Dormant hosta in pots can be handled in several ways. Two things that must be avoided are allowing them to dry out and allowing them to freeze once they have begun to emerge from the soil.

Ideally you should plant the hosta in your garden if the frost is out of the ground. If your hosta bed is not prepared but the frost is out you can heal them into a temporary location and plant them when the permanent hosta bed is ready. The reason that getting them into the ground is ideal is the protection the roots receive from the wide temperature swings in spring. The soil is not subject to these wide swings in daily air temperatures. Thus the hosta roots are protected. This also protects them from drying.

If you are unable to plant immediately you can safely keep them in the pots by observing a few safety rules. The first is to not let them dry out but do not leave them in standing water with no drainage either. The second is to not expose the foliage to frost or freezing temperatures once they have begun emerging from the soil. The only way to stop the foliage from emerging is to maintain the temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If you wish to promote growth in the container merely provide temperatures above 50 degrees. Once they emerge they will need a few hours of direct sun each day. If you have them outside for this you need to pull them in during periods of frost once they have emerged from dormancy.

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