Guv's Gardens
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Part shade to full shade
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter
- Soil pH
- Slightly acidic to neutral, about 6.0-7.5
- Water
- Regular. Mulch
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 3-9
- Height and spread
- 4 in-2.5 ft x 6 in-3 ft
Guv's tipSlugs and snails love hostas. Hand-pick them, or use iron phosphate bait or beer traps. And mulch to keep them moist.
Through the year
Months are a rough guide. Time it by your own frost dates.
When to plant
Spring (Apr-May) or late summer (Aug-Sep)
Flowering
Flowers in summer, from early summer to fall depending on cultivar
Pruning
Remove flower stalks, and dead leaves in fall
Making more plants
Division
Watch out for
Slugs and snails
Look for: Irregular holes, slime trails
What to do: Hand-pick, iron phosphate bait, beer traps
Deer
Look for: Leaves eaten to stubs
What to do: Fencing, repellents
Hosta virus X
Hosta virus X (Potexvirus)Look for: Mottling, ring spots, ink-bleed streaks along veins
What to do: Destroy infected plants, disinfect tools
Southern blight / crown rot
Sclerotium rolfsiiLook for: Yellowing, rotting crown with white fungal threads
What to do: Remove plant and surrounding soil, keep mulch away from crown
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Contains saponins. Causes vomiting, diarrhea and depression in dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, NC State Extension)
Weed risk: None known
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 USA plants in one book.
