How to Choose a Hosta and Where to Buy One
This page used to be the “hosta plants” category of an online shop. The Hosta Farm does not sell plants: we are an independent reference site built on American Hosta Society registry data (about us). Below is what to check before you buy a hosta and the kinds of places that sell them. Every point comes from a university extension service, the RHS or the American Hosta Society, linked in place; where something is our own suggestion rather than a cited fact, we say so.
Quick checklist
- Pick the variety for your spot first — size and light. See types of hostas, hostas for shade and hostas for sun.
- Look the name up in the AHS registry or our encyclopedia to see the registered size and leaf.
- Inspect the plant: roots, crown, and both sides of the leaves (details below).
- Watch for virus and nematode symptoms, and prefer reputable or specialist growers (American Hosta Society).
- Plant it properly: how to plant bare-root and potted hostas.
Potted or bare-root?
| Potted hosta | Bare-root hosta | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plant growing in potting mix, often in leaf | A dormant crown with buds and roots, no soil |
| Where and when | Garden centers, any time in the growing season | Mail-order sources, early spring |
| Cost | Higher | ”more affordable” |
| Source | University of Minnesota Extension | University of Minnesota Extension |
The RHS adds that potted hostas are sold in leaf from spring to autumn in garden centers and online (RHS). Either way you get the named plant, because both are pieces of the original clump. Seed is different — see hosta seeds.
What to inspect before you buy
Potted plants
- Slide the plant out of the pot. Roots should be firm and white, not mushy and brown, without heavy circling (Iowa State University Extension). The RHS says the same: never be afraid to take a plant out of its pot, and avoid ones so root-bound you cannot see the compost or with many roots out of the drainage holes (RHS).
- Soil neither bone-dry nor soggy, and avoid plants just “bumped up” into a bigger pot, whose soil ball falls apart (Iowa State University Extension).
- Check under the leaves and around the crown for pests or disease, and do not buy plants that show them (Iowa State University Extension).
- Crown. Hosta crown rot shows as yellowing, browning leaves and a mushy, rotted crown; Iowa State advises buying disease-free plants and checking new ones for crown symptoms (Iowa State University Extension). Fusarium root and crown rot leaves plants stunted and late to emerge, with a dry brown-to-black decay at the soil line (Penn State Extension).
Bare-root plants
Firm, heavy roots that are not dry or brittle; damp (not dripping) packing; green, firm buds; no mold, freezing damage, mushy roots, foul smell or many broken roots. Buy them early in the season while dormant (Iowa State University Extension). How many buds (“eyes”) a piece should have is not given in any buyer’s guide we found; for divisions, the RHS asks for 1 to 3 good buds per piece (RHS) and Iowa State for at least 2 or 3 points (Iowa State University Extension).
Hosta Virus X and foliar nematodes
These two problems arrive on new plants, so they are worth checking in the shop.
Hosta Virus X (HVX).
- What it looks like: “ink bleed” — darker discoloration along the veins — is among the most common symptoms, along with mottling and collapsed tissue (American Hosta Society); puckering and ringspots too, and symptoms are easier to see on gold-leaved cultivars (Wisconsin Horticulture). The Missouri Botanical Garden warns that plants with “interesting” foliage should be looked at closely (Missouri Botanical Garden).
- No symptoms is no guarantee: the virus can stay hidden for years (American Hosta Society), and it usually reaches gardens on new, often symptom-free plants (Wisconsin Horticulture).
- There is no cure. Infected plants should be destroyed, not composted (Wisconsin Horticulture; Penn State Extension).
- What buyers can do: buy from a reputable grower and ask where the stock comes from; the AHS reports infected plants in large general nurseries and “box” stores, especially ‘Sum and Substance’ and ‘Gold Standard’, and advises asking for your money back if you receive infected plants (American Hosta Society). For expensive hostas, Wisconsin suggests asking the seller for proof of an HVX test — noting that a negative test is not a total guarantee — and keeping new plants away from your other hostas for several weeks (Wisconsin Horticulture). The British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society recommends buying from specialist suppliers (BHHS).
Foliar nematodes. Look for angular, straight-edged blotches bounded by the leaf veins; they often do not show until late in the season, around August (Wisconsin Horticulture). Clemson therefore suggests buying new plants in late summer or fall, when you can check for infestation, and not buying plants with yellowing and browning between the veins (Clemson HGIC). Once in a garden, foliar nematodes are “virtually impossible” to eliminate (Wisconsin Horticulture).
More symptoms and what to do: hosta diseases and pests.
Check the name in the registry
The American Hosta Society is the official registration authority for hosta names, and its registry exists to “limit confusion among hosta cultivars”; you can use it to look up a name and see the registered size, leaf shape and flower color (American Hosta Society). The registrar’s database can be searched by name, hybridizer and year. Clemson counted more than 2,000 registered cultivars in 2019 (Clemson HGIC).
Two things to keep in mind:
- Registration is not a quality rating. “It is not the responsibility of the registrar to judge the merit, stability or uniqueness of the cultivar” (American Hosta Society).
- Mass-produced plants can be off-type. Nurseries often propagate hostas by tissue culture (Iowa State University Extension); a review from the University of Kentucky notes that tissue culture can produce plants that are not true to type, and cites a study in which only 45% of tissue-cultured ‘Frances Williams’ plants were variegated (University of Kentucky).
Our suggestion (not a cited rule): compare the label with the registered leaf color and size before you pay. Our encyclopedia shows the registry data for each cultivar, with a link to its registry record.
What the size on the label means
There are two standards, and labels do not always say which one they use.
| Class | AHS: leaf blade area | Clump height, North | Clump height, South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miniature | under 6 sq in | up to 8 in | up to 7 in |
| Small | 6 to under 30 sq in | 9–14 in | 8–11 in |
| Medium | 30 to under 64 sq in | 15–22 in | 12–18 in |
| Large | 64 to under 120 sq in | 23–29 in | 19–24 in |
| Giant | 120 sq in or more | 30 in and above | 25 in and above |
- The AHS classes are based only on leaf area; “dwarf” is an obsolete term the AHS no longer uses (AHS Hosta Dictionary).
- The clump-height standard (American Hosta Growers Association, 2012) uses average mature clump height, generally after 5 or more years; “North” is above Interstate 80 and “South” below Interstate 40, and mature width is generally about 2 to 2.5 times the height (American Hosta Society).
- A plant in a pot is not its mature size: juvenile hostas often have smaller leaves and clumps (AHS Hosta Dictionary).
For big plants see giant hostas; for small ones, dwarf and miniature hostas.
Where people buy hostas
We do not name or rank sellers. These are the kinds of places, with what the sources say about each.
| Where | What to expect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Garden centers | Potted plants through the growing season; inspect before buying | University of Minnesota Extension; Iowa State University Extension |
| Large general nurseries and “box” stores | The AHS reports virus-infected hostas showing up here; inspect carefully | American Hosta Society |
| Mail order | Bare-root plants in early spring; good suppliers state plant or pot size; unpack on arrival and keep roots moist | University of Minnesota Extension; RHS |
| Specialist hosta growers | Recommended to lower the risk of HVX; the AHS keeps a list of vendors, which “are not an endorsement” | BHHS; AHS vendors |
| Local hosta societies | Members trade ideas “or even plants”; regions include East and West Canada | AHS local societies |
| Society shows and plant sales | Local societies may hold shows with plant sales — for example the Georgia Hosta Society’s annual show and plant sale | Georgia Hosta Society |
| AHS auctions | Two a year: online in mid to late January and in person at the annual convention; you do not need to be a member | AHS auctions |
| AHS convention | Vendors and auctions; the 2027 convention is June 9–12, 2027, in Plainfield, Indiana | AHS convention |
| Master Gardener plant sales | Extension volunteer sales often include hostas | Iowa State Extension Master Gardeners |
| Online marketplaces | See our notes on hostas sold on Amazon and bare-root hostas | — |
Buying from the US into Canada
Canada requires a phytosanitary certificate for all plants for planting, including herbaceous perennial roots; from the continental US the certificate is issued by the USDA, and an import permit is not needed unless the CFIA’s AIRS database says otherwise (CFIA D-08-04). Plants with soil are allowed from most parts of the continental US with the certificate; from other countries they must be entirely free of soil (CFIA). Ask the seller before ordering whether they ship to Canada with the certificate. Rules for seed are in a different directive, which we have not checked.
When the plant arrives
Open and inspect bare-root plants as soon as they arrive (Iowa State University Extension), and do not let them dry out (RHS). Storage, soaking and planting depth are covered step by step in how to plant a hosta “bulb”.
Sources
All pages checked on 2026-10-24.
- American Hosta Society: How to identify HVX, Hosta registration, Hosta dictionary, Hosta clump size standard, Vendors, Local societies, Auctions, Annual convention; Hosta registrar database.
- Iowa State University Extension: Tips for shopping and selecting quality plants, All about hostas, Hosta petiole and crown rot, How to plant bare root perennials.
- University of Minnesota Extension, Hostas.
- Wisconsin Horticulture (UW–Madison), Hosta Virus X and Foliar nematodes.
- Penn State Extension, Hosta diseases.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Hosta Virus X.
- Clemson Home & Garden Information Center, Hosta.
- University of Kentucky, Hosta propagation.
- RHS: How to grow hostas, How to choose healthy plants, Buying mail order plants.
- British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society, Growing hostas.
- Georgia Hosta Society, Show & sale; Iowa State Extension Master Gardeners, Plant sale.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: D-08-04, Soil on imported plants.