Hostas

How to choose a hosta

Start with size. The Blue Mouse Ears Hosta is a miniature, with small, thick, rounded blue green leaves in a tight mound that suits a pot, a trough or the front edge of a shaded bed. The Guacamole Hosta is a large grower with broad, glossy leaves in apple green edged with a darker green, and it carries scented pale flowers in late summer. The Minuteman Hosta is a medium clump with dark green leaves and a crisp white margin that lights up a dim corner. The Lakeside Paisley Print Plantain Lily is a patterned variety grown for its marked leaves.

As a rule, blue leaved hostas need the most shade, since sun melts the waxy bloom that gives the colour. Gold and green forms take more light, and thick leaved kinds stand up to snails better than thin leaved ones.

Where hostas grow

Hostas need a cold winter rest, so they do well in Melbourne, the Dandenongs, the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania, Canberra, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and the New England tablelands. They are fully frost hardy. They struggle in the humid subtropics and tropics, where winters are too warm for proper dormancy and clumps weaken and fade within a year or two. In Sydney and Perth they can be grown in pots in full shade with care, but they are never as lush.

Give them shade or dappled light under deciduous trees, with shelter from hot wind and afternoon sun. They suit the same spots as our plants for full shade and ferns for shady areas, and belong among the plants for cool climates.

Planting and spacing

Plant in autumn or in late winter and spring. Dig in plenty of compost or leaf mould first: hostas want rich soil that holds moisture but still drains. Set the crown level with the soil surface. Space miniatures 20 to 30 centimetres apart, medium kinds 50 to 60 centimetres, and large varieties up to a metre, as a mature clump takes three or four years to reach full spread. Mulch after planting.

Care basics

Keep the soil moist from spring to autumn. Dry soil shows quickly as brown leaf edges. Feed in early spring as the shoots appear, and top up the mulch each year. Cut away the collapsed leaves in early winter, and mark the spot so the dormant crown is not dug up by mistake.

Snails and slugs are the main pest, and they do the most harm in spring when the new shoots are soft. Check at night, use traps or iron based pellets, and keep mulch slightly back from the crowns. Clumps can be lifted and divided in late winter every four or five years. Hostas are toxic to dogs and cats if eaten, so plant them where pets do not graze.

Common questions

Do hostas die back in winter?

Yes, completely. The leaves yellow and collapse in late autumn and nothing shows above ground until the new shoots appear in spring.

Can hostas grow in Queensland?

Not well on the coast or in the tropics, where it is too warm and humid. They can succeed in the cold parts of the Granite Belt and similar high country.

Will hostas grow in pots?

Yes, and pots make it easier to keep snails away. Use a quality potting mix, keep the pot in shade and never let it dry out in summer.

How much sun can hostas take?

Gentle morning sun is fine in cool districts. Hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves.