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Do you need to divide your hosta every few years?

16 years ago

Novice gardener here. I have several varieties of hosta in a front bed that are mostly in the shade. They have been there since August 2004. Some of them are fairly large (about 3-1/2-4' diameter). Not only am I a novice gardener, I'm a lazy one too! Given the size of the plants, do I need to divide them? Or just leave them alone? At full growth, the plants are just beginning to crowd each other. However, one is overshadowed by a hydrangea that had a great year and will have to be moved or given away.

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Comments (9)

lisasmall
16 years ago
WMX3, it's up to you. Some people never divide their hostas, and the hostas don't mind. They just keep getting bigger... bigger... which is why you may want to divide them, to keep them from crowding one another literally to death (as in when you have a standard hosta overwhelming a mini or dwarf).

I'm not sure which look I like best myself: the overgrown-all-touching look, or the stately-isolation-not-touching look.
jspece
16 years ago
Hostas rarely need to be divided. If you don't like them touching, space them out more and then you don't have to mess with them to keep the look you want. But...if they touch (not crowd), fewer weeds get through!
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Lindalana, I am in Milwaukee, same zone, not too far from you i think. This spring was an unusually cold spring. Normally I would have hostas leafing out by mid-late April. This year I barely had pips at that time. I agree about the clay soil, so it’s good you have been amending the soil. I think as you work the soil over time, you’ll get used to it. Altough, if it hasn’t rained in a week or more, I am often surprised at how hard the soil will be to dig, even using my root slayer. debra p.s. I agree with NHL, I one month before expected/normal frost.
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esther_opal
16 years ago
The only real problem and it is not a real problem unless it bothers you is the fairy ring effect. The center of the plant will stop growing and you end up with a circle of crowns. Usually one cannot see the fairy ring after the plant leafs out in spring.

Because it is unusual many people are troubled but some could find it interesting or even attractive, the fairy ring will not hurt or kill your plants.

BTW it may take 10 years to appear.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
THE ONLY REASON TO DIVIDE THEM.. IS FOR EXERCISE ... period ...

if they dont fit where you put them .. either expand the bed.. move the house.. or replace them with an appropriately sized hosta ...

for what its worth. ken
papou
16 years ago
I divide Ginko Craig every 3 or 4 years to maintain its elongated leaves...otherwise the leaves widen out...
I also divide Golden Tiara periodically since I find it looks better (more vigorous) when it has about 20 eyes max.

Papou
shade_tolerant
16 years ago
Several streaked hostas have to be divided to keep the streaking intact. Some of them will try to revert back so it's recommended to remove any all green section that would eventually take over the plant, thus losing the streaking.
esther_opal
16 years ago
I divide Ginko Craig every 3 or 4 years to maintain its elongated leaves...otherwise the leaves widen out...
I also divide Golden Tiara periodically since I find it looks better (more vigorous) when it has about 20 eyes max.
Papou

What Papou is talking about is a choice not a need and I divide some for appearance or space questions. I've also noted that Tiara's seem to make the fair ring effect fairly quickly, still the plant doesn't "need" to be divided.

PS if Papou says so listen! There is no better grower with sounder advice on this forum.
jbranch
16 years ago
I have what I consider trophy hostas that once they start to mature and get the look I'm after, I leave them alone. I have several that I would not touch. Now, the more common hostas are a different story, I divide, move, experiment with, etc...
hostamanfred
16 years ago
The only reason I divide is to make more hostas, otherwise I leave them alone.
Jbranch, the best way to get more hostas from your trophy hostas, is to chop off a few eyes from along the edge as the start to emerge in the spring.
Manfred

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