The Best Hostas to Plant in Sun

Not all hostas are made for the shade. Learn how to grow sun-tolerant hostas successfully, and which varieties do best.

September 13, 2021

By: Julie Martens Forney

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Made for the Sun

Did you know you can buy hostas for sun? Despite being called full sun-hostas, though, these plants aren’t like coneflower or daisy that can take eight hours of intense sun. Rather, hostas that withstand sun are referred to as sun-tolerant hostas. That means they can take some sun — definitely a little more than most of their shade-loving hosta cousins — but still need protection from the hot afternoon sun. Hostas for sun share some common characteristics.

Rugose Leaves

Many of the sun-tolerant hostas tend to have thicker leaves. Often the full sun hostas also have very textural leaves with patterns that are embossed, puckered, pleated, wrinkled, or ruffled such as seen in the ‘August Moon’ variety. Botanically, these leaves are described as being rugose. Many gardeners refer to these types of leaves as corrugated. Hostas with rugose leaves also tend to be more slug-resistant. Other examples of rugose-type hostas for sun include Hosta ‘Sum and Substance,’ ‘Guacamole' and ‘Stained Glass.’ Many of the Hosta fortunei hybrids and sports also have rugose leaves, including ‘Fortunei Hyacinthina’ and ‘Fortunei Aureomarginata.’

Fragrant Flowers

Many hostas with fragrant flowers fall into the sun-tolerant hostas group. These hostas usually have a touch of Hosta plantaginea in their family tree. Hosta plantaginea, which is a sun tolerant hosta, is a Chinese native that opens white flowers in late summer at dusk, releasing a heady perfume. Other fragrant varieties of hostas for sun include ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Fried Green Tomatoes.’

Lighter Leaves

Hostas for sun also feature many varieties with gold or yellow tone leaves. These lighter-colored hostas do tend to burn in full sun, so plan to provide protection from the hottest afternoon sun. Hosta ‘Sun Power’ unfurls bright chartreuse leaves that splash gold into a planting, while ‘Fried Bananas’ brings a real glow to any landscape with its shiny gold leaves.

Growing Tips

The thing to know about sun-tolerant hostas is that while they withstand more sun than traditional shade-loving hostas, they do need protection from sun during the hottest part of the day. In Zone 6 and north, hostas can tolerate more sun than in warmer zones. In the hottest zones, even sun-tolerant hostas will have a tough time withstanding more than a few hours of sun.

In all growing zones, hostas for sun thrive best when they have plenty of moisture. Plan to water sun-tolerant hostas more than their cousins growing in cooler, shady conditions. Also, maintain a thick layer of mulch over the soil on sun-tolerant hostas to help conserve soil moisture. As you plan which hostas for sun fit your landscape needs, visit local nurseries in August and check out the hostas. The ones that don’t have burnt leaves are sturdy sun-tolerant hostas that you can count on to perform in your yard.

Hosta 'Sum and Substance'

This immense hosta grows up to 30 inches high and 60 inches in diameter. It features heart-shaped, thick-textured, glossy yellow leaves which turn golden over time with proper sun exposure, and racemes of bell-shaped, fragrant white flowers on scapes up to 38 inches.

Hosta 'Guacamole'

'Guacamole' is a medium-sized hosta with wide, oval leaves the color of — yep, you guessed it — guacamole. The avocado-colored leaves also feature darker green veins and margins. Its white flowers that appear in midsummer are extremely fragrant.

Hosta ‘Stained Glass'

This hosta features attractive yellow leaves with a dark green margin that creates a great color contrast. The prominent veins throughout the leaf give this hosta a stained glass window effect. To grow 'Stained Glass' in full sun, good fertile soil and adequate moisture are needed.

Hosta 'Fortunei Aureomarginata'

Hosta 'Fortunei aureomarginata' forms an attractive, dense mound of broad, heart-shaped, basal, mid-green leaves with conspicuous veins and irregular golden-yellow margins.