Two questions: how do you stop a fern from growing and sending off new growth shoots?Best time to plant hosta?

Question

I have this fern (not sure what kind)..and although one is nice, it sends underground shoots all over and they constantly are popping up where I don't want them, all surrounding the original fern. Secondly, when is the best time to plant a hosta?

Answer 1

I can't answer your fern question, but hostas are pretty hardy, I transfer and plant mine whenever I want to, they might not do very good this year, but next year they'll look just fine.

Answer 2

put the fern in a large pot and plant it IN the ground.  hosta are best planted and transferred when they are just popping up in the spring.  for wisconsin, that's late april.

Answer 3

Your ferns are telling you that you're doing something right. The ferns are happy and the hostas will be happy too.  Spring is a great time for planting hosta because the selection is prime.  You can plant them now and make sure they get enough water, or even wait until fall.  You might even score some great deals at your local nurseries fall sales.

You can't stop a fern from growing, all you can do is treat those off-shoots like weeds and keep removing them.  You could also dig them up and transplant them around your garden or give them away to friends.