Hostas are a brilliant way of instantly adding texture and vibrancy to your garden. Known for their beautiful foliage, with leaves varying from lime green to dusky blues, they make a great addition to shady areas and borders.
Whether you are looking for compact varieties for pots or larger statement plants for borders, we offer a wide range of hostas to suit every garden space.
How to Grow Hostas
Hostas are low maintenance, making them perfect for beginner gardeners or those wanting to add colour to their outdoor space. Thriving in partial to full shade, away from sunlight, hostas are often added to woodland gardens, borders and planters. They grow best in moist, fertile rich soil enriched with compost.
You can plant hostas at any time of the year, but ensure plants are kept shaded and well-watered if planting in mid-summer. Hostas with thicker, waxier leaves are often more tolerant of slightly drier conditions.
Hostas are planted in much the same way as other herbaceous perennials. Here are our top tips for successful planting.
Borders planting guide:
- Space plants up to 90cm apart depending on their height and spread
- Dig a planting hole the same depth as the root ball, and twice as wide. The roots should be teased out and placed in the hole, before drawing back the soil and firming using your fingers
- Water in the plant to settle the soil, and ensure you water it regularly, especially in hot and dry weather
- In fertile soils, an annual mulch of garden compost is all the feeding necessary
Container planting guide:
- Ensure you are using a container with drainage holes, that is around 30-45cm in diameter
- Fill the container with John Innes No.3 compost
- Plant the hosta, ensuring the root ball sits at the same level that it did in its previous pot and water well
- Feed once a month with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Concentrated Liquid Plant Food when it’s in growth
- Pots can dry out quickly in warm weather, so require regular watering. Check down in the soil or compost to a depth of 10-15cm (6”) that the soil is moist – if it is not, water it well
Caring Throughout the Seasons
Hostas are reliable perennials that return year after year, but they do require some extra care throughout changing seasons.
Spring: As new shots emerge, clear away any dead foliage left from winter to make room for fresh growth. Removing the top 1cm of compost from planted containers and replacing with fresh compost will remove any overwintering slug eggs.
Summer: Hostas thrive in moist soil, so water regularly during hot and dry spells, especially if in containers. Some varieties also produce tall flower spikes as the weather warms.
Autumn: As temperatures cool, cut away any yellow or brown looking leaves to keep the plant looking neat. If you are wanting to divide larger clumps of your hosta, this is the time to do it.
Winter: Hostas are hardy plants and will grow back as the weather warms. Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent compost becoming waterlogged during prolonged wet weather.
The Best Places to Plant Hostas
Hostas are happiest in shaded or partially shaded areas of the garden where their foliage is protected from the sun. They work beautifully in woodland style gardens and shaded borders, where their striking leaves can be truly appreciated.
Smaller varieties of hostas are ideal for pots and containers, making them a great choice for patios and balconies. Their compact size allows them to add colour and texture to shaded outdoor spaces without overwhelming the area. They can be planted individually for a simple feature display or grouped together with other shade-loving plants to create a lush container arrangement.
Avoid planting them in dry or exposed areas, as they require moisture and shade. Blue-leaved hostas particularly prefer shadier spots to maintain their distinctive tones.
Common Problems
Hostas do not do well in hot, sunny spots or in dry soil. If they are left in excessive sun or dry soil, their leaves will often turn brown and scorched. The best solution to this is to replant them in a shadier space.
The biggest challenge when growing hostas is slug and snail damage. This is most common in spring, when fresh leaves are appearing. You can protect hostas by using wildlife-friendly slug control methods, adding barriers around plants, or growing more resistant varieties with thicker leaves.
Another pest deterrent method is a garlic wash, which you can make at home. To create it, crush garlic cloves, soak them in water, strain the mixture, and then spray it onto the leaves and soil around the hosta. As the spray is natural and wildlife-friendly, it is a popular treatment among gardeners, although it needs to be reapplied regularly – particularly after rain.
Add Lasting Interest to your Garden
Hostas are a fantastic choice for bringing colour and texture to shaded areas of your garden. With their striking foliage and low maintenance nature, they suit everything from woodland gardens and borders to containers and pots. By providing moist soil, regular watering and a sheltered spot away from sunlight, your hostas will return year after year with beautiful fresh growth each spring.
Browse our range of hostas at one of our garden centres to find the perfect variety for your garden today. You can also check out our latest Plant of the Week feature on hostas, available to watch now on our YouTube channel.
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