Almost everyone in Georgia can identify a hosta in the spring and summer. These prized perennial plants are beloved for their size, colors and tolerance of shade in the garden. Though they send up skinny stalks with small flowers late in the summer, what enthusiasts really love are the variations in leaf color, size and shape. According to the American Hosta Society, hostas are “the most widely grown ornamental perennial in the United States”! They’re *almost fool-proof.

I worked a plant sale recently and on the shade table, hostas were the first to go! They were happily displayed along with coral bells (heuchera), ferns, and a few hellebores, but they certainly stole the show.

The Georgia Hosta Society has been around for 40 years and meets to educate its members, talk shop about hostas, and even swap plants. Their annual show is this weekend. More information can be found here.

If sharing hostas with a friend, I recommend digging up a larger one and dividing it either at the end of summer when the leaves are yellowed or when the curled leaves begin to pop out of the ground around March. They’re easily split and shared.

Hostas are like a salad bar for deer, rabbits, and slugs, so plan accordingly. Seen here are pictures that have been submitted to me over the years with the question, “what’s eating my hostas?” A bite taken by a deer often leaves nothing behind but a stem with no leaf or the leaf gets ripped. If ‘clean’ teeth marks are observed in from the leaf’s edge, could be a bunny or a black vine weevil. Holes and tears in the middle of the leaf could indicate hail damage or more commonly, slugs! To stay ahead of slugs, use a bait as soon as the weather warms up. Diluted ammonia spray and a shallow pan of beer are two other options for control.

Hostas are no stranger to fungal and bacterial leaf spots, just like any other plant. Proper planting and care can often ward off such diseases. A feared virus that is fatal where the plant must be disposed of is Hosta Virus X, or HVX.

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