Hostas are shade-loving plants that add texture and color to even the most challenging garden spots. While most hosta cultivars prefer shade or partial shade, some can endure sunny conditions. Several species, in fact, benefit from sun exposure to keep their leaves vibrant and dazzling.
Hostas with Yellow Leaves Tolerate More Sun
Generally speaking, hostas with yellow or gold foliage and fragrant blooms tolerate more sunlight than those with green, blue, or white leaves.
Of course, there are always exceptions. There are hostas with green foliage that thrive in full sun, so the color of the foliage isn’t a hard and fast rule for sun tolerance. Keep an eye on newly planted hostas that get a lot of light and move them to a shaded place if the edges of the leaves begin to brown.
In general, yellow or gold hostas can withstand partial sun without losing their beautiful yellow color. These yellow or golden beauties will look their best if they receive two hours of regular light exposure. Aim for early sun to avoid burned leaves.
Remember that the meaning of “full sun” changes depending on geography and even time of day. The sun is not as intense in the early hours as it is at midday, and sunlight exposure in southern states may be significantly higher than in northern climates. While yellow and aromatic hostas require sunlight, they dislike baking or frying in the bright, hot afternoon sunshine.
Use drip irrigation to keep your hostas well-watered if your sunny area is hot or dry.
11 Hostas That Tolerate Full Sun
All of the following types have a higher sun tolerance than other cultivars. To keep things simple, the USDA hardiness zone information mentioned is for growing the plant as a perennial.
1. Age of Gold
USDA Zones: 3 to 9
Make a bold statement in your yard by planting “Age of Gold.” The giant-size variety offers nearly white tubular blooms with gorgeous golden foliage in July. When planted in areas with morning light or some filtered shade, the leaves remain smooth and retain the most color.
2. Ben Vernooij
USDA Zones: 3 to 9
“Ben Vernooij” is a hardy cultivar with thick, spherical deep blue leaves with broad, creamy white borders. The leaves’ brilliant hue lasts until the first frost. Large, pale lavender flowers appear in the summer. The average plant is 16 inches in height and 28 inches in breadth.
3. Carolina Sunshine
USDA Zone: 3a to 8b
This one-of-a-kind hybrid features glossy, long, dark-green leaves with a butterscotch-yellow border that lasts the entire season. In July, “Carolina Sunshine” develops a spectacular 40-inch-wide clump with 20-inch scapes of medium-lavender blooms.
4. Fragrant Bouquet
USDA Zone: 3 to 8
This cultivar’s leaves are deep apple green with broad, light yellow to cream-colored margins. It has fragrant white blooms on long scapes throughout July. The plant’s texture makes it an ideal border plant. In 1998, it was selected Hosta of the Year.
5. August Moon
USDA Zone: 3 to 9
This variety has leaves that are highly textured, broad, heart-shaped, thick, and slug-resistant. They emerge chartreuse, age to a mellow yellow, and mature to a brilliant golden yellow. The magnificent, color-shifting foliage brightens any garden. It has large spikes of light lavender blooms in the summer.
6. Gold Regal
USDA Zone: 3a to 8b
This hosta cultivar grows to be a massive plant (32 inches tall by 63 inches wide), with pale green leaves in the spring that become chartreuse as the summer advances. The leaves have considerable firmness and are gently wavy, moderately corrugated, and slightly cupped. In July, it produces fertile medium lavender bell-shaped flowers on 50-inch-tall scapes.
7. Korean Snow
USDA Zone: 3a to 8b
“Korean Snow” is a seedling of yingeri with green and white striped foliage. It is extremely unusual for a striped plant in that it does not settle into a stable form. The flowers are purple and feature the spider-like appearance of the yingeri species. It produces viable seeds and grows at a modest rate. It has round leaves with a rounded base that are incredibly glossy. The flower scapes are 22 inches long.
8. Abba Dabba Do
USDA Zone: 3a to 8b
This large specimen selection’s broad green leaves feature a small golden border. Pale lavender blossoms appear in July. It works nicely in mixed pots or tubs as well as in the landscape. Plants can be easily split in the spring or fall, but they can also be left alone for years. This cultivar has good slug tolerance and is more deer resistant than others.
9. Crystal Moon
USDA Zone: 3a to 8b
This variety’s leaves are rounded and light green, with a streaky cream border. Its light lavender-scented flowers, which grow to be 3 inches in diameter, are its most notable feature.
10. Golden Sculpture
USDA Zone: 3b to 8b
This is one of the most beautiful gold hostas I’ve ever seen! The upright vase shape creates a 3-foot-wide cluster of wide sparkling golden leaves. The cluster is topped by 30-inch scapes of stunning white blooms in late April. It can survive the sun and is slug resistant.
11. Sum and Substance
USDA Zone: 3 to 8
This prize winner has massive leathery chartreuse leaves that become gold as summer approaches, making it the largest and most popular of the hosta varieties. This is a dramatic landscape feature when combined with smaller bright-colored hostas and other perennials. Slugs tend to avoid its dense vegetation. It was named Hosta of the Year in 2004.
