Bare-Root Hostas: What You Get and How to Choose a Pack
A bare-root hosta is a piece of a dormant plant — crown and roots, without soil — dug from a larger clump. NC State notes that hostas grow by rhizomes, and Iowa State explains that division keeps the leaf pattern of the parent plant, which is why named cultivars are sold this way rather than from seed. Iowa State recommends that a division have two or three growing points with part of the crown and root system. Bare roots start small, and the plants in a mix are not labelled.
We have not bought these packs. The comparison below is from the sellers’ listings and websites, checked against the American Hosta Society registry where the seller names a cultivar.
How to choose
- Named cultivar or mix. A named pack lets you look the cultivar up in the registry and know the leaf colour and, often, the mature size. A mix is cheaper per plant but you only find out what you have when the leaves open.
- Check stated sizes against the registry. Seller sizes are sometimes far smaller than the registered size — see the ‘Blue Angel’ example below. Space plants for the registered width.
- Growing points. Iowa State’s guideline is two or three eyes per division. Few listings say how many there are, so ask the seller or expect small first-year plants.
- Shipping season. Bare roots should arrive dormant and be planted quickly. Sellers that ship by zone in spring time it for you.
- Zones. Most hostas are sold for zones 3–8 or 3–9; check yours.
Comparison
| Product | Named cultivars? | Plants per pack | Zones (seller) | Mature size (seller) | AHS registry | Shipping season (seller) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylily Nursery 'Francee' bare root, 3 plants | Yes — ‘Francee’ | 3 | 3–8 | About 18 in tall, 32–36 in wide | #1915 (1986): leaf 9 × 6 in, dark green, white margin; no plant size | Not stated on listing |
| Daylily Nursery 'Big Blue' mixed hostas, 10 plants | Mix of 3+ named in listing | 10 | 3–9 | Listing: about 18 in | ‘Blue Angel’ 36 × 48 in; ‘Big Daddy’ 25 × 66 in; ‘Blue Cadet’ 15 × 38 in (height × width) | Not stated on listing |
| Easy to Grow Bulbs Hosta Bumper Crop Mix, 10 trimmed roots | No | 10 | 3–8 | 12–30 in tall (range for the mix) | Not checkable — unnamed | Spring, by zone |
Products
Daylily Nursery 'Francee' bare root, 3 plants
Three bare-root divisions of a single named cultivar, ‘Francee’ — dark green leaves with a white margin.
Suits: A uniform edging or a repeated planting where every plant should look the same. Of the three, it was the only pack that promises one named cultivar.
Limits
- Three plants per pack; 5- and 10-plant versions are sold as separate listings (B09RJFFY9T, B09RJF37NN).
- Divisions are young plants: expect several years to reach the seller's stated size.
What we could not confirm
- The registry entry for ‘Francee’ (#1915, 1986) gives leaf size (9 × 6 in) but no plant size, so we could not check the seller's 18 in × 32–36 in figure.
- Number of eyes (growing points) per division is not stated.
Sources: Daylily Nursery: Francee bare root ; AHS registry: ‘Francee’
Amazon listing checked 2026-10-05: “Francee Hosta Bareroot (3)” (ASIN B09RJDSZLY)
Check on Amazon Affiliate link
Daylily Nursery 'Big Blue' mixed hostas, 10 plants
Ten bare-root blue hostas, with "at least 3 types" from a list the seller names: ‘Big Daddy’, ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Blue Cadet’ and ‘Elegans’.
Suits: A blue-leaved shade bed where the exact mix of cultivars does not matter and you can give the larger ones room.
Limits
- The listing says the plants grow to about 18 in; the registry gives much larger sizes for two of the named cultivars — ‘Blue Angel’ 36 in high × 48 in wide, ‘Big Daddy’ 25 × 66 in. Space them for the registry sizes.
- You do not choose which cultivars arrive or how many of each, and the plants are not labelled individually.
What we could not confirm
- Which three or more of the four named cultivars a given pack contains.
Sources: Daylily Nursery: Hosta Big Blue mixed ; AHS registry: ‘Blue Angel’ ; AHS registry: ‘Big Daddy’ ; AHS registry: ‘Blue Cadet’
Amazon listing checked 2026-10-05: “10 Hosta Big Blue Mixed -Perennial Bare Roots-Shade Loving Plants” (ASIN B0C9P8H84L)
Check on Amazon Affiliate link
Easy to Grow Bulbs Hosta Bumper Crop Mix, 10 trimmed roots
An unnamed mix of trimmed hosta roots — green and variegated types — sold by the grower as a budget way to fill a large area.
Suits: Covering a large shady area or a woodland edge where variety is welcome and the names of the plants do not matter.
Limits
- No cultivar names, so you cannot look plants up in the registry or predict their final size beyond the seller's 12–30 in range.
- The seller ships in spring by zone; in zones 3–4 that is late April to early May.
- 20- and 30-root versions are separate listings (B0GDC1RNC3, B0GD9CCVHL).
What we could not confirm
- Root size and number of eyes per root are not stated.
- The seller's site describes the product as "10 to 30 hosta roots" depending on the option; the Amazon listing is the 10-root pack.
Sources: Easy to Grow Bulbs: Hosta Bumper Crop Mix
Amazon listing checked 2026-10-05: “Easy to Grow Hosta Bumper Crop Mix 10 Trimmed Roots - Mixed Varieties Colorful Foliage, Summer Flowers Partial to Full Shade Zones 3-8” (ASIN B0GD9HV3P7)
Check on Amazon Affiliate link
When you do not need to buy anything
- Divide what you already have. A mature clump can be split into several plants, each with two or three eyes (Iowa State). See how to divide and transplant hostas.
- Ask neighbours, a garden club or a local hosta society. Divisions from a known plant come with a name you can trust.
- Do not expect seed to replace bare roots. Seedlings do not come true to the parent (NC State) and take about three years to flower (Iowa State). See hosta seeds.
Sources
- Iowa State University Extension, All about hostas.
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Hosta.
- American Hosta Society registry, entries linked in each card.
- Sellers’ pages as linked in each card. Checked 2026-10-05.