Tips for Dividing Hostas

Hostas are versatile and hearty; they grow in almost any soil and can take a beating. Mostly used for shaded areas, hostas can take full sun as well. They can be used as boarders for drives and walkways or as accent plantings or foundation plantings and humming birds love them.    

This is the time of year to divide hostas that have grown too large and repurpose them. Once the leaves fully open, it is more difficult to divide them and their recovery and acclimation takes longer.

I have a hosta border lining part of my driveway; the last plant in the row has always seemed out of place to me, so today I decided to split it up and add onto the boarder on the other side of the row.

I dug all around the plant loosening the soil, making sure to get deep enough to get all of the roots. Once free from the soil, I carefully removed it from the ground. Next I took my garden knife and sliced through the plant like cutting a cake. Though I could have cut it into smaller plants, I cut this one into seven plants; I wanted to make sure that the new ones would look as though they belong with the ones that have been there.

I placed the new plants along the driveway to look at spacing, I wanted them to be spaced as the others are, about 18 inches apart. Once I was satisfied with their placement all that remained was to put them in.

I dug a hole for each one twice the size of the roots of the plant. I placed the plant in the hole and checked for height, adding or removing soil as needed. Once I was satisfied that the plant was properly placed, I filled in the hole with the removed soil, making sure to leave a well indentation all around the plant so that it can capture and hold water.

In a few weeks the hostas will have fully opened and by that time my newly planted ones will be well established and adding silent beauty to my driveway.