Do you need to divide hostas? If it's a single plant growing where you like it, no. It will just get bigger and bigger unless you kill it. However, if you have a number of hostas growing together in a bed, eventually they'll start getting crowded. If you do nothing, the more vigorous ones will cover up the others and that's not how we're taught to play. So periodically you may need to dig up your hostas, divide them into smaller plants, and replant them in various locations. The best part of this is that one plant can usually make 4 or 5 little hostas that will grow into big honkin' hostas. So if you're still steaming from having to pay some geek $20 for a special kind, divide it into four plants and your cost per plant is only five bucks.

When should you divide hostas? Right now, just before they go dormant, is a great time. You can also divide them in early spring, just as their leaves are sprouting from the ground.

How do you divide hostas? First, dig up the clump and shake off most of the soil. Upon closer inspection, you will see that each clump consists of a number of separate tufts of leaves. Separating these tufts is how you divide. Follow these steps.

Step 1. If you're able to, gently use your fingers to pull each tuft away from the others. Or use a knife to cut the roots between the tufts, separating them into individual plants.

Step 2. Place the plants in a garden bed that you've already amended with oodles of organic matter, such as peat moss, ground bark, composted manure, and chopped leaves. Give each plant enough space so that it won't crowd the others when it matures.

Step 3. Thoroughly water after planting. Keep hostas watered until they go dormant. Now you're done. Wasn't that easy?

Step 4. Amend your will and leave everything to the Grump.