From our perspective as Hosta plants, propagating from seed is our most fundamental, natural way to ensure the survival of our species. It is the method encoded in our very DNA. This process begins when our flower stalks (scapes) are pollinated, typically by bees and other pollinators. Once fertilized, our flowers develop into seed pods, each containing numerous black, papery seeds. When these pods dry and split open, the seeds are scattered to the wind, seeking a new place to germinate and grow. This is how we have colonized shady forest floors for millennia.
For you, the gardener, this method presents a significant genetic gamble. We Hostas are highly heterozygous, meaning that the seeds produced by a single plant will not grow into clones of their parent. If you collect seeds from a beautiful 'Blue Mouse Ears' or a majestic 'Sum and Substance', the resulting seedlings will be completely new, unnamed varieties. They may exhibit traits from their parent, but they could also revert to characteristics of their more ancient, generic ancestors. You might get a fascinating new specimen with unique leaf variegation, or you might get a plain green hosta that looks quite ordinary. It is an exercise in patience and chance.
The practicality of this method across the diverse climates of the United States is a key consideration. For us to successfully reproduce from seed, we require a period of cold stratification. This mimics the natural winter conditions we need to break our dormancy. In northern states, you can sow our seeds in pots and leave them outdoors over winter. However, in warmer southern zones, you must refrigerate our seeds in a moist medium for 4-6 weeks to simulate winter before sowing. Furthermore, we grow very slowly from seed. It can take a minimum of 3 to 4 years for one of our seedlings to mature into a full-sized, flowering plant. This is a substantial time investment compared to division.
While growing from seed is our natural reproductive method, the most practical way for you to propagate us in a garden setting is through division. This is essentially vegetative cloning. By carefully dividing our mature clumps, you create exact genetic replicas of the parent plant. This ensures the stability of prized cultivars—their specific leaf color, size, and variegation patterns are preserved perfectly. Division is faster, providing a sizable new plant in a single season, and it is far less resource-intensive for you. It causes us minimal stress if done correctly in the early spring or fall.
Propagating us from seed is practical if your goal is not to replicate a specific cultivar but to embark on a journey of discovery. It is a project for the patient and curious gardener who is interested in hybridizing and potentially creating a new, unique hosta variety. It is also practical for growing large quantities of hostas for naturalizing a wooded area or for use as a groundcover, where uniformity is not a concern. For the average gardener seeking more of a specific named hosta, however, division remains the overwhelmingly more practical and reliable choice.
