What a newbie should know about Hostas

About Hostas

Hosta leaves come in 4 main colors: blue, green, yellow and white. Color combinations are also important. The leaves can have different shapes as well as margin colors  different from the center color.
The leaves can have wide irregular margins or very distinct but thin margins. The Spring color also may not be stable all season long. The leaf surface can be flat, curled, cupped, wavy, contorted,
piecrust or furrowed. Flat surfaces have even and smooth features. A rugose leaf has uneven features such as dimpled, puckered, embossed, ruffled, pleated, wrinkled, and crinkled leaf surface.
Cupped leaf surfaces are cupped around the margins. Contorted leaves are warped, or distorted. Piecrust leaves have closely spaced, distinct, regular, undulations along the margins. Furrowed leaves
show the veins sunken or impressed, creating a ribbed effect.

Categories
Hostas fall into ten categories:
1.  Green
2.  Blue
3.  Yellow/Gold
4.  White-margined
5.  Yellow-margined
6.  White-centered
7.  Yellow-centered
8.  Streakers
9.  Unusual ones
10. Red petioles

Hosta Flowers

The Hosta Flower seems to be a second aspect of the Hosta. Hostas can bloom anytime from June to October and the flowers can be funnel or bell shaped. Many look like lilies and some don't open at all.
Some are fragrant and most are purple, white or white with fine lavender stripes.

Soil Preparation

The care of your new Hosta plant is fairly simple. If you have a choice of where you plant your Hosta, select a soil that is loose and well drained. The soil in your garden should be amended with compost
to a depth of 12-18 inches. Prepare the soil according to the Soil Preparation Guide. Place the Hosta in the hole so that the plant crown is level with the ground. Place some good soil around the roots
and water thoroughly. Space the plants 2 feet apart for small hostas...up to 7 feet apart for huge or giant hostas that will reach 6 to 8 feet in diameter at maturity. Hostas do best when left undisturbed
for several years. After they are planted, your hostas will require very little care. Remember that hostas are tough! Hostas are best grown under trees for providing the necessary shade that hostas love.
Because the tree roots will compete for moisture, make sure that your plants get enough water during the growing season. This is especially important for young hostas so they can establish properly.
In colder temperature zones, mulching is not absolutely necessary as it is in hotter zones 6, 7, or 8. In those hotter zones, a layer of mulch will help reduce water loss, keep the roots at an even temperature,
and prevent competition from weeds. Mulching however provide an ideal place for slugs, moles and voles to hide without being noticed.  Although it is not necessary, an annual feeding of slow release fertilizer
will keep your hostas happy.

Sun versus Shade

There has been a great deal of debate over where particular hostas will do best. Pick out a shady spot that is protected from hot afternoon sun. This is particularly a necessity if you live in a hotter Zone like Zone 6, 7 or 8. The Most common mistake made by newbies (new Hosta lovers) is thinking that all Hosta do best in full shade. This is not the case. Hostas are shade tolerant which means that they will do well in varying degrees of shade, yet still like some sun. If possible, try to avoid full afternoon sun. Some hostas, such as H. plantaginea Aphrodite, will tolerate sunnier conditions. Frequent watering will help a Hosta survive more direct sunlight than it normally would tolerate. Click Sun Tolerant Hostas to see a list of sun tolerant hostas keeping in mind that many hostas will even do better when exposed to sun.

Fertilizer

If you feel it is necessary to apply fertilizer, most prosfessional Hosta growers prefer an annual application of 10-10-10. For those who tend toward organic gardening, there are several products that have worked well for Hosta gardeners. Some use Milorganite, others choose animal menure like Sheep Menure. Another organic fertilizer with 8% nitrogen is soybean meal. As for me, I prefer to use a slow nitrogen release fertilizer in granular form.

Mulching

If you live in an area covered with pine trees, the pine needles will help minimize slugs. My theory on mulching is rather simple: if you are in colder temperature zones 3, 4 or 5, you dont need any mulching. It is true that at first when your hostas are young, weeding will be a problem...for the first 3 or 4 years. After that time most hostas will have increased sufficiently in size to minimize weeding to the extend that it does not pose a serious problem. If you live in hotter zones 6, 7, or 8...and even 9...then mulching is an absolute necessity because of the very hot afternoon sun. Mulching will help reduce water loss, and will keep your topsoil damp for a longer period. Even at that in hotter zones, more frequent watering is required. Remember also that a 3-inch thick mulch provide an ideal place for slugs, moles and voles to hide without being noticed. Do not use shredded leaves as mulching as you will increase the  slug problems.

Water

Hostas love plenty of water. So...water...water...water.  In their native habitat hostas receive over 60 inches of rainfall annually. Therefore it is essential to supplement nature to ensure that the plant receives a minimum of 1 inch per week during the growing season. People who have achieved maximum growth conditions provide 1 1/2 inches per week, or 1/2" every 3 days. Due to their leaf size, hostas have a very high transpiration rate so soil conditions should allow for optimum water retention. This is achieved by adding peat moss to the garden topsoil.

Hostas in containers

This is a good option especially when hostas get serious competition from tree roots. Hostas with red petioles really look nice in containers. Some good examples are Torchlight, Fire Island, One Man's Treasure, Carolina Blue, Gilt by Association...and many more.  You can move your containers around and create a different display during the season. If you use containers you need to keep the holes in the bottom open to ensure good drainage.

Slugs and other pests

Hostas tend to be pest free. However, slugs do tend to enjoy eating holes in the leaves of hostas. Slugs are therefore the eneny number one of hostas. To deal with slugs, use a 1:10 ammonia solution and spray each hosta all over the leaves..over...under...near the base....as soon as the hosta eyes appear in the Spring. Then continue the process at about every 2 weeks....or right after a rainfall....this is when slugs like to come out and are attracted to hostas. Some hostas are real slugs-magnet, so you should have a minimum of those varieties. The good news is that today hybridizers have developed a multitude of slug-free hostas....hostas with thick substance.

Planting Season

Hostas can be planted at any time during the growing season, although most people plant hostas in the spring. The later in the season, the mor