A frequent question that we get at our farm and nursery in Summerville, Oregon is how to overwinter hosta plants in pots until they can be planted in the ground in the spring. Overwintering hostas is not difficult, all you need to do is follow a few simple steps:

• Continue to water your hosta in the pot until is has gone completely dormant and has shed all foliage. At our nursery we like to start trimming back our hostas in pots, cutting the foliage to 2" tall in late October or as the night temperature starts to drop down into the mid 30 degrees.
  
• Once dormant, place the hosta plants in their pots in an area that will receive adequate moisture over the winter but that also has good drainage. At our nursery we leave our hosta plants outside and let the snow cover them. The snow provides a layer of insulation and moisture that the plant will need in the spring when it starts breaking dormancy.
  

Tips about overwintering plants inside a greenhouse or in a garage:

• If you put your hostas inside a garage or greenhouse remember that you will have to monitor the water, especially as the inside temperature heats up. The #1 reason for plant loss in pots over the winter is lack of water!

To the left is a picture of hosta plants and ornamental grasses overwintering at our farm and nursery in Summerville, Oregon.  This picture was taken in late December.

Visit our farm or our online store for our new expanded hosta varieties available in 1 gallon or 2 gallon sizes.