Being a Specalist Hosta nursery we get asked lots of questions about Hostas from our garden visitors, online customers and website visitors from all over the world. We always these directly and immediately. If we can help, and we usually can, we love to do so.
Let's have a look at the most frequently asked questions.....
"Do Hostas Need a special type of compost?"
No! Any peat free compost will do. If you have your own compost you can mix it with any proprietary compost. For most of the season we use our own compost mixed with leaf mould. Any organic matter will do they are not fussy plants. They will grow in almost any medium, as long as there is some goodness in it!
"What is the best time of year to plant Hostas?"
Hostas are often sold in a garden centre in their pots. These can be planted straight away, if not frosty. When you get them from us, the come bare-root. The general consensus is that it is best to plant bare-root Hostas in the Spring. However as long as the soil is not frozen or covered in snow, you can plant Hostas. Planting early Autumn while the soil is still warm, will give the Hostas a good start to establish a good root system for overwintering. Which will help produce an early start in the spring. We find often planting in early Autumn bring better results.
"In what size pots do you do you grow your Hostas for Sale?"
Our standard Hostas are grown in 6- 8 inch pots. However we dispatch all our Hostas bareroot. All the soil is washed off giving us the chance to check the health of the plant before we send them out to our customers. They are dispatched wrapped in newspaper, then polythene to maintain a moisture level, and packed in cardboard boxes to send by Royal Mail.
"What happens to Hostas in Autumn?"
At the beginning of Autumn Hostas start to look a little poorly, brown marks start to appear on the edges of the leaves and colours start to fade. Many blue Hostas may turn green and look like completely different. All of these things are completely normal and are all part of the winter dormancy process.
As the nights draw in and the temperature drops you will notice the leaves will turn yellow. This is part of the Hosta life cycle and completely normal.
Eventually, all the leaves will drop off, and the Hosta is going into dormancy, ready for winter. They will be back up again, come Spring.
Video Showing Question & Answer Session
In this video John answers four popular questions
" Why doesn't my Hosta look like the parent plant?"
" Why isn't my Blue Hosta very Blue"?
"Is it true darker Green Hostas like the shade and Yellow Hostas prefer the sun?"
"Is it better to plant Hostas in Pots or open ground?"
To learn more about Hostas, you may be interested in reading : What Are the Common Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Hostas?, Ways to Protect Your Hostas from Slugs and Snails and "Uncovering the Advantages of Bare Root Hostas:
Shop for Hostas HERE
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John Plant
Rewela Hostas