How to Grow Hosta

Hostas are perfect plants for shade. Their bold leaves - all green, gray-green, striped with white or gold - are the most ornamental part of the plant, although the tall flower stems appearing in summer add interest too.

Things You'll Need

• Bypass Pruners
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Garden Spades
• Garden Trowels
• Mulch
• Plants

Instructions

Choosing Hosta:

1. Look for plants at nurseries in spring and summer.

2. Buy hostas in 4-inch to 1-gallon containers.

3. Choose healthy-looking plants with signs of new growth in leaf and flower bud.

Planting Hosta:

1. Plant hostas in full shade in well-drained soil.

2. Add a light application of organic fertilizer to the planting hole.

3. Place the plants no deeper than the depth of the containers they were growing in.

4. Set the plants 6 inches to 2 feet apart, depending on the variety.

5. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with three inches of organic compost.

6. Water well until soil is completely moist.

Caring for Hosta:

1. Clean up leaves in fall after the plants have died back; use by-pass pruners to cut off dead leaves that are still attached.

2. Apply a light application of organic fertilizer on top of the soil in early spring; follow package directions.

3. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with three inches of organic compost in early spring.