Growing Hostas in the Sun

Hostas are generally considered shade plants, but any hosta can be grown in full sun.  The only down side of growing them in the sun is that they usually don't look good. If, for some reason you want to grow ugly hostas, then sun is no problem.

First of all, full sun means sun during the middle of the day when it's hot and uncomfortable. Except maybe in the deep South, early morning sun and late afternoon sun are not full sun. That's just bright light.  And if you have an area with hot, intense sun for any significant amount of time, why are you trying to grow shade plants there?  Instead of trying to figure out how to plant hostas where they're probably going to burn up, why not just plant something that likes the sun? There are tons of good plants for full sun in our perennial catalog.  Just go to www.crownsvillenursery.com.

If you have to grow hostas and you have to grow them in the sun, the most important thing you can do for the plants is keep them well watered. If you keep them well watered, there are a few varieties that may do well enough in the sun to be worthwhile, but if they dry out, they are very likely to burn.  The American Hosta Society publishes a grower's guide that lists the following hostas as "sun tolerant".  Most, but not all of these plants are offered in our catalog.

To their list, I would add Squash Casserole, Golden Sculpture, and Inniswood.  Although I would not expect the Tokudama types to do well in the sun, I have had excellent success with Tokudama flavocircinalis.  The blue center turns green, but it still looks pretty good here in full sun, just not as good as it would look in dappled shade.  You just never know until you try.

Probably any hosta with fragrant flowers could be added to this list.  Hosta plantaginea is the only species with fragrant flowers, and all fragrant hostas have plantaginea in their blood line.  Plantaginea is also the southernmost growing species in its native range, so these varieties seem to be better in sunny spots than most.  Listed below are fragrant flowered hybrids that would be worth trying, and of course there are others.

Hostas with blue leaves are probably not a good choice for sunny areas. The blue color is a result of a waxy coating on the leaf, which melts and disintegrates in the heat. 

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