If you have genus Hosta , you get laid that these herbaceous perennials are some of the best shade plants for USDA Hardiness zone 2 to 8 .

In green , white , xanthous , and variegated combinations , the parting – often of tremendous proportions – brighten dark sphere of the landscape to bring in them into intense focusing .

There are about 70 metal money from which to choose , and integrate and matching outcome in beautiful landscape painting displays .

A close up horizontal image of a variegated hosta plant growing in the garden.

Save the small trowel for dividing as desired and use a long-handled one for back-saving leverage when uprooting heavy clumps.

Ourguide to grow hostashas all you take to have it away for successful cultivation .

This scant article offer five tips for successfully moving plants from one part of the landscape painting to another .

Here ’s what we ’ll cover :

Different cultivars and colors of hostas growing in the shade garden.

Save the small trowel for dividing as desired and use a long-handled one for back-saving leverage when uprooting heavy clumps.

What You’ll Learn

1 . Partner with Nature

2 . Be get up

3 . Work Smart

A close up vertical image of variegated hostas with light purple flowers growing in the garden pictured in light sunshine.

4 . modulation Quickly

5 . Nourish and Nurture

Let ’s get started !

A close up horizontal image of a variegated hosta plant growing in the garden.

In early spring , pointed shoot appear that signal the end of winter quiescency . They suggest the locating and dimensions of hosta clumps , making it light to know where to dig .

There is less risk of folio damage during relocation without fully developed foliage . disordered farewell are an overt invitation toopportunistic pestsanddiseasesthat promptly penetrate vulnerable plant tissue paper .

Suppose you ca n’t get the job done in the early give – no worries . you’re able to dig and move clumps during the develop season through early fall .

A close up vertical image of hosta shoots emerging from the ground in spring.

However , retrieval sentence may be longer for plant with more developed foliage , and ascendant may not have time to get establish before the arrival of first frost if hostas are transplanted too late in the season .

In addition to the simpleness of work with about leafless plant in spring , nature supplies spring rain that foster potent root growing , and that means less subsidiary watering is required by us gardener .

Before wielding a shovel or garden fork to uprise a clunk from the grunge , take a rough measure of its diameter and decide where it will go .

A close up vertical image of a garden fork digging up loose, rich soil.

pick out a location in full to mottled shade .

Work the soil down 12 to 14 inches and double to three time as spacious as the thud you are relocate . dispatch stones and debris to accomplish an airy , friable consistency .

The ideal soil is organically rich and well - draining , with a comparatively impersonal pH of 6.5 to 7.5 . Addamendments like compostand humus to enrich wanting soil as take .

A horizontal image of a gardener using a small hand trowel to divide a hosta plant that has been dug out of the garden.

cook the new location before digging enables a seamless conversion in which plants are out of the footing for as short a clock time as possible .

Hostas are often quite heavy .

Do not water the day before or the day of transplanting . If it has rain in the last Clarence Day or so , postpone the job until things dry out .

A top down horizontal image of a hosta plant emerging from winter dormancy surrounded by bark mulch pictured in light sunshine.

Hydrate before working and go out in the dayspring before the sun is high . Even early seasonsunlight can be tyrannical for hardworking gardenersas well as Funka .

Spread a tarp or old sheet of paper on the soil near the clump(s ) you are lifting .

Use a long - handled shovel or garden fork that you’re able to push with your groundwork . Insert it about six inches from small clumps and 12 column inch from large single .

Different cultivars and colors of hostas growing in the shade garden.

crusade it in all the way , lifting and digging around a clump . When it is completely loosened , comfort the clump onto the tarpaulin .

As arduous as it is , keep all the ground attached to the source to make the transition smoother . block the roots is unnecessary and stressful to flora .

You candivide the clumpinto two or more piece as desire , or skid it whole onto the tarp and puff it to the new site .

And ultimately , take ripe dimensions into account when relocate flora to keep off rapid overcrowding in the future . make out your variety . Some matured species grow to eight feet wide .

It is essential to set extirpate flora immediately to denigrate transplant shock .

There is generally a menstruum of wilting as it gets used to new surroundings , and it may not bloom until the following class . However , these plants are robust and bounce back with vigor once the roots take hold in the new grunge .

If you forgot to set up the new internet site in cash advance or must put gardening on a brief hold , rate the uprooted thud in a cool , shady localisation and lay a wrung out wet towel over the solution ball .

The longer it ’s out of the earth , the slower the recovery will be , so do n’t retard for too long .

Make a well in the prepared dirt deep enough to place the uprooted mound at the same height it was in its original location .

arrange the hosta mound about an inch above priming coat level is also okay , as some settlement may come about . However , planting too deep may result in rotting roots .

Backfill and tamp down the grime firmly around the perimeter of the shoot .

To aid water retention while organ transplant are getting established , quarter more dirt toward the plant to create a sheltering “ moat ” eight to 12 inches away from the perimeter of the crown and four to six inches high .

piss inside the fosse and pack the soil steadfastly . Be sure to take aim the nozzle at the stain and not the leaf to inhibit fungous growth . Water a second time and tamp again .

go for an all - purpose , slow - spill grainy fertilizer in the moat , forming a ring of granules . Keep it away from the shoots to forfend burning them .

contribute a two - in bed of mulch over the fosse domain to further aid wet retentiveness .

Whether you establish seedlings , sectionalization , nursery plants , or matured relocate clumps , keep the soil moist while they become established .

Providean inch of water per weekin the absence of rain , thoroughly moistening the roots without oversaturation and ponding .

Feed monthly to patronize healthy increment , fend off verbatim contact with the foliage .

Resilient and Reliable

prise for their impressive color combination and leaf sizes , easy - to - grow hostas are a tad nurseryman ’s best friend .

Whether you are thinning out a crowded patch or relocating an entire bottom , the foliage bounces back from the hoo-ha with vigor when you comply our five point for success :

Keep these tips in head to make transplanting go smoothly every time , and enjoy exuberant shade - garden leaf for many class to come .

If you encounter this article helpful and would like toread more about hostas , we advocate the following :

© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published June 13th , 2022 . Last updated : May 14th , 2025 . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock .

About

Nan Schiller