A little maintenance can go a long way.

As the trees change color in fall, so do the hostas, the beautiful fall colors in your garden. And while those yellow leaves may be beautiful, you might be willing to cut them back for aesthetic reasons. Plus, cutting back hostas will help them grow stronger next year – and fall is the perfect time. Here, we spoke with an expert gardener about when to prune your hostas, as well as how to keep these plants happy and healthy.

Meet the expert

Andrew Marshalllandscaping expert, wildlife garden designer and founder of Go to wild landscapes.

Related: 20 Hosta Varieties with Beautiful Foliage and Flowers

Why fall?

You never want to prune or cut hosta leaves when they are green and thriving. This will damage the plant: when hostas are green, they are still actively growing, even underground. Instead, you should wait until late fall – usually November in most areas – when repeated frosts have given the foliage a muted color.

“Once the leaves are brown and no longer look good, they can be cut back,” says Andrew Marshall, wildlife garden designer and founder of Go Wild Landscapes. “The reason for this is partly aesthetic.” It should also be considered that diseases and fungi can enter the plant via the dried brown leaves and that a fungal attack can cause rot. This process will eventually kill the plant if left untreated, so it is best avoided via pruning.

How to Reduce Safely

With garden pruning shears, cut the foliage of your hosta about two centimeters from the ground. “This will remove tattered brown leaves from your winter garden and clear the border around the hostas, providing space for fall and spring flowering bulbs to shine through,” Marshall says.

To make the cuts, take several bunches of hosta leaves in one hand and trim the leaves with the other. Once the foliage is cut, add a layer of compost mulch to the edge. “It helps put nutrients back into the land for next year,” Marshall says. “This will also protect the crown of the plant from winter frosts.”

Mistakes to avoid

Not pruning early enough

The biggest mistake you can make is delaying (or avoiding) the pruning process. Many others fall perennials can usually be cut back in spring, but hostas are different. Decaying brown foliage makes the plant’s crown susceptible to garden pests and rodents. Voles, for example, may be tempted to inhabit these browning leaves during the winter, and they will devour the roots and crown of the plant, weakening the plant or even killing it altogether.

Not deadheaded

Another common mistake is choosing not to kill the plant’s spent flowers. Just like other fall perennials, dead head A hosta’s flowers redirect its energy toward maintaining its bulb, which is especially important when the plant goes dormant.

Excessive size

Finally, don’t over-prune. Cutting too much foliage can stress the plant, which will negatively impact its overall health. Hostas also need those few inches of foliage to capture sunlight and carry out photosynthesis. “It’s a great foliage plant that grows in a shady spot in the garden,” says Marshall. “But they still need sunlight to live.”

Related: 12 Plants You Should Never Cut Back in the Fall

Autumn care

Sharing

You can divide and transplanting hostas in fall to help spread them throughout an area. This gives plants more room to grow when they reappear in spring and helps fill your garden with beautiful leaves. Divide the plants in September if you live in a northern region and in October if you live in a southern region. Be sure to do this at least 30 days before the first frost; otherwise, the plants will need to be potted and overwintered indoors until spring.

Protection against parasites

Another thing to keep in mind is pests. Hostas are of course particularly subject to attacks by slugs and snails. Marshall suggests making an extra effort to keep them at bay. “Use rings of copper wire for added protection around the base of the plant,” he explains. “Adding a circle of sharp grains and broken eggshells can help protect hostas in an eco-friendly way.”

Watering

Finally, even though hostas do not require a lot of water once pruned, watering is still the best way to protect the root system from freezing and thawing cycles. How and when to water, Marshall says, depends on where you live: Hostas in areas with mild or wet winters are less likely to need a lot of watering. When in doubt, always consult the experts at your local nursery or garden store!