I put mine in temporary pots until I'm ready to put them in the ground. I just use extra plastic pots that I keep around for that reason. You can put the new hostas in biodegradable pots if you want, but I don't recommend planting them in the ground that way. The pots don't break down as much as you'd think and will end up containing the roots too much.

I agree with Eleven regarding the bio pots slow in degrading. Pot them up in whatever you have, then put them in the ground.

-Babka

I did the same, potted new plants up, placed them in shade and let the hostas recover from separation and shipment trauma. Then, once the exact location is established, and friend is eager to plant, plant them at leisure. Bernd

Your ideas gave me a brainstorm, but with the following caution---if I potted the newly-arrived gorgeous hostas individually and set them outside, I am afraid that they would "develop legs". Nice things outside do have a habit of developing legs, especially with a housing project a few blocks away marring an otherwise lovely neighborhood.

My Brooklyn friend, for whom all these plants are destined, has a large elevated brick porch at the top of her porch steps. It has brick walls all around, to boot. Upon the front wall sit 2 long skinny plastic planters, which is where I plant annuals for her every year. I seem to remember one of them is sort of aged and could stand to be replaced. I can buy a long skinny green plastic planter to replace it and use it here to plant the lovely new hostas in it. Then I could set this behind the Obligatory Bushes, out of the sight of passersby. Once the hostas are planted, we could just use this new planter on her porch. I think the hostas would be safer in a heavy planter than in individual pots, soooo tempting to pick up and walk away with. I would just have to pick up the heavy planter to put it into my car, but I think I'm up to that task. If not, I could ask a neighbor, like the strapping son of my handicapped neighbor.

And, I just this minute got off the phone to HostasDirect, asking where my heuchie order is. The heuchies are to accompany the hostas under my friend's 2 big ball-shaped bushes in the front "yard" (by Brooklyn standards, it's a front yard. By you outoftowners' standards, it would be big enough to set 3 very large doghouses on, maybe). I should know by tomorrow, via phone call and/or email, when to expect the heuchies. They will be lil bitty things, as I could not find large specimens for all the varieties I wanted. I will have to explain to my friend that they will get bigger next year.