Hosta
Hostas are grown for the leaf, and the whole job is getting that leaf to October without holes in it. Slugs and snails decide whether a hosta looks magnificent or ragged, and the battle is won in the three weeks when the shoots are unfurling, not in August when the damage is already done.
They are otherwise easy: shade or morning sun, soil that stays moist, and the blue-leaved kinds kept out of hot sun, which melts the waxy bloom that makes them blue in the first place.
Care
Part shade to shade — blue-leaved forms hold their colour only out of direct sun; some yellow-leaved ones take more light.
High — a hosta that dries out never recovers its looks that season.
Rich, moisture-retentive soil with plenty of organic matter. It will cope with clay, which holds water, far better than with dry sand.
Cut the yellowing foliage away in late autumn and clear it from around the crown — leaving it there gives slugs and snails somewhere to overwinter. Remove flower stems after flowering, or earlier if you grow it purely for leaf.
A balanced feed over a thick mulch as the shoots come through, and a second light feed after flowering on poor soil. Well fed and well watered, the leaves reach the size the cultivar is capable of; starved, they stay small.
Divide in spring as the pointed shoots emerge, cutting down through the crown with a spade or knife so each piece keeps several shoots and roots. Slow-growing named forms can be split into single shoots, but they take a couple of years to make a clump.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilProtect the emerging shoots from slugs and snails — this is the month that decides how the leaves look all summer. how ›
- AprilFeed and mulch generously as growth starts. how ›
- JulyWater deeply in dry spells; the leaves will not recover once scorched. how ›
- NovemberClear away dead foliage from around the crown to remove slug shelter. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilProtect the emerging shoots from slugs and snails — this is the month that decides how the leaves look all summer. how ›
- AprilFeed and mulch generously as growth starts. how ›
- JulyWater deeply in dry spells; the leaves will not recover once scorched. how ›
- NovemberClear away dead foliage from around the crown to remove slug shelter. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchProtect the emerging shoots from slugs and snails — this is the month that decides how the leaves look all summer. how ›
- MarchFeed and mulch generously as growth starts. how ›
- JulyWater deeply in dry spells; the leaves will not recover once scorched. how ›
- NovemberClear away dead foliage from around the crown to remove slug shelter. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchProtect the emerging shoots from slugs and snails — this is the month that decides how the leaves look all summer. how ›
- MarchFeed and mulch generously as growth starts. how ›
- JulyWater deeply in dry spells; the leaves will not recover once scorched. how ›
- DecemberClear away dead foliage from around the crown to remove slug shelter. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Holes and ragged edges, worst on the emerging spring shoots and on thin-leaved cultivars.
What to do. Protect from the moment the shoots appear; thick-leaved blue cultivars and container growing are the two most effective defences.
How to spot it. Brown, crisp margins after sun or drought.
What to do. Move to shade and improve soil moisture; damaged leaves will not recover.
How to spot it. Sudden collapse of a container plant, grubs among the roots.
What to do. Check and repot into fresh compost.
Popular varieties
Questions
Hosta: is it hardy?
H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — and a pot on a hard surface is one of the best defences against slugs, provided it is never allowed to dry out.
Hosta: when do you prune it?
Cut the yellowing foliage away in late autumn and clear it from around the crown — leaving it there gives slugs and snails somewhere to overwinter.
Hosta: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in July–August.
When do you feed it?
A balanced feed over a thick mulch as the shoots come through, and a second light feed after flowering on poor soil. Well fed and well watered, the leaves reach the size the cultivar is capable of; starved, they stay small. Feeding months, UK: April, July.