Yes, you can grow hostas in sun or shade. We think of hostas as shade plants, but there are plenty of sun-tolerant varieties providing gorgeous leaf colors, textures, flowers, and fragrance.
If you would like more plant ideas, see Best Flowering Plants for a Cottage-Style Garden.
49 Hostas For Sunny Locations
Which hostas like sun?
I compiled this hosta variety list from many sources (gardens, books, articles). There are 8000+ hosta cultivars so there are many more sun-tolerant hostas than I’m listing here. Take them as suggestions and be willing to move your plants around until you find their sweet spots.
The growing tips offer additional ideas for successful growing.
Hostas need even moisture (not dry spells or damp conditions), good soil, and root space. Watch for any signs of heat-fatigue. If you see wilting, stalled growth, brown leaf edges or discoloured spots, they are drying out too much. To remedy this, provide more shade, add mulch, or move them.
Contents
Hostas For Sun
- Albo-marginata
- Antioch
- Aphrodite (fragrant)
- August Moon (yellow)
- Aureo-Marginata
- Blue Angel
- Bright Lights
- Emerald Tiara
- Fire and Ice (white leaves with green edges)
- Fragrant Bouquet (fragrant)
- Francee (white variegated)
- Fried Bananas (fragrant)
- Fried Green Tomatoes (fragrant)
- Garden Delight (fragrant)
- Gold Drop
- Gold Regal (yellow)
- Gold Standard (yellow-tinged foliage)
- Golden Sculpture Rising Sun (yellow)
- Golden Tiara
- Ground Sulphur
- Guacamole (fragrant)
- Honey Bells (fragrant)
- Hosta plantaginea (fragrant)
- Hydon Sunset
- Inniswood (yellow variegated)
- Invincible (fragrant, green)
- Lancifolia
- Liberty (thick leaves)
- Medio-Variegata
- Montreal
- Nakai
- Parky’s Gold
- Pearl Lake (green hosta)
- Popcorn
- Queen Josephine
- Rainforest Sunrise
- Regal Splendor (yellow variegated)
- Rhino Hide (thick leaves)
- Royal Standard (fragrant flowers)
- Sagae
- Sea Fire
- Shade Fanfare
- Sieboldiana
- So Sweet (fragrant)
- Squash Casserole (yellow)
- Stiletto
- Sugar & Cream (fragrant)
- Sum & Substance (chartreuse leaves)
- Summer Fragrance (fragrant)
- Sundance (yellow variegated)
- Sun Power (yellow-tinged foliage)
- Thunderbolt (thick leaves)
- Twist of Lime
- Wolverine
If you would like to save this list or print it, click Add to Cart (it’s free).
Hosta Growing Tips
With over 8000+ hosta cultivars in the world, there are a lot of hosta options for your garden.
Colors include deep greens, light greens, blues, grays, yellows, white, and gold, and chartreuse varieties.
The key to success beyond right plant for the right space, is moisture. Yes, they can be sun-tolerant but that does not mean they are drought-tolerant. Hostas need consistent moisture to thrive. Sunlight is rarely an issue, but intense heat and dry conditions are. If you can keep good, even moisture and never let the plant dry out, you’re on the road to hosta happiness.
Planted in deeper shade, a hosta may not grow to its full potential. It’s the light that encourages foliage color changes and flowering.
Hosta Lifecycle
As a perennial in a cold climate, hostas go through distinct stages each year.
- Spring The first signs of spring growth come when the hosta ‘noses’ emerge from the soil. These are furled buds that will grow into leaves. The unfurling stage is my favorite. There is something intriguing about so much growth coming up from seemingly bare earth.
- Late spring is the time of rapid root and foliage growth.
- Summer is the big show. The plant is at its peak size for the year. Some varieties flower. Warmer growing zones may trigger second leaves and blooms.
- Fall marks the time for dormancy to begin. Growth slows and stops, leaves may change color with hidden pigments becoming visible (just like tree leaves). Gradually the leaves die off and the hosta vanishes. The roots are there, of course, but there may be little or no evidence of them above ground. This is why long-lasting plant tags can be so valuable, preventing accidental trampling of the soil or digging in spring. If the fall season is dry, a nice deep drink of water for the roots is a good idea when first frost is imminent. Seeds can be collected from dry seed pods for sowing indoors.
- Winter is the dormant period. Just as many flowering bulbs need a consistent chilling period for spring growth, hostas need their winter rest. At least 30 days with temperatures below 40℉ (4°C) is best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Hosta leaves come in so many beautiful variations and look great in pots.
Also, growing in containers is a great workaround if you have poor soil or suspect you will want to move the plant around to find its best growing location in your garden.
Some hostas grow very deep roots (18-inches), so a large, deep container is best. You must keep up with watering and may want to add drip irrigation if you are away in the summer.
To overwinter your potted hosta, water deeply before storing, place a piece of hardware cloth (lead-free or stainless steel) with a rock on top of the soil to discourage vermin, and keep in a cool place (not freezing) until spring.
Always choose plants suitable for your growing zone and conditions. Even moisture is key. Whether you plant your hostas in dappled shade or a sunny location, you want those roots to have access to water throughout the growing seasons. Drip irrigation hoses are one option.
A few inches of organic mulch can also help retain moisture.
Many hostas tolerate or thrive in full sun so long as their roots never dry out. As a general rule, hostas with thicker leaves manage heat better, because they contain more moisture.
As you would guess, in the right location, the plant will thrive. The foliage will turn to that beautiful color you saw in the catalog, and, if it’s a flowering variety, flowers will form.
A heat-stressed hosta will stop growing and the leaves may get brown edges or light spots.
Unless a plant is really struggling, make sure you give it time to adapt to its location. If new leaves are forming, you know the roots are settling in and growing.
If you want to divide hosta, there are two times of year when it’s also easiest: spring before the leaves have opened (unfurled) and fall when the foliage is dying off and it’s easy to see where to dig.
Truly, if the hosta is healthy, you can move it any time, but it can get messy trying to get nice clean cuts through the mass of leaves and stems.
If you’re moving the plants in fall, allow at least 6 weeks before first frost so the newly transplanted plant has time to settle in. 
Several factors: the cultivar (some are much bigger than others), age of the plant, optimum growing conditions include root space, and fertilizer. It’s a good bet that most gardeners with giant—and I mean giant—hostas are maxing out the fertilizers.While they look cool, keep in mind that commercial fertilizers are not considered environmentally-friendly.
If you are replenishing your soil with compost on an ongoing basis and taking soil tests to understand what—if anything—your soil needs, fertilizers are not recommended. Some hosta growers swear by a slow-release 10-10-10 product but it’s important to know what your soil needs before feeding it, otherwise the excess goes to waste waste and environmental harm can occur.
Yes. If you want to grow new plants from the ones you have, allow your flowering hostas to turn to seed and collect those seeds for sowing.
Hosta fans recommend sowing the seeds right away indoors and nurturing them over the winter. Because hostas are slow-growers, this schedule allows a lot of time for the plants to get established before planting time in spring.
Keep in mind that because most hostas are cultivars, the new plants may not be identical to the parent plants. If you want true new plants, divide the ones you have instead.
Common hosta issues include slugs, voles, deer, foliar nematodes, and petiole rot (fungus).
Resources
Watch Hosta Care Tips
See tips on dividing hostas, growing hostas in containers, and sun and shade hosta suggestions.
Books
Field Guide to Hostas | Amazon
Book of Little Hostas | Amazon
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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛