Hosta Plants
Hosta Plants
How to Count Hosta Eyes
In the spring, when things are just beginning to warm up and the soil is still cool and moist, hosta lovers go out to count eyes. Gently uncover your hosta beds to reveal the green nubs poking through the soil. Each nub is called an eye, and it is the beginning of a complete set of hosta leaves.
There are two reasons to count hosta eyes. The first and most important is simply so you can take joy in how much your hostas have grown, and so that you can anticipate how beautiful they will be in a couple of months. The more eyes a hosta has, the larger
diameter the clump will be.
The second reason to count hosta eyes is to decide if it is time to divide some of them. When you go out to count hosta eyes, it's also a good time to do a little hosta maintenance.
If you are considering moving your hosta, this is the best time to do it. When choosing a new location, remember that hostas are shade and water-loving plants. Before you move the plant, dig a hole in the new location and mix in some good compost. Make sure the soil is moist. Then, dig up the entire hosta bunch and replant it. Make sure that the roots don't dry out in the process, and be careful not to bury the crown, and you're good to go.
This is also a good time to split hostas. You don't have to split them and they don't get overcrowded like some plants. Hostas just get bigger and bigger. But splitting is a good way to expand your hosta bed, or to share with friends. It really depends on the variety and personal preference when deciding when to split hostas. I recommened waiting at least 4 or 5 years so you can experience some of the beauty each unique plant.
Before you split a hosta, prepare the new plant location as above. Then dig up the plant. With a very sharp knife that has been dipped in an anti-fungal powder or bleach mixture, cut the crown into smaller pieces. Each eye will produce a plant, but the new plant will take longer to get established with fewer eyes. Two to six eyes is better, and larger pieces are fine. Dust the cut pieces with antifungal or rinse in a bleach solution, and replant. Make sure the roots don't dry out in the process.
When you move or split hostas, it can take them a year or so to completely reestablish themselves.
Other early spring hosta maintenance includes cleaning the bed and fertilizing. Remove old leaves, mulch and debris. Add a mild dressing of compost or fertilizer to the soil, and you're done.
In fact, you're pretty well done for several months. Hostas are very easy to care for. They only thing they really want is a cool, shady area with lots of water.
If, however, you live in a cold-weather region, you might recover your hosta eyes with fresh mulch to protect them from late frost. Mulching helps retain water in the warmer months, anyway.
That first nice day in spring, when things are still mucky in the garden, go out and count hosta eyes and do a little basic maintenance. In just a couple of months your hostas will be completely open and you'll be enjoying their beauty.
About the Author
Jerry Van Der Kolk has been involved directly with the Horticulture Industry for over 20 years. He now devotes his time to growing hard-to-find hostas for hosta collectors via his popular website http://www.DirectSourceHostas.com.
My hosta plants look great in the early spring. Then they develope small holes in their leaves. What is the?
What is the cause and cure?
How do I get rid of the snails?
The snails are eating your hostas.
Tissue Culture hostas
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Mr. BIG Hosta Plant -THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOSTA!-Shade $14.99 HOSTA: It is difficult to find a garden that is without this versitile East Asian native. Lush foliage in diverse colors, heights and textures, coupled with its ability to excel in deep shade have captured gardeners? hearts everywhere. Move over, Sum and Substance, here comes MR. BIG!. Leaves are blue, seer-suckered and have great substance. Giant leaf; 144 square inches. Lavender flowers in J... |
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Blue Mouse Ears Hosta - 2008 Hosta of the Year - Dwarf $8.95 HOSTA: It is difficult to find a garden that is without this versitile East Asian native. Lush foliage in diverse colors, heights and textures, coupled with its ability to excel in deep shade have captured gardeners? hearts everywhere. This 2008 Hosta of the Year Has Leaves no Bigger than Your Pinkie! Soft blue-green coloring with hints of gold at the base. Such a delight, 'Blue Mouse Ears' se... |
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The New Encyclopedia of Hostas $29.69 The lush, sculptural hosta is loved by gardeners for its ability to both combine well with other plants and project a strong presence when planted alone. The New Encyclopedia of Hostasâthe second edition of Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack's classic workâprovides growth and cultivation information for seven hundred cultivated hostas. Detailed, easy-to-read descriptions include growing... |
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Timber Press Pocket Guide to Hostas (Timber Press Pocket Guides) $10.56 Boasting diverse leaf shape, size, color, and texture, it is no wonder that hostas continue to reign as the most popular perennial plants in North America. Not only are they the supreme plant for shade, but they also can be used in the landscape either as striking specimen plantings or as accommodating companion plants. Few pests bother them, and little maintenance is required, making hostas even ... |
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The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas $49.95 Hostas have come a long way since Thomas Hogg Junior sent his first shipment from Japan to his familys Manhattan nursery in 1862. They are now consistently voted the gardeners favorite perennial and it takes merely a glance to understand why. Their clean lines, sumptuous leaves and elegant flowers offer great potential for striking specimen plantings and also make them the most accommodating o... |