerant of dry
soils, but prolonged drought can mean
the demise of most forms. Young
plants should be mulched for the
winter to prevent frost heaving. Van
Wade recommends fresh white pine
needles, which allow for good air
circulation. Avoid mulching with
heavy materials, as they can lead to
crown rot if not removed promptly in
the spring.
Hostas generally prefer
high-filtered shade with perhaps a
quarter to half of the day in morning
sun. Hot afternoon sun, particularly in
areas with hot summers, will scorch
most hostas and should be avoided.
Blues prefer bright filtered shade, such
as that provided by high overhead
trees, for best coloring, but they
tolerate heavier shade as well. Green
forms such as the fragrant Hosta
plantaginea, as well as other types
grown for their flowers like ‘Allan P.
McConnell’, ‘Fragrant Blue’, ‘Guaca-
mole’, ‘So Sweet’, and H. ventricosa
benefit from morning sun for best
flower production. Avoid very deep,
dark shaded areas.
Division can be easily accomplished
at almost any time of the year by the
double-fork method or even by just
cutting a pie-shaped section out of the
plant. Keep plants moist and shaded,
and prune off at least a third of the
foliage if dividing during the warmer
months or plants may flop. Springtime,
when the new leaves are still curled, is
the preferable and most successful
time for division. Division is often not
needed for many years—never in some
cases.
Slugs and hostas go hand-in-hand.
It’s risky to claim that certain forms
are more resistant than others,
because some slug will be waiting to
prove you wrong. But here goes:
hostas with heavier or thicker foliage
are usually not as badly damaged, if at
all. This may include ‘Abiqua Drinking
Gourd’, ‘Big Daddy’, ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Blue
Mouse Ears’, ‘Halcyon’, ‘June’, ‘Loyalist’,
Hosta sieboldiana, and ‘Sum and
Substance’. Also, forms in which the
leaves don’t come in contact with the
soil, such as the vase-shaped ‘Krossa
Regal’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Praying Hands’, and
‘Sagae’, are usually less prone to slugs.
Diatomaceous earth is a form of slug
control.Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’