Striking Blue Hostas for Gardens and Containers

Growing and Caring for Hostas

• Hostas perform best in part shade to full shade in fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Some hostas are sun tolerant as long as adequate moisture is provided.
• Hostas require excellent drainage. To improve drainage, you can amend your soil with grit or bark chippings.
• Hostas need a sufficient and regular supply of water during the growing season. An easy way to ruin hostas is to let them dry out, even for a little while.
• Water is best applied directly to the roots. Avoid overhead watering as it can seriously damage the beautiful leaves, cause them to rot, and attract slugs and snails.
• Plants in containers are susceptible to waterlogging, which can cause the roots to rot. Protect your containers from winter rain by standing them at the base of a wall or fence as this is naturally drier.
• Hostas are not suitable for exposed, windy areas of the garden. Shelter them from cold, dry winds.
• Hostas are great candidates for bed and borders, mixed with other perennials, city gardens, cottage gardens, woodland gardens or containers. Some are great for edging, as groundcovers or underplanting shrubs and roses.
• No feeding required if your hosta is planted in fertile soils. An annual mulch of garden compost or well-rotted manure is sufficient.
• If your hosta is planted in poor soils, apply a general purpose fertilizer in early spring.
• Plants in containers welcome liquid feeding once a month when they are in growth. Use a general-purpose liquid fertilizer.
• Keep an eye out for slugs and snails which could damage the attractive foliage.
• Cut off the stems after blooming to encourage the plant’s growth. Discolored leaves should be trimmed back to the ground.
• Propagate by division in early spring or late summer.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.