No.

Day lilies may. They decrease their amount of blooms when they get too thick.

Daylilies: Yes

Hostas: No

After a while, the amount of bloom from daylilies will decline unless they're divided. My recommendation (since you don't know the names of your plants) is to take two pictures of each one -- one closeup of a flower, one of the whole clump. Dig and replant the ones you like. Then put the remaining fans in bags with those pictures pasted to them and take the bags to a garden club.

Hostas, on the other hand, won't decline as the grow. Some of us think the bigger, the better. But you certainly can divide them if you have the time, energy and inclination. And, again, if you're going to have too many, take pictures of the clump and the leaf and paste them to bags with the extra plants.

I have 400 varieties of daylilies and 200 varieties of hosta, so I know what your facing. Nance

My neighbor had some huge beautiful specimens of hostas, courtesy of the previous owner who was an avid gardener. She, for some unknown reason, thought she had to "divide" them, though they weren't overcrowded. They are now small immature hostas that have taken away from the curb appeal -- in my humble opinion.

Don't we all strive to have those beautiful mature specimens??? I'd love to have purchased a property with mature plantings - great for resale value.

I say leave them be, unless you have to make more divisions.

Got any pics to share?

the ONLY reason to divide them.. is if they are too big for the space. ..

and let me recommend... that if that is the problem.. to move them to a proper space.. and buy a hosta that fits in the space ...

trying to fit a giant in a small shady space seems a bit ridiculous ... unless you just like the exercise of digging them up

ken

Dividng is not horticulturally necssary with hostas, but it certainly is a cost-effective way of expanding your plantings. I divide some of my favorite hostas so I can use them in other parts of the garden.

The main drawback is that you will have to wait, at a minimum, 3 years for the plant to return to its current glory. At $15-$25 a pop for some of the more popular "designer" varities, that is a trade-off I am willing to make.

When I purchase new potted plants, I always try to seek those with multiple eyes so I can divide them right out of the pot. I purchased maybe 6 hostas last year with multiple eyes, and divided them all out of the pot, and I have about 11 or so coming up this year.

Kimcoco, you are SO patient! I always want as much bang for my buck in the garden, so I rarely divide them when I get them.

I am trying to break my habit of dividing hostas when I buy them. It was fine when I needed to fill up space but now I have to dig hundreds of duplicates up to make room for new varieties. I still get the urge. On the plus side it is a good way to get even more varieties by plant trading using a seperate division instead of having to disturb your main plant to get a division. Trying the same plant in different exposures is also a good way to find out where it looks and grows its best.

Thanks so much! There is a hosta bed under one of the trees up front, and the hostas are crowded together. Some are even being hidden under others because of their smaller size. Maybe I will just transplant the smaller guys and leave the MONSTERS alone! I will try and get pics soon and share! We will need a day with NO RAIN first! :) We had two days of no rain, but we were out of town....of course!