Please be aware that some varieties will now be cut back before delivery.

To Do List, Part 1 - January to March

Part 1 of a series of articles which will give you a month by month guide on caring for your hostas. This will include tips for you to use at home and an insight into the growing methods we use at the nursery.

In this first instalment, we look at everything that you need to do with your hostas between January and March. Thankfully hostas are a relatively hassle free addition to the garden, so the to do list for this period is relatively small as hostas will be dormant until the end of March.

January

To be honest, January is a month for hosta growers to relax and there's very little that has to be done at this point. Your plants should be fast asleep in their Winter dormancy. Here are some things to bear in mind during January.

If the weather is particularly wet, it is a good idea to move hostas in pots to somewhere sheltered. We lose more hostas in the Winter to the wet than the cold.
If you haven't already, clean any of last seasons dead foliage away from the crown's of your plants. Fungal diseases can overwinter in old foliage and re infect new shoots coming through in the Spring.

February

It's time to get excited, hosta season is just around the corner! There are a few jobs to do in this month to give you the best chance of perfect hostas this season.

Make up your first batch of Garlic Wash.
Start slug and snail protection by the middle of February to give yourself the best defence for the Spring. The easiest way of remembering is to start on Valentines Day.
If you are using mulch, grit or crushed seashells then it is best to top them up now before the plants are in leaf.

March

Depending on what the weather has been like, you may see some of your early risers start popping through in March. With the changes in our climate, it's hard to know whether to expect snow in March or 20 degree C heat...or both.

Feed your hostas - March is a good time to give emerging plants a nice bit of food. We recommend any plant feed that is high in nitrogen. You can purchase specialist feed through our shop - Slow Release Feed, High Nitrogen Feed.
Continue to reapply Garlic Wash every week, this is especially important as the plants emerge. Small holes in the early shoots can become large holes as the leaves unfurl.
Divide any hostas that are getting too big for their pots and replant. By doing this now, you allow new divisions plenty of time to root through the Spring and Summer.
If your plants emerge early, be sure to keep an eye on the forecast and frost fleece them any night that a frost is due.

Checkout part 2 of the To Do List - April to June.