Hostas are popular, shade-loving perennial plants known for their diverse foliage colors and textures. While local garden centers offer common varieties, purchasing online provides unparalleled access to hundreds of rare or newly hybridized cultivars. This convenience allows gardeners to easily acquire specific plants not locally available, making the internet the primary source for expanding a collection. The process requires understanding different vendor types and the physical forms the plants take during shipping.
Choosing the Right Type of Online Vendor
The search for a new hosta begins with identifying the appropriate type of online seller, as different categories offer varying levels of selection and guarantees. Specialty Hosta Nurseries are the optimal choice for collectors, offering the widest selection and guaranteed cultivar identification. These dedicated growers often provide mature plants and expert advice, though their prices are typically higher due to the specialized care involved. They focus exclusively on Hosta species and registered varieties, ensuring the plant you order is the exact one you receive.
Large Online Garden Centers or Mail-Order Catalogs offer a moderate range of popular and reliable hosta varieties at competitive prices. Their large-scale operations mean established, efficient shipping logistics and reliable delivery timelines. While the selection is less extensive than a specialty nursery, these companies offer a good balance of cost and convenience for common landscape needs.
Marketplaces, such as Etsy or eBay, are the best resource for finding rare, small-batch, or recently divided plants from independent sellers or hobbyists. The pricing can be highly variable, but quality control and cultivar guarantees are not standardized. Buyers should recognize that the transaction relies heavily on the individual seller’s honesty and horticultural practices.
Checking Seller Reputation and Plant Health
After identifying a vendor category, the next step involves assessing the individual seller’s reliability before making a purchase. Look beyond reviews posted on the seller’s own website, seeking independent feedback on gardening forums or third-party review platforms. This external vetting helps confirm consistent plant quality and customer service, providing a clearer picture of their operational integrity.
Understanding the seller’s guarantee and return policy is important, especially concerning mislabeled plants, a common issue when dealing with diverse cultivars. Reputable sellers offer a defined window for reporting issues, often replacing plants that fail to thrive or were incorrectly identified. Buyers should also familiarize themselves with common hosta sizing terms to ensure they are getting appropriate value for the price paid.
Sellers use terms like “single eye,” “double eye,” or “clump size” to describe the plant’s maturity and size. An “eye” refers to a growing shoot or bud emerging from the crown of the rhizome, which produces a flush of leaves. A larger number of eyes indicates a more established plant, justifying a higher cost and leading to quicker establishment in the garden.
Understanding Hosta Forms Bare Root Versus Potted
Hostas are frequently shipped bare root, meaning the plant is dormant, rinsed free of soil, and wrapped in peat or sphagnum moss for transit. The main benefit of this method is significantly lower shipping costs, as the package is lighter and requires less bulky packaging material. However, bare root plants require immediate attention upon arrival and carry a higher risk of transplant shock if planting is delayed.
The advantage of bare root hostas is that their unrestricted root system can establish itself more quickly and efficiently once planted, leading to a stronger structure. Alternatively, hostas may be shipped actively growing in their original soil and container, known as potted or container-grown. This method results in less stress on the plant during transit because the root system remains undisturbed within its familiar substrate.
Potted plants experience an easier transition into the garden and are recommended for beginning gardeners. The trade-off for container-grown plants is substantially higher shipping fees due to the increased weight of the soil and the larger box dimensions needed to protect the foliage. When selecting a vendor, consider the climate and expected transit time, as actively growing leaves are more susceptible to damage and heat stress during long-distance shipping than dormant, bare roots.
Receiving Your Order and Immediate Care
The package should be opened immediately upon arrival to inspect the contents and prevent the plants from overheating or drying out inside the box. Check the foliage and roots for any signs of damage, mold, or pests, and photograph any issues immediately for reporting to the seller. For bare root hostas, rehydrate them by soaking the roots in room-temperature water for a few hours before planting.
This soaking process replenishes moisture lost during transit and helps the root tissues absorb water more efficiently. When planting, ensure the crown—where the roots meet the stem—is placed level with the surrounding soil, avoiding planting too deeply, which can lead to rot. After planting, a thorough initial watering is needed to settle the soil around the roots and minimize transplant shock.