Hostas Will Stop Weeds Before They Start – Let These Natural Groundcovers Do The Hard Work For You
The pros and cons of using hostas to keep weeds at bay
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Ground cover planting acts as a natural weed suppressant, and none will look better than hostas. As weeds are a perennial chore for gardeners, and we all spend much of our time removing them from flower beds or borders, would you consider using hostas to prevent weeds?
We focus on this particular plant as gardeners love growing hostas. They are one of the most popular foliage plants, and what makes them good at weed prevention is their large, overlapping leaves. They can form a dense canopy to block sunlight from reaching the soil, removing one of the key factors that weeds need to grow successfully.
It may be an unconventional way to keep weeds out of flower beds, but it offers an attractive way to stop them from growing in unwanted areas. However, it is not a magic shield that prevents all weeds from appearing. So let’s look at how to use hostas to prevent weeds; though it won’t stop everything, it can make a valuable difference.
The foliage of hosta plants knits together and blocks light when planted in clumps
How to Use Hostas to Prevent Weeds
Ground cover plants offer a valuable way to reduce the time you need to spend weeding beds and borders. Less bare soil means fewer opportunities for weeds to germinate and get established.
The advantages of hostas are that they can make low-maintenance ground cover plants. And, as one of the best shade plants, they can thrive where other alternatives may not, such as a darker corner or beneath a tree.
How It Works
Hostas thrive in shadier spots, where other ground cover plants may struggle
Planting hostas is a sound way to establish an easy ground cover, as the plants form dense clumps and cast a large shade due to their foliage. Once the hosta clump matures, its overlapping leaves can almost completely cover the soil surface when the foliage fully opens in late spring.
‘The large leaves of hostas create a dense canopy that blocks sunlight, helping to prevent weed growth,’ claim the experts from Sienna Hosta. ‘This natural weed control reduces the need for chemical herbicides and saves gardeners time and effort.’
Michael Clarke, horticulturist and founder of Yardwork, says the ‘tight clumps’ that hostas form are crucial to preventing weeds from thriving.
‘Hosta leaves arch outward and downward, expanding outward year by year, leaving very little bare soil once established,’ he adds. ‘This clumping habit means fewer gaps for weeds to sneak through compared to upright or airy plants.’
How to Do It
The dense canopy of hosta leaves stops sunlight from reaching ground level
Any aspirations to use hostas to prevent weeds efficiently depend on the type, the planting, and a few key maintenance tasks.
Before planting, whether you buy new plants or divide existing hostas to expand your collection, you must remove all existing weeds. Annuals can be quickly dealt with, but you must remove the complete roots of perennial weeds, such as dandelions, creeping buttercup, or ground elder.
An assumption can be that the best hostas for ground cover are the largest varieties. And that can indeed be the case, as large-leaved varieties like ‘Sum and Substance’, ‘Empress Wu’ (you can get an Empress Wu hosta at Burpee), and ‘Blue Angel’ (you can get a Blue Angel hosta at Nature Hills) all boast wide foliage that fills in quickly to suppress weeds.
However, the experts at Sienna Hosta suggest a different approach worth considering. They say: ‘Small and medium varieties like ‘Golden Tiara’, ‘June’, and ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ spread quickly and fill gaps effectively. Fast-spreading cultivars such as ‘Royal Standard’ and ‘Goldrush’ are ideal for covering large areas efficiently.’
Thankfully, there is a wide range of hostas in different colors, shapes, and sizes you can pick to add to flower beds, so you should be able to find a selection that fits any need or aesthetic.
Michael Clarke recommends planting the hostas in blocks and spacing them based on how big they’ll get when mature, rather than their current size. He advises: ‘For large hostas, it's best to space them 18–30 inches apart, while medium hostas should be spaced 12–18 inches apart.’
‘If you want fast weed control, plant them slightly closer than recommended so that they touch and overlap,’ he adds.
An important final task is to mulch around the hostas with a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch. This mulching layer not only keeps moisture in the soil but suppresses weed seeds from germinating.
Michael Clarke is the founder of Yardwork and Pulled, the online platforms for everything home and garden. He has a degree in landscape architecture and horticulture from the University of California Davis. He was previously the founder of a landscape development and maintenance company.
The Limitations
Hostas must be planted close together to prevent weeds efficiently
Using hostas as ground cover will not completely prevent any weeds from appearing.
This is especially the case for the first few years, as the plants establish and the clump develops. It will take around two years for young hostas to expand into a lush carpet of foliage, and during this time, weeds will infiltrate the bare soil between the plants.
There is also an annual window when you will be susceptible to early-season weeds. Hostas are perennial plants, but they do die back each winter and start growing again come mid-to-late spring.
‘This means that for several months, your soil is bare, and it's going to be vulnerable to early-season weeds, ‘ says Gerardo Loayza, landscape design expert and founder of BACQYARD. ‘You can plant some spring bulbs in between the hostas to provide some early coverage.’
When you winterize hostas, spreading a thick layer of mulch around plants (you can get a box of long-leaf pine needles at Lowe’s to use around hostas) will limit the opportunities for weeds to establish during these months when the soil would otherwise sit bare.
To be truthful, there will always be some troublesome, aggressive weeds that will push through and need to be removed. But when they do appear, get rid of them quickly to stop them from spreading seeds.
To guarantee success with hostas, planting them in the right place is imperative. Plant them in shade and rich, well-draining soil, and hostas will thrive. Put them in too much sun, or in dry shade, and they will struggle.
To help you avoid making a mistake, this guide to places to never plant hostas reveals five of the worst locations you can put them, along with details of how plants may come to harm in these undesirable conditions.
‘Blue Mouse Ears’ is an expert-recommended hosta variety for ground cover. The small variety forms clusters of blue-green round leaves that are resistant to slug damage.
'Vulcan' dazzles with heart-shaped leaves with pure white centers. It is a mid-sized hosta that grows to 1-2 feet tall and wide, covering the ground as it forms clumps.
A 9.4-liter bag of organic mulch made from Aspen bark, which you can spread around hosta plants to smother weeds from appearing.
