Indianpolis Hosta Society, Indianapolis, Indiana

Hosta culture is all about providing the basic requirements for hostas to reach their full potential. Hosta gardeners can spend hours discussing how to tweak their plants to increase size, foliage color, etc. We will leave that for the experts and focus on the fundamentals.

Hostas grow best if they have a minimum of 6 weeks of dormancy each year. Thus, if you live south of Miami, Florida, you may want to consider different shade plants.
Hostas require regular supplies of water. A large hosta will need about 3 gallons of water for its roots each week.
Hostas are a shade tolerant plant, but they will not grow where they receive no light. Some hostas will even tolerate full sun if they receive enough water. Some hostas will tolerate deep, deep shade so long as there is some sunlight filtering through the shade above them.
Hostas depend upon a healthy root system to produce plant food to support the rest of the plant. Soil that has enough humus to allow the roots to grow and develop is best. If your soil is compacted and fine, you will need to amend it with compost or additives that will loosen it.
Hostas prefer a soil with fairly neutral pH. A pH 6 would be ideal.

These are the fundamental things every hosta gardener must know. For more details we suggest the following sources of information:

Your local hosta society. Check the website www.hosta.org for the American Hosta Society to learn which local society is closest to your garden.

The Master Gardener program in your area is an excellent source of information. Visit the American Horticultural Society website for a map with contacts for local groups in the U.S and Canada www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/index.htm

Visit your local library for books about gardening or visit the American Hosta Society website for more information about hosta culture www.hosta.org/AboutHosta.html or books about growing hostas www.hosta.org/Resources.html