Most hostas prefer shade, but these varieties cope with more light. Many are gold-leaved or fragrant types that colour and flower better with a few hours of sun.
Sun-tolerant hostas
Morning sun is ideal. In full sun, keep the soil consistently moist and add a layer of mulch, so the leaves do not scorch in hot, dry weather.
Every pack contains 2 plants of the same variety and comes with our 100% growing guarantee.
Three kinds of hosta cope best with light:
The plant shows you. Bleached or yellowish patches, brown, papery leaf edges and leaves that hang limp at midday all mean too much sun or too little water. Gold varieties may also fade to pale cream instead of gold. If you see this, water more deeply, and next spring move the plant to a spot with afternoon shade.
In sun, soil moisture decides everything. Before planting, dig in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure so the soil holds water, and cover it afterwards with a 5 cm layer of mulch. In dry spells, water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, so the roots grow down instead of staying near the surface. Plant in spring: a hosta that has settled in before its first hot summer copes far better.
Sun changes more than the risk of scorch. Gold hostas such as Sum and Substance turn a richer gold, fragrant hostas set more buds, and white or cream margins stay crisp. Blue leaves are the exception: in a sunny spot they lose their wax early and turn green, which is why you will find hardly any pure blue hostas here.
So Sweet and Fragrant Bouquet are proven choices. Also look at Invincible, with glossy dark green leaves and fragrant flowers, Sunny Halcyon in yellow, Hi-Class with a white edge, and Whirlwind, an unusual light-centred hosta that takes some sun.
Sum and Substance, Liberty and Victory lead the giants, and Sagae copes just as well. Among the large hostas, Cathedral Windows and Enchiladas combine gold centres with fragrant flowers, and Royal Standard brings fragrant white flowers to a sunny border.
For fragrance in a sunny spot, Venus has very fragrant flowers and Aphrodite double white ones.
On a sunny terrace, choose the largest pot you can, preferably a light-coloured one, which heats up less. Group pots together so they shade each other, and water every day in hot weather.
Gold-leaved and fragrant hostas cope best. Sum and Substance turns a richer gold in a brighter spot, and fragrant varieties such as Fragrant Bouquet and So Sweet flower better with some sun. Among the large hostas, Victory and Liberty also take more light than most.
Some can, provided the soil stays moist. Sun-tolerant varieties, often gold-leaved or fragrant types, cope with several hours of sun. Blue and white-centred hostas are best kept out of strong sun.
Water regularly in dry weather, add a layer of mulch to keep the soil cool and moist, and choose a spot with morning sun and some shade in the afternoon.
As a rough guide, up to half a day of direct sun, preferably in the morning. In cool, cloudy regions such as Ireland or the Netherlands they cope with more, even some afternoon sun; in hot inland areas, keep them shaded from midday. Moist soil is what makes the difference.
Many do. Fragrant hostas in particular set more flowers in a brighter spot, and their scent carries further on warm evenings. In deep shade most hostas still flower, just less.
Yes. These varieties are not sun lovers, only more tolerant than most, and they grow happily in partial shade too. Gold ones simply turn a little greener there, and fragrant ones flower less.
Planting
Most hostas prefer shade or part shade, but some cope with much more sun if the soil stays moist. Gold and yellow varieties colour best with plenty of light, while blue and white-centred ones fade or scorch first. Even sun-tolerant hostas need afternoon shade in hot, dry weather, and sun tolerance is never the same as drought tolerance.
4 min read
Planting
Most hostas grow best in partial shade: a few hours of gentle morning sun and shade for the rest of the day. Blue and white-centred varieties want the most shade, gold and yellow ones colour best with some sun, and sun-tolerant varieties cope with more light as long as their soil stays moist.
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Order and pay now, and your bare-root hostas ship from 1 March. Here is how pre-ordering works and what to expect when your plants arrive.
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