Martha Says Fall Is the Best Time to Transplant Hostas—Here's How She Does It

If you're thinking of transplanting any of your hostas—now is the best time. Martha says fall is the best time of the year to transplant hostas while the soil is still warm from summer, and she shared on her blog a recent project of redoing and transplanting her hosta beds.

Hostas are plants that can be easily transplanted due to their hardiness, and they live very long lives as low-maintenance plants. Hostas grow best in shade with moist soil—whether they are in the ground or potted in containers. You can divide up your hostas and spread them around your garden—Martha suggests moving them into the shade where they can flourish beautifully and you can fully enjoy their lush green hues and large size. 

If you have any variety of hosta to transplant, Martha says that once you have planned where you want to move them, use a sharp spade to cut a circle surrounding the entire plant and pry the plant out of the ground with a garden spade, keeping the root ball intact.

“When planting hostas, one should dig a hole that is at least twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep,” Martha says. Digging the holes for each plant all at once makes the transplanting process move like “an assembly line,” according to Martha’s gardener, Alex, saving you lots of time and energy.

Don't forget to feed your plants—Martha suggests sprinkling in the holes and the surrounding soil with a fertilizer like Osmocote that will continuously feed your plants the essential nutrients they need to grow. This is easiest when done at the time of transplant.

When planting each hosta, ensure the eye of the plant is at the soil level. The hosta eye is a growing shoot that stems from the crown of the plant, supporting the leaves. Once you are done planting all of your hostas, Martha says to mulch around each plant for a tidy garden bed. Enjoy watching your hostas thrive and spread throughout your garden with age.