1 gal. Royal Standard Hosta Shrub with Large Dimpled Heart Shaped Leaves and Aromatic White Flowers

Yes, if you live in one of the USDA hardiness zones listed on this page. Your zone tells you how cold winter usually gets where you live, and the zone rating shows whether this plant is likely to survive it. You can look up your zone by ZIP code.

It depends on the plant. Hostas, ferns, Japanese forest grass and Japanese sedges want part to full shade. Lavender needs full sun and soil that drains fast, and daylilies bloom best in full sun but manage in part shade.

In late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. Leave last year's leaves standing through winter, then cut the clump down to 2 to 4 inches. Blue fescue can go down to 3 to 4 inches, or you can comb out the old leaves instead. Evergreen grass-like plants, such as black mondo grass, don't need cutting back.

Probably not. Warm-season grasses, like switch grass, fountain grass and maiden grass, often don't start growing until late spring or early summer, well after cool-season grasses have greened up. Leave it in the ground and give it time.

Most likely slugs or snails. Look for ragged holes between the veins and shiny slime trails. Slugs feed at night in damp weather, so water in the morning, and handpick them about 2 hours after dark. Slug baits can harm children, pets and wildlife, so read the label first.

Too much water is the most likely cause. Lavender needs full sun and soil that drains fast, and dampness kills it more often than cold does, especially soil that stays wet through winter. In heavy soil, plant it in a raised bed. Water it the first year, but never let water stand around it.

It's the size of the nursery pot the plant ships in, not the plant's height. A 1-gallon plant ships in a 1-gallon pot. The plant itself varies by variety and by season.

A few days in a dark box is stressful for a leafy plant, and some yellow or dropped leaves are common. Water it if the soil is dry, give it a few days in bright shade, then move it into more sun over a week or two. New leaves usually follow. If it looks damaged or unhealthy beyond a few leaves, contact us that day with photos.

Plant when the ground isn't frozen, and not during a heat wave. Loosen any roots circling the root ball, and set the top of the root ball level with the ground or slightly above it. Water it in well.

Check the soil every few days for the first few months. A new plant's root ball dries out faster than the ground around it, so feel the soil at the root ball itself, not only the surface. Water when it's dry, and let it drain.