I think everyone been waiting to reply to you because they all want a little more information on where you live and what zone you are in. That said, hostas are amazingly tough (for the most part, but there are exceptions) and can be moved even into the late Fall with proper handling and copious amounts of water and TLC. That said - if you can wait, Spring is always better, usually around the "pip" stage. Welcome to this strangely additive hobby Lesley. If possible add your zone to your sign in and state. Also, if you know the variety of hosta that you want to move and the size etc., it would really help.

To add your zone and area "permanently" to your username go to

My Houzz (upper right)

Edit my Profile

Add climate zone (on left, at bottom of list)

Do it! And we thank you.

Any division you do will look like crap from now until next spring. If you can live with that--go for it. Come spring your move/divisions have a 99% likely hood of survival and will look uniformly round and well formed. They will be smaller than you imagine. My rule is, any move has to be done no less than 6 weeks before hard freeze. I give mine that time to settle in and take root in their new home. For me that means I use labor day weekend for my plant moving. Once the average daily temp is below 80..go for it..just remember you will need to babysit them by watering often/DAILY..depending on temps, soil etc. Early Fall is a perfect time, you can see the space you have and the ugly that can come from a division is short lived as frost is on its way....Spring dividing for a novice is trickier IMHO because you have to find the plant, remember its size and remember where it will fit among the other plants that are not fully leafed out yet. What looks sparse in early spring is over crowded come summer in my world!!

As Gary said, spring is usually better and easier if you can wait until then.

bk

If you are in a zone where it would allow your relocated hosta to set its roots between now and when they go dormant, go for it... otherwise spring is best.

does your ground freeze ....

and how small are you going on divisions ... half a huge plant??? ... or millions of little plants ..

ken

I live in zone 5 at latitude 42.9 dgrs N in NY state. Right now we have a heat wave up to 92 dgrs. But on next Wednesday I will continue moving established plants around and planting bare-root plants. Usually the first killing frost here is around October 22.

btw ... most of us.. dont divide hosta...

if it doesnt fit where it is.. then get one that does ...

and if we need more.. we buy more.. of different kinds ...

pix will get you IDs ... most of the time ... i will bet my shiny nickle.. the undulata clan ... maybe a lancifolia....

ken

Most hostas are more beautiful when mature. Dividing them will set them back so the leaves will look less mature. Moving them can sometimes set them back as well...

i agree with arcy that moving / dividing is best done in the fall if you are new to hosta gardening - as it is very hard to remember the fully leafed out size when only pips are coming up. Just wait until the current heatwave passes and you should be fine.

Thanks everyone!!!!! I am in Louisville,KY. zone 6. I plan on moving a few this weekend and I have now decided to not divide them. I will keep them watered and hope for the best. This is the nicest group and I enjoy this forum so much. I have the Hosta bug now and can`t wait for spring to add more. Lesley

some dude did a post on how to move them.. intact ...

ken

Here's your link to Ken's detailed post for moving fully leafed out hosta.:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2000608/moving-a-large-fully-leafed-out-hosta-lots-o-pix

"btw ... most of us.. dont divide hosta..."

didn't realize kenny, besides being the village curmudgeon, is also the village spokesperson for "most of us".

Unlike "most of us" I divide hostas anytime, frequently. Early FALL is an excellent time to divide hostas for a multitude of good reasons. As many here have noted recently, including village curmudgeon, by early fall many hostas are already looking poorly. Dividing an already poorly looking hosta ain't gonna make that look much more poorly. Trim out the dead, divide it up and next spring you'll have multiple good lookin hostas from your one poorly lookin one now!!! Win/win/win.

I'm of the opinion hostas need dividing - some every 3-5 years. My Paul's Glory i divide about every 3 years. Now I have many Paul's Glory. Only an idiot would "buy more" when ya can just divide more!!! I've got dozens of Plantagineas now. Both of my Stained Glass (from one originally) and my Guacamole NEED dividing.

Anytime someone offers me a piece of their hosta I jump at the chance no matter the time of year. Small and medium size hostas do best for maintaining good appearance. Large size hostas get floppy because they lose support.

Fall is the best time of year for dividing hostas.

{WAD} What's a dolt ?

Welcome to the forum BTW, Lesley! : ) And welcome to the wonderful world of hostas!

gardencool - Dave is an idiot by his own words!! LOL Say it isn't so! LOL

Whoa!

Outstanding! So beautiful!!!! Thank you for your encouragement. Your gardens are lovely.

Also Huckdog, welcome to Planet Hosta! : )

Hostas just get better with age, so you don't NEED to divide them unless you choose to for whatever reason. Moving and dividing sets them back a bit. The "when" depends on you too, when you have the time and the inclination or the space. I like Spring the best just as the eyes break dormancy and you can see where you'd like to cut them, and you don't have to mess with the leaves.

Lesley- We all have our opinions here and sometimes we are at opposite ends, but we do all have one thing in common...we LOVE hostas...and soon you will wonder how you could've lived without them up to now!

-Babka

"Hostas just get better with age, so you don't NEED to divide them"

Really! That is one opinion! I've seen hostas so compacted they can hardly unfurl its leaves, if at all! I've seen hostas so compacted my initial exclamation is: now there is a hosta that NEEDS division! The beauty of hostas is in the leaves. Give the hosta some room to spread out and display its leaves. Move and divide.

Just how much 'better' is my already mature fast growing Sum and Substance going to get? I've already cut a small division out of it a few years back and sold that off in June for $25. I could quarter it now and quarter it again in 4-5 years and in 10 years have 16 mature S&S. Or I could do what ken and babka do with unlimited resources and unlimited space and go buy 15 immature S&S hostas for $300, put them in the perfect location such that when they reach their mature 5' spread so they won't be encroaching on any other plant. OR, maybe I could buy them cheaper as bare root as many people have done here (me included) and wait and wait for many years to reach maturity. Move and divide. Quicker, cheaper, simpler, easier.

What a great 100% timely legitimate thread on moving and dividing hostas. The ironies abound. There probably is not a single hostaholic here who hasn't both moved a hosta AND divided a hosta. But you'd hardly know that from reading this thread.

It was explained to me by Bridgewood Gardens that the best time to buy hostas is in the fall. Not only are the hostas often sold at discounts in the fall but that same hosta will be naturally larger next spring with an associated larger price tag.. The same applies to your divisions this fall - they will be bigger and established next spring.

Gardencool- Perhaps I should've use the word "HAVE" instead of "NEED". They don't have to be divided unless you want to make more of them, or move one to a better location for sun/shade or spacing, or as in your case if you want to make some money off them... then have at it. But if a hosta is situated in the right spot, you don't ever HAVE to divide it as you do with many other perennials.

"ken and babka do with unlimited resources and unlimited space", is in your dreams. Where did you ever get that??????

-Babka

Did you move, Babka?

bk

One more thing to consider before you divide hostas. Are you 100% sure they are virus free? We moved into a home last year with 2 large (4'x5') clumps of Gold Standard getting burnt all day in full sun. This Spring we decided to divide and move to a tree filled area to start a large shade garden. At first I thought they looked poorly because of the move but a few weeks ago got concerned enough to run an HVX test and sure enough, tested positive. Have to dig up over a dozen plants and make sure I don't plant any new hostas in those spots. Tough lesson, but at least I found out now before the roots really took off. So always make sure you're only dividing healthy plants as it can take several years before they start to show symptoms!

chrisreed33, that is kind of scary news for a newbie like myself. I don`t know if I would recognize HVX or even know what it is. I have decided to leave the hostas were they are for now. Just leave them alone until I become better educated in growing hostas. I really appreciate all the replies here. Lots to learn! lesley

R U SM, chris? Seriously lol. Yeah, let's scare the bejesus out of the newbie! Don't move or divide your existing hostas until you wait several (how many is several?) years for the all clear on HVX!!! How do you test for HVX and do you have to wait several years for it to show to do the test!!!

A newbie might ask, 'where does this HVX thing come from'? The most common answer is 'you buy it' when you purchase a new hosta. Which ironically only adds to reasoning's of dividing existing mature hostas - the odds of your existing mature hostas having HVX has to be exceedingly low in comparison to getting HVX from a new hosta!

Lesley, I'm more concerned with developing a hosta OCD complex than the HVX complex. Some people here actually grow their hostas at the laboratory cellular level. Some people here plan their vacations around hosta conventions. Some people here sterilize their shovels after every dig. I enjoy my hostas today cause I may be dead tomorrow.

P.S. The best post in the nematode thread was: 'nemawhats?' I didn't even know they could grow hostas in Texas. I was thinking hostas were my reward for living 6 months a year in a z5 barren landscape! Wonder where HVX originated from???

Gardencool- You need to read up on HVX, Big TIme. It can be devastating, and one impulse purchase of an unclean plant CAN contaminate your whole collection if your tools aren't clean.

Your posts are coming across as snotty and condescending, and it is more and more obvious that you don't really know much about hostas. Oh, and Surprise!!! Hostas grow in TX , FL, and even here in San Jose.

-Babka

Gardencool, I'm not sure what R U SM means but I was trying to help prevent someone from making the same mistake I inadvertently made. I put in my first hosta garden in 1995 and if there had been HVX back then, I would have been very thankful to have someone tell me about it so I could do do some research.

If the hosta that is going to be divided is one of the more susceptible types and maybe 7-12 yrs old, it could very well have HVX. Any new hostas I purchase now come from reputable specialty nurseries that care as much about their plants as I do, so the chances of the 120 hostas I purchased this summer having HVX is EXTREMELY low compared to the TWO lone hosts that were already in the landscaping of our new home. (and they had it!) IF I had planted the divided hostas in the NEW beds we put in with all our NEW clean plants, it could have been devastating, because of the time, effort, money and love we put into our shade gardens. HVX test kits are available online, simple and take just minutes to perform.

I am not concerned in the least about developing any kind of an OCD complex. I love spending time in the peace and quiet of my garden. We live in a multi-generational home with my daughter and son-in-law and even though " I may be dead tomorrow" I want my 5 grandchildren to be able to also enjoy the love their grandparents put into the landscaping of our home.

Lesley, enjoy your garden but continue to be informed so that you will love it more in the years to come!

Chrisreed33-

Beautifully stated. Ditto.

-Babka

Hi, huckdog.

I am new to hostas too. I just got into them this spring. My neighbor has a lovely yard and gave me divisions of several of her plants including hosta. Her advice to me was to "they're hardy, just plop them into the ground. If they're not happy, move them." I must admit, I was a bit taken aback at first. Reading about HVX (after I had already purchased and planted hosta from a big box store, EEEK!) and nematodes had me considering throwing in the towel when the fun had just begun. After cowering under the covers from fear for several days I decided to get out there and enjoy my new hobby. Afterall, my good neighbor's laissez faire attitude about hosta has yeilded her many happy plants and a lovely yard.

Moving and dividing the plants currently on your property is a good place to begin, I imagine, because disease would've presented itself already...right? Plus, it's FUN and free! Look up some images of hostas with nematodes or HVX stricken plants and if you have any questionable looking hosta just post a picture here and these fine folks will help you determine if there is cause for concern. If you want to be cautious, just ready a bucket of solution to sanitize your tools as you go.

Don't let all this back-and-forth deter you. Happy hosta-ing :)

babka, unlike you, I love a good debate. That you quickly resort to disparaging name calling 'snotty' of disagreement with you comes across as extremely arrogant. I wasn't going to respond to your previous post because I didn't see any particular point to your post and assumed it was just your NEED to get the last word in; but now I will.

You say tomatoe I say tomato. You are correct; you and I are in complete agreement. A hosta doesn't need/have to be divided, ever. My lawn doesn't have to be mowed. But yet I do it anyway, for aesthetic reasons. You apparently can't stand that I have a CLEARLY stated opinion: 'I'm of the opinion hostas need dividing'!!!! I most certainly wasn't asking your permission to divide MY hostas; that you saw fit to give your permission was most certainly condescending on your part! "obvious that you don't really know much about hostas" Your hypocrisy is stunning; or maybe that doesn't equate to condescending in your bizarro liberal norcal world. I don't know much about hostas because you divide them in the spring whereas I divide them in the fall!!! But you only divide immature hostas with a sanitized spade between each dig on already tested for HVX hostas? The hypocritical mysteries abound.

"Surprise!!! Hostas grow in TX" So in your arrogant ignorant condescending attitude somehow, though I pointed it out, you bizarrely don't think I knew that! No. I'm quite 100% sure that was your erroneous ignorant intent of ridicule.

dividawhat?

Yup, I know exactly where you are coming from.

-Babka

gardencool, as Ken stated at the first of this thread, most of us don't divide hostas. You think they need it. Fine. Who cares? Divide them. They're yours and you can do whatever you want with them.

Still, the fact remains that most of us don't think they need it. Period. End of sentence. (Actually, in this instance, Ken, pretty much, is the village spokescurmudgeon.)

There's no point in getting ugly. A good debate doesn't include name calling. If you have facts to present, please do so. If you have a good point to present, we'll listen. We won't necessarily agree, but we are always open to facts, figures and photos.

We try to make this a safe place for hosta lovers and for people to ask questions. We do our best to provide good information to hosta questions based on science and experience.

I understand you have a different point of view. However, I would hope that you would think twice about insulting people in the guise of "debate" in the future. As my grandmother would say, "it's not becoming".

bk

This thread degraded quickly. That makes me sad. Some here are bonafide experts, others like me are just gardeners gone a muck...The experts give honest, educated, BEST PRACTICE opinions. I often give "ya I know but I did this and it worked FOR ME" comments. Some here are certified Master Gardeners. Most people want FACTS and expert advise, not anecdotal offerings from these Masters. The expert knowledge and experience of others gives some us enough understanding to experiment. It sort of depends on one's time, money, desire to take a risk. I think if we all take what is offered in the spirit it is intended..we could all get along.

I have just fully read this post and would like to add that a majority of members on here are avid collectors and are more interested in expanding their collections then dividing their plants. Many have made lists of hostas they want to purchase and continue to add to it. It is a favorite pastime to indulge in. Alas, my garden is small so I go for variety as oppose to dividing.

"as Ken stated at the first of this thread, most of us don't divide hostas."

As I stated most have us have moved AND divided hostas. QUICK bkay, back to the originator of this thread concern - "Is this the time of year to do this? Any hints for success?" Your answer to me: quote "Who cares? Divide them. They're yours and you can do whatever you want with them." PLEASE tell me, bkay, how your statement, which goes directly to huckdog's simple question, enhances discussion and is "safe". I view your statement as only slightly less disparaging and intimidating as ken's 'we don't move or divide, we buy more, you stupid newbie'.

"most of us don't think they need it. Period. End of sentence. "

Do you mean end of discussion? huckdog DID NOT ask what most of us are doing. AGAIN, I say most of us have moved and divided hosta.

"A good debate doesn't include name calling." Name calling like "snotty" and "condescending" and other clearly implied derogations like "obvious that you don't really know much about hostas"??? Apparently that is acceptable!!

"We try to make this a safe place for hosta lovers and for people to ask questions. "

Yet you said NOTHING when bully ken disparaged, demeaned, ridiculed an excellent 100% legitimate question by a self-described newbie to hostas!

You action/inaction speak louder than your words.

Yes, huckdog, early fall is an EXCELLENT time to move and divide hostas.

Wow, this is more entertaining than listening to the candidates debate! I've been reading this while at work, and chuckling (no offense intended) -- people are starting to look at me. HAHAHA.

Perhaps it's time for a deep, cleansing breath. Ohmmmmm.....

I am so very sorry I started this post with my questions. Really, very sorry.

Lesley, don't be sorry about other people. The answer is that some people divide their hostas any time during the growing season, just making sure they are planted well before winter comes (frost heave sucks). I'm still moving and dividing some right now. Personally I think moving and cutting hostas in spring is easier. I've even done plants in summer, but often forget to water them enough afterwards.

Sounds like you have existing mature hostas, so I'd suggest waiting until spring right after the eyes come a few inches out of the ground. If you WANT to do some this year, I'd also say finish before September ends.

Entertaining indeed.

I'm not an expert in anything; but I don't need to be because everyone else already is!!! A saying of my very own.

But a thought did occur. If the "experts" here don't move and/or divide hostas; they 'just buy more' . And the "majority" here don't move and/or divide hostas. And I move hostas and divide hostas all the time. Does that make me THE expert here in moving and dividing hostas?

Don't have to look too hard! From Better Homes and Gardens: >>Keep your hostas healthy and thriving -- or simply make more to spread through your garden or to share with friends with these easy tips for dividing hostas.

When to Divide Hostas

The best time of year to divide hostas is in late summer (August or early September). But, don't worry if you forget: You can divide hostas anytime from spring to fall.

You'll know your hostas have to be divided when they get too crowded and the center of a clump starts to die out. As a general rule, count on dividing the plants every three to four years to keep them at their healthiest. Some slower-growing varieties may need longer before they're ready for division. And you may be able to divide faster-growing varieties every two or three years.<<

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/how-to-divide-hostas/

What!!! "HAVE TO BE DIVIDED"

72000 GOOGLE hits on 'dividing hostas'. Can 72000 google hits be all wrong!

There are no wrong answers in this thread....IMO.... just some experienced people/ gardeners offering some suggestions based on their experience and preference.

I have moved and divided hostas in early spring, during the summer - heat and all - and also in the fall, over the last 30 years or so. I have also found that many hostas I've moved in pip form have no set-back whatsoever.

In fact, I have moved a heavy Sum and Substance this spring and it never skipped a beat and still looks fabulous! I transplanted/moved a Frances Williams last fall. It was slightly smaller this year but looks great! Next spring it will be back to normal.

My preference in moving hostas is spring. I divide some of my plants frequently....I also buy more just as frequently - I like to collect perennials of all types, especially hostas.

Lesley, you have good advice within this thread... take/use what you like. Ultimately, it is your decision - do what makes you happy and comfortable and try not to worry - hostas on the whole are very resilient -regardless of when during the growing season they are moved and/or divided.

I am looking forward to seeing your pictures next year! Hopefully we will see you on the Alphabet in December! Stay tuned!

Happy moving/dividing! :-)

Ah, dear JO - You walk in - the voice of reason - and put everything into perspective. I'm a mover - not a divider. Like you I have moved some hosta at least thee times - and to be honest whenever I wanted to. I read Bob Axemear's and Bill Meyer's comprehensive articles on moving and dividing hostas today in the Hosta Library and learned a lot. Found this interesting.

"More stress means less growth. Hostas grow fastest if their growth is never interrupted. If they dry out they slow or stop their growth. Once this happens you will get a smaller plant. Drying out is not necessarily the result of dry soil. The leaves lose a lot of water through evaporation, and if the roots can't replace that water fast enough the plant isn't getting enough water to keep growing at its maximum speed."