Where to Plant

• Plant hostas in rich soil that has been amended with compost or well rotted manure. Choose a shady garden spot for your hosta plant, especially if you live in a warmer zone. Hostas are not affected by cold weather or frost -- they like it. If hostas are planted in a spot that gets too much sunshine or heat, their leaves are liable to burn and wither and the plant will not thrive.
  
  

What To Do After Frost

• Hosta cultivars vary, from tiny, exquisite 2 inch varieties to others that can grow up to 6 feet wide. After a heavy frost their lovely foliage blackens, slumping to the ground. Cut it back to 6 inches above the crown. This helps keep the plants rooted in the ground during winters inevitable thawing and freezing cycles. A layer of mulch or consistent snow cover hides the unsightly foliage and further helps to keep the plants rooted.
  
  

What To Do In Spring

• Hostas are one of the last perennials to make an appearance in your garden. Don't worry -- scratching around in the dirt looking for new shoots is a bad idea. You may break the newly emerging plant, interrupting the process. Better to leave hostas alone to grow when they are ready. It is rarely the case that they are dead. No matter how much frost or how cold the winter, hostas will come back.
  
  

Ongoing Care

• Like other hardy, frost-tolerant, long-lived perennials, hostas like to be left alone. They do not need to be divided, or even cut back. In shady areas, plant several varieties of hostas for an attractive, easy-to-look-after, ground cover. There is no need to mulch them or do anything to protect them from frost. Hostas are hardy enough to withstand the coldest winters.