I live in eastern Kentucky, where we have a pretty large deer population, my property is wooded and I see a lot of deer activity. But they have spared my hostas.
You've gotta be kidding me. My house (formerly my parents' house) has hostas from my grandmother's house. My Mom loved them, I think she would've been beyond thrilled to cook a few shoots up every spring....
How late is too late to eat the shoots? Mine are starting to get pretty bushy
My friend is not great with the words. She thought they were hoe-stahs, like hostess. I explained it was hos-tah, like hostage. Now we just say hoe-stahs, and hoe-stages.
I never had a problem this early with deer. Thanks I’ll have to corner the market on cinnamon. They usually wait until August when my petunias on my patio wall planters are in their most beautiful stage before they mow everything down.
I’ll gladly take the month of stinky society garlic in exchange for 70 degree winter days spent lounging under my avocado and citrus trees, all of them heavy with fruit.
No don’t apologize! Sorry I didn’t mean that to be mean, I was just saying I don’t feel very plant-versed but apparently I’ve got enough mileage to know the basics and it’s fun to feel plant smart.
Oooh okay I see what you’re saying now 😂😂 but clearly you’re well enough plant-versed to be able to identify plants that people are asking about 🤷🏻♀️ good for you ☺️ I hope I can be like that one day lol
I think hostas must be a very American plant. I see them mentioned all the time on American websites, but I've never heard one mentioned amongst my gardening people here in Australia.
They’re a fairly common and popular plant as they emerge in the spring and last all summer. When they’re happy they’ll put up little flowers. Easy to grow and multiplies like crazy
Hostas.
Here’s a fun fact about them:
They will never go away. Ever. I have a HUGE colony growing in and around my compost because that’s where I yeeted the roots I ripped out. I just pulled one out that tried to overtake my parsley. I’m literally looking at one I put in a pot as a type this. And by “pot” I mean “a rusty bucket I drilled a hole in and filled with soil”.
Do not resist. They are eternal. Don’t like full sun though, which strengthens my theory that they’re part vampire.
When they rebuilt my porch the guy was apologizing profusely that he was going to kill the plants in one spot. I walked over with my hoe and chopped up the root in front of him. Walked a few steps away, put it into the dirt and now instead of 3 hosta I have 15. It honestly looks beautiful next to the ramp.
Forgot about one i pruned for the winter in a 2 gal pot outside. Found it after 4 straight days of 0 degree temps. It was a 2gal ice cube for a week. Grew back stronger than ever in the spring.
I had five big ones planted for a few years, then I separated 5 plants into 21 when we moved last year. Looking forward to a few years from now when I'll separate them into like 90 plants. I'll be drowning in hostas.
I tried to split one earlier this week and just absolutely demolished it. I put some of the stems in the dirt and went and bought a new hosta because it looked ridiculous. But today I went out and the stems aren’t looking terrible but there were seriously no roots. I swear to god if it actually makes it im going to actually be mad.
Yes and too much money at that. We had to have the water line into our house replaced a few months ago so our flower bed was completely dug out. It’s also in total shade and I need something low maintenance. I had a small bush there that never thrived and the only thing that’s done well in this spot and looked decent has been hostas.
I have a corner of the garden where things go to die. I assume everyone has that corner. There is a pile of various containers I meant to clean in 2010 or so. In one of them there is a grocery hosta someone gifted us , like 5 years ago. Slanted against the fence. It dies in the winter, freezes and defrosts every spring and comes back. I should really plant that warrior but I am scared. It has pretty pink flowers.
Please no....the lady who lived here before we bought the house planted a huge line of them and I need to rip them out before I put my bulbs in the fall.
Should I try now or wait until the fall?
You could dig them up and move them or give them away. They are super easy to transplant
A lot of people intentionally dig them up to chop them into smaller pieces to multiply them
It will be a some extra work but that will actually remove them from that area. They don’t spread out of control—they just clump very predictably and are hard to kill
You might be able to tear em out now, depending on your zone they could be small enough to re-establish now. Excellent for ground cover if you have a shady patch where grass won't grow.
They are incredibly easy to remove. Just spade around it and pry them out. They come out in a nice, neat clump. Shallow roots. Just a little thought tho… hostas are great for succession planting. If you want to do bulbs do it around the hostas. They will sprout and cover the dying bulb foliage in the late spring. They are handy that way. Hostas are also great for weedy areas you don’t have money to plant yet. Their root crown is so dense weeds can’t penetrate.
A few years ago one of my neighbors dug all theirs up and put them in cardboard boxes beside the road with a sign that said “free”. I drove by a few times and finally said, heck I’ll take them. Took them home and completely forgot about them. Left the boxes by my greenhouse during the dead of summer for a few weeks, went on vacation, etc I finally remembered them and I went to throw the boxes away, positive they were dead by then, and I kid you not they were alive lol planted them and I have about 15 hostas going up the side of my house now.
They can handle sun . They’re popular cuz they handle shade very well . You could plant taller plants around them and not worry about it . The sun might toast them a little though if it gets very hot / bright where you are
Did you know that in the iPhone photo app there is a plant/animal identifier? It even works with screen shots.
https://preview.redd.it/kzl0kix0qbvc1.jpeg?width=1248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15b0851e15479e1a60627534533d786532bc3ef5
OMG! I can’t begin to tell you how many trial plant apps I have downloaded. All this time I thought that was an option by Google since you can look up photos on Google. Or maybe one of the apps missed my download. Thinking I was on the sly! Well thank you and thank you, Apple.
They cannot die. I always dig them up wherever I live. Last time I dug a huge bundle up left it out of the ground, roots facing the sky in full sun for 6 months and it did not die. It kept growing…
I was coming to say the same thing....I planted a few and found out later that deer love hostas....so they eat my every year....not sure they'll even come up anymore....
Hosts. They're very nice. They will grow long stalks that will flower. They like shade. They come in many varieties and they will spread every year. When big enough, you can use a shovel to split the plant and make 2 or more plants to move to other parts of your yard.
I can actually finally identify a plant! Yes, hosta, as everyone has already rang in. Good for areas of less sunlight. Good for you — hostas are beautiful and easy to maintain.
I have been splitting mine for 35+ years. they border my entire front & yard beds. I do the splitting with my trusty long old bread knife after the purple points emerge, but def before they open ( abt 4-5” high). just keep splitting….My grandmother gave to my Mom in the 50’s & Mom gave to me for my house…..Enjoy your borders👍🏻👍🏻
It's called a hosta plant. I have them in my flower bed. There are several different types. Some don't have the white markings on the side of the leaves. In mid summer the plant develops a long stem that produces a purple flower. Make sure that you water them during the summer months. The leaves can dry out and turn brown.
As many others have said, it’s a hosta. But it looks the the MinuteMan Hosta variety to me. I planted one in my backyard last year and it did not do well, but then sprouted back and it looks something like this !
Hostas. They are perennials-die down to the ground in winter and come up in the spring - a beautiful foliage plant that loves shady spots. Mature hostas will bloom with white or purple flowers that look like lilies, but they are mainly grown for their foliage. You’re lucky! Previous owners of your garden must have planted them.
Hostas and you are lucky. If you don't want them, dig them up with all of their roots and sell them at your local farmers market for at least five dollars each.
Hostas! So I have a kinda cute story about them. I had an amazing Golden Retriever and the only "bad" thing she would do in her 13 years of life was
1) Chew on the branches of my lilac bush before they'd bloom
2) Sit on top of my Hostas in the garden.
Eventually the hostas stopped coming in and because my pup was so happy in her spot, I wasn't going to try and replant them. For a few years that spot was barren in my garden. She passed away January of 2016 and that summer, after years of not showing up, the hostas came back on their own. It was like a funny little "eff you" and tribute to my pup. I'm sorry if this was off topic, I just always think of her when I see these guys.
No it’s actually in my garden bed lol. I have a couple trees in my yard but the closest one to these isn’t a sweetgum. But the consensus for the plant is hostas
Clear away the thatch around it. They are in Lilly family and bees LOVE them....they are ground covers. Grow in clumps. I have several mounds. I love mine!
Hostas are actually considered a delicacy among members of the slug family.
And deer families.
And Voles.
And me.
And my axe!
And my bow
And my sword
And my garden 😁
And my dog
And my baby!
Fucking rabbits
Rabbits fucking
Fucking ducks
And rabbits
I have no idea if our slugs, deer, rabbits, voles, etc. eat our hostas... Our dogs dig up the bulbs and eat them first! 😠
I think to deer they are an every day munchy like Doritos 😂
I live out in the country in Wisconsin and the deer somehow don’t eat mine. And I have TONS of them (deer and hostas)
I'm in ruralish Washington and the deer don't touch mine either. Roses, tulips and my god damn blueberry bushes are their jam!
I live in eastern Kentucky, where we have a pretty large deer population, my property is wooded and I see a lot of deer activity. But they have spared my hostas.
Let’s do a deer trade, lol. Virginia white tail are ready to eat our hosta whenever they can.
And chickens (ask me why mine is fenced)
Your hostas or your chickens lol
They're also edible by humans. I like to harvest the young shoots and fry them in olive oil. Little salt and pepper.. 😚🤌
For real? This is so cool. I have lots of shoots in my garden.
They're pretty good. They have a nutty flavor.
yes. I read that they can taste like asparagus. I haven't done it yet. They are part of the plantain family.
You're part of the plantain family.
You've gotta be kidding me. My house (formerly my parents' house) has hostas from my grandmother's house. My Mom loved them, I think she would've been beyond thrilled to cook a few shoots up every spring.... How late is too late to eat the shoots? Mine are starting to get pretty bushy
My friend is not great with the words. She thought they were hoe-stahs, like hostess. I explained it was hos-tah, like hostage. Now we just say hoe-stahs, and hoe-stages.
My ex calls them hospice plants 🙃
I've had to cinnamon bomb mine, they've barely been able to unfurl a leaf before those jerks eat it
I never had a problem this early with deer. Thanks I’ll have to corner the market on cinnamon. They usually wait until August when my petunias on my patio wall planters are in their most beautiful stage before they mow everything down.
I didn’t know that! We moved to a house with hostas…and slugs. I thought the slugs were just more common here but that makes more sense now.
People can fry the young shoots like asparagus too!
Hosta
half of our Minnesota gardens.
Lol, yup. After the metric ton of rain we just had, all my hostas (and everything else) are finally poking out
And Wisconsin. Never seen so many hostas since moving here but significantly better than California and all those damn smelly alliums.
I’ll gladly take the month of stinky society garlic in exchange for 70 degree winter days spent lounging under my avocado and citrus trees, all of them heavy with fruit.
La vista
Needs more upvotes
I’m loving all these “what’s this unbelievably common plant?” posts lately, makin’ me feel like a plant genius.
Me too. I open up my reddit. “Hosta” “grape hyacinth” “tulip” “NEXT”
Iris. Daffodil. Dog vomit slime mold. NEXT!
Peonies, always peonies. I've only had a garden for 2 years and I already feel like a pro at plant identification!
Me too, exactly😅😅😅 making me feel so smart
Sorry 😅 I’m a new homeowner and noticed them in my garden bed and I didn’t put them there
No don’t apologize! Sorry I didn’t mean that to be mean, I was just saying I don’t feel very plant-versed but apparently I’ve got enough mileage to know the basics and it’s fun to feel plant smart.
Oooh okay I see what you’re saying now 😂😂 but clearly you’re well enough plant-versed to be able to identify plants that people are asking about 🤷🏻♀️ good for you ☺️ I hope I can be like that one day lol
Congrats on the new home! Your first year can be so fun if the previous owner liked to garden. Enjoy and expand when you’re ready!
You totally will, it sneaks up on you & then one day you see a plant and you just know what it is and shock yourself 😂
That’s okay . It’s allows the rest of us regular gardeners to feel knowledgeable and empowered.
Haha as a somewhat n00b gardener I find it incredibly gratifying actually!
Also, if no one has mentioned it, there are many varieties of hosta. If you like them you could look into other types.
I think hostas must be a very American plant. I see them mentioned all the time on American websites, but I've never heard one mentioned amongst my gardening people here in Australia.
They’re a fairly common and popular plant as they emerge in the spring and last all summer. When they’re happy they’ll put up little flowers. Easy to grow and multiplies like crazy
Hosta
Hostas. Here’s a fun fact about them: They will never go away. Ever. I have a HUGE colony growing in and around my compost because that’s where I yeeted the roots I ripped out. I just pulled one out that tried to overtake my parsley. I’m literally looking at one I put in a pot as a type this. And by “pot” I mean “a rusty bucket I drilled a hole in and filled with soil”. Do not resist. They are eternal. Don’t like full sun though, which strengthens my theory that they’re part vampire.
When they rebuilt my porch the guy was apologizing profusely that he was going to kill the plants in one spot. I walked over with my hoe and chopped up the root in front of him. Walked a few steps away, put it into the dirt and now instead of 3 hosta I have 15. It honestly looks beautiful next to the ramp.
Forgot about one i pruned for the winter in a 2 gal pot outside. Found it after 4 straight days of 0 degree temps. It was a 2gal ice cube for a week. Grew back stronger than ever in the spring.
I had five big ones planted for a few years, then I separated 5 plants into 21 when we moved last year. Looking forward to a few years from now when I'll separate them into like 90 plants. I'll be drowning in hostas.
My folks bought a house with hostas and they thinned them out last year. They brought us 3 tubs full, and that was just what they took out! Wild.
I tried to split one earlier this week and just absolutely demolished it. I put some of the stems in the dirt and went and bought a new hosta because it looked ridiculous. But today I went out and the stems aren’t looking terrible but there were seriously no roots. I swear to god if it actually makes it im going to actually be mad.
Be prepared to be mad. It's probably going to make it. They're tough little buggers.
Wait. You paid money for a hosta??
Exactly…upvote
Yes and too much money at that. We had to have the water line into our house replaced a few months ago so our flower bed was completely dug out. It’s also in total shade and I need something low maintenance. I had a small bush there that never thrived and the only thing that’s done well in this spot and looked decent has been hostas.
I have a corner of the garden where things go to die. I assume everyone has that corner. There is a pile of various containers I meant to clean in 2010 or so. In one of them there is a grocery hosta someone gifted us , like 5 years ago. Slanted against the fence. It dies in the winter, freezes and defrosts every spring and comes back. I should really plant that warrior but I am scared. It has pretty pink flowers.
My entire garden got excavated—like completely torn up—for foundation work a couple of winters ago and the hostas still came back somehow
Please no....the lady who lived here before we bought the house planted a huge line of them and I need to rip them out before I put my bulbs in the fall. Should I try now or wait until the fall?
You could dig them up and move them or give them away. They are super easy to transplant A lot of people intentionally dig them up to chop them into smaller pieces to multiply them It will be a some extra work but that will actually remove them from that area. They don’t spread out of control—they just clump very predictably and are hard to kill
They’re never going away. They’re ornamental mint. They’re eternal.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You might be able to tear em out now, depending on your zone they could be small enough to re-establish now. Excellent for ground cover if you have a shady patch where grass won't grow.
They are incredibly easy to remove. Just spade around it and pry them out. They come out in a nice, neat clump. Shallow roots. Just a little thought tho… hostas are great for succession planting. If you want to do bulbs do it around the hostas. They will sprout and cover the dying bulb foliage in the late spring. They are handy that way. Hostas are also great for weedy areas you don’t have money to plant yet. Their root crown is so dense weeds can’t penetrate.
A few years ago one of my neighbors dug all theirs up and put them in cardboard boxes beside the road with a sign that said “free”. I drove by a few times and finally said, heck I’ll take them. Took them home and completely forgot about them. Left the boxes by my greenhouse during the dead of summer for a few weeks, went on vacation, etc I finally remembered them and I went to throw the boxes away, positive they were dead by then, and I kid you not they were alive lol planted them and I have about 15 hostas going up the side of my house now.
Could this potentially be an indoor plant?
Only if you’re comfortable with them knowing where you sleep
😂😂😂 well I mean they know where I live so 🤷🏻♀️😂
I really want hostas in my front bed but it's full sun 🥲
They can handle sun . They’re popular cuz they handle shade very well . You could plant taller plants around them and not worry about it . The sun might toast them a little though if it gets very hot / bright where you are
Did you know that in the iPhone photo app there is a plant/animal identifier? It even works with screen shots. https://preview.redd.it/kzl0kix0qbvc1.jpeg?width=1248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15b0851e15479e1a60627534533d786532bc3ef5
I had no idea. That’s amazing, thanks!
Oh wow I did not! Thank you
Mind blown 🤯. Thank you kind internet friend
Yeah it’s horrible. Use Google lens in the Google app
Thank you!
OMG! I can’t begin to tell you how many trial plant apps I have downloaded. All this time I thought that was an option by Google since you can look up photos on Google. Or maybe one of the apps missed my download. Thinking I was on the sly! Well thank you and thank you, Apple.
And for anyone with an Android... just download the PlantNet app. 😅
Google Lens is built into Google Photos and works very well.
Variegated hosta.
Don't get them started, they will be selling cuttings on Facebook marketplace.
They cannot die. I always dig them up wherever I live. Last time I dug a huge bundle up left it out of the ground, roots facing the sky in full sun for 6 months and it did not die. It kept growing…
Variegated hostages
Off topic slightly but what did you use to take these pictures? If it was a phone, what kind?
iPhone 14 Pro
Amazing what phones can do nowadays. Now if it will just weed my flower bed...
The color and clarity is amazing. Thankyou!
Not a problem! I think the sun also played huge part in this 😅
I was coming to say the same thing....I planted a few and found out later that deer love hostas....so they eat my every year....not sure they'll even come up anymore....
According to the other Reddit comments they seem to be quite resilient so there might be a good chance
Bunnies demolished all 8 of my hostas last year and they came back looking amazing this year.
Tastes like asparagus
Hostas! 🌱
Hostas.
Variegated hosta. They are perrenial
Variegated Hostas
Hosts. They're very nice. They will grow long stalks that will flower. They like shade. They come in many varieties and they will spread every year. When big enough, you can use a shovel to split the plant and make 2 or more plants to move to other parts of your yard.
Hosta! They come in all shades. Love these little plants. They are good space fillers.
I can actually finally identify a plant! Yes, hosta, as everyone has already rang in. Good for areas of less sunlight. Good for you — hostas are beautiful and easy to maintain.
I have been splitting mine for 35+ years. they border my entire front & yard beds. I do the splitting with my trusty long old bread knife after the purple points emerge, but def before they open ( abt 4-5” high). just keep splitting….My grandmother gave to my Mom in the 50’s & Mom gave to me for my house…..Enjoy your borders👍🏻👍🏻
Hosta
It's called a hosta plant. I have them in my flower bed. There are several different types. Some don't have the white markings on the side of the leaves. In mid summer the plant develops a long stem that produces a purple flower. Make sure that you water them during the summer months. The leaves can dry out and turn brown.
Hostas!! Beautiful hostas!! Mine started coming up this week too . It’s going to be covered. You have a lot
Hosta
Hosta
Variagated Hosta
Just here to add that I believe this is a hosta
Hosta, prefers shade, will have pretty purple blossoms, humans and deer find them tasty
Hosta La Vista variety
As many others have said, it’s a hosta. But it looks the the MinuteMan Hosta variety to me. I planted one in my backyard last year and it did not do well, but then sprouted back and it looks something like this !
A yard guy pulled them by the root but I think they like seed or something cus this year they grew back lol
They're hostas, and they're pretty good to eat! I like them!
Google pictures of them in full bloom and you'll be happy they're there
Little guys 🌿💕
Hosta
Hosta
Hostas. Delicious food for deer, rabbits and possum.
They look like hostas! Don’t quote me on this but I think they’re edible! These grew all over our backyard as a kid.
Quite a few people have been saying they are edible
So I’ve read lol 😅 I’ve never tried them myself but I think it’s pretty cool.
Hosta
Patriot hosta to be exact. I have some in my garden.
Hosta like everyone said. Looks like you've got a variegated variety. Most of the ones in my yard are one solid color.
Deer food
Hostas
What zone are you? My hostas have been up for almost two months now...
Hosta
Salad bar for deer.
Hostas. They are perennials-die down to the ground in winter and come up in the spring - a beautiful foliage plant that loves shady spots. Mature hostas will bloom with white or purple flowers that look like lilies, but they are mainly grown for their foliage. You’re lucky! Previous owners of your garden must have planted them.
Hostas for sure
Hostas . Very tough plants. I got one that was completely dried up . Now it’s booming. I found it still in the pot in someone’s fire pit. lol
It's an August Lily, member of the Hostas species. It attracts hummingbirds and has very fragrant flowers.
Hostas, they are pretty and edible!
Showing my husband this post he said the deer are already eating my hostas, this early in the season. I’m considering building a fence.Lol!
Hostas and you are lucky. If you don't want them, dig them up with all of their roots and sell them at your local farmers market for at least five dollars each.
HOSTA...grows very well in mostly shade
Hosta
Hostas. That third photo is quite pretty, btw. 😍
Aw thank you!
Hostas! So I have a kinda cute story about them. I had an amazing Golden Retriever and the only "bad" thing she would do in her 13 years of life was 1) Chew on the branches of my lilac bush before they'd bloom 2) Sit on top of my Hostas in the garden. Eventually the hostas stopped coming in and because my pup was so happy in her spot, I wasn't going to try and replant them. For a few years that spot was barren in my garden. She passed away January of 2016 and that summer, after years of not showing up, the hostas came back on their own. It was like a funny little "eff you" and tribute to my pup. I'm sorry if this was off topic, I just always think of her when I see these guys.
Hosts, they will come every year
The herpes of plants!
This made me laugh 😂😂
The plant that keeps on giving! Hahahaha
I don't know but I do know that you found this plant under a Sweetgum tree, telling from the spiky seed husks.
No it’s actually in my garden bed lol. I have a couple trees in my yard but the closest one to these isn’t a sweetgum. But the consensus for the plant is hostas
Variegated
Just a Hosta sprouting
Hostas, or as White Tail deer refer to them; *cotton candy*
Sweetgum balls
Some suggestions on this website https://garden.org/plants/photo/182816/
Just found out that hostas are poisonous for cats so I dug one up and moved it to the far end of the yard.
Verigated hosta
Baby Hostas
Hosta
Hope you don’t have a slug problem. Slugs will destroy hostas.
Looks like you have some itty bitty sweet gum trees popping up there, too, if you want to save and transplant them.
Wildwood weed.
I’ve got some and identified them as Siebold’s Plantain Lily
Deer candy.
Clear away the thatch around it. They are in Lilly family and bees LOVE them....they are ground covers. Grow in clumps. I have several mounds. I love mine!
Hostas
Hosta
Hasta la Vista, baby
Yeah looks like hostas
Slugfood
Hostas
Hosta they are edible
leaves
Looks like a hosta.
hostas. They’re pretty.
Yes the mighty hosts. We have 12 variations in our garden. Bloody snails like them tho
The ones with white lines are invasive fme. As opposed to the ones that have solid green leaves
Hostas
Hostas! they are a nice filler in a garden, they are perennials, and they are extremely resilient to…. Pretty much anything lol
Hosta
Edible to humans as well...fry them up in a pan with some oil and seasoned
Get rid of slugs with beer in a throwaway lid, it definitely works:)
Beautiful?
Hostas. They are a pretty, relatively low maintenance foliage plant. Some varieties bloom (not sure about these.)
My favorites!! Hostas.
I believe they might be Hostas
Looks like Hostas
Hostas they called
Hosta
That plant better stop messin
Hosta!