So I just picked up a beautiful (and kinda expensive) Shadowland Coast to Coast Hosta. I want to put it in an area that gets sun from 12:30-5:30, and then some dappled shade until 7:30. I think it should be able to handle this but I'd like to get some more opinions. Also, this got me thinking—what exactly makes a hosta more sun-tolerant? I used to think the closer to gold the hosta was, the more sun it could take. However, my fire island hosta can take only 3 hours of direct sun before burning badly. My neighbor has BIG blue hostas that have been in a full sun garden for years, and is using lava rock as mulch. Their blue hostas only scorch at the very end of the season. My personal opinion is that it has to do with the thickness of the hosta. My Shadowland Autumn Frost Hostas are taking 6 hours of sun, and half of those hours are from 4:00 to 7:00! They are a very thick, almost leathery hosta. What makes a hosta more sun-tolerant, and will my new hosta survive the sun?


P.S, I just realized my phone edited "hosta" to "hosts". 😐

Generally hostas are NOT sun lovers. They like shade to semi-shade.

Whoever planted them here, put them in direct-sunlight majority of the day Zones 5b-6. I don't personally like them but can say they are hardy as hell! Removed them weeks ago, they're still in their clumps alive. (hard to kill by accident I'll say)

@cosmosist, could you update your personal information to include your location? Thank you!

I have Hostas planted on the east side of my house so they get sun until early afternoon - that would be considered full sun as they get over 6 hours a day. But I would never consider planting them on the west or south side. They would fry.

DaisyI said:@cosmosist, could you update your personal information to include your location? Thank you!

I have Hostas planted on the east side of my house so they get sun until early afternoon - that would be considered full sun as they get over 6 hours a day. But I would never consider planting them on the west or south side. They would fry.

Updated! :)

I do notice they burn off later in the season but they return yearly, they're roughly on my NE side, they get sun just before noon and peak out till 5 - 7pm. Not sure if this helps fill the brain with some idea on what you're working with.

Thank you! Much easier to visualize what you are dealing with. This time of year, I get sun on the north side of my house so I would assume you get quite a bit on your north side.

I have noticed that the sides of the house I put a plant has a lot to do with how well it does even with full sun/part sun designations. So, Crazed, to answer your question, I think it has to do with the position of the sun from season to season and the quality of the sun (east vs west vs north vs south facing).

cosmosist said:Whoever planted them here, put them in direct-sunlight majority of the day Zones 5b-6. I don't personally like them but can say they are hardy as hell! Removed them weeks ago, they're still in their clumps alive. (hard to kill by accident I'll say)

Wow, removing a hosta? That must be a sin! Just kidding. We all have plants that we didn't plant, and we aren't fans of. Just this spring, I spent way too much time removing very old daffodil bulbs that were no longer blooming. Do you know what type of hosta it was that you tried to remove? I've already killed a couple hostas, and would love to know of a variety that can grow like a weed!

DaisyI said:Thank you! Much easier to visualize what you are dealing with. This time of year, I get sun on the north side of my house so I would assume you get quite a bit on your north side.

I have noticed that the sides of the house I put a plant has a lot to do with how well it does even with full sun/part sun designations. So, Crazed, to answer your question, I think it has to do with the position of the sun from season to season and the quality of the sun (east vs west vs north vs south facing).

Hmm, I've always been very dumb when it came to the North vs. West vs. East vs. South facing thing. I used to work at a garden center, and people would come up to me and say "I have an area on the _____ side of my house, and I'd like to plant stuff there", and then I'd ask "well, how many hours of sun does the spot get?", and they would say "it's on the ____ side of my house..." Am I missing some big gardening info when it comes to that? Also, the garden I planted the coast to coast in, is on the Northwest side of the house. The garden overall gets sun from 10:30-7:30, but the amount of light varies from dappled shade to full sun depending on the area of the garden. I still can't help but wonder why my fire island hosta burnt badly in a full sun spot, but the autumn frost hosta I replaced it with, hasn't skipped a beat. Maybe the poor fire island was kept in deep shade before I bought it.

Did you acclimate it before ripping it out of its pot and stuffing it into the ground? (no reflection on your planting techniques, only my own. )

CrazedHoosier said:

Wow, removing a hosta? That must be a sin! Just kidding. We all have plants that we didn't plant, and we aren't fans of. Just this spring, I spent way too much time removing very old daffodil bulbs that were no longer blooming. Do you know what type of hosta it was that you tried to remove? I've already killed a couple hostas, and would love to know of a variety that can grow like a weed!

I don't know what type they are, I can maybe see if they're still alive and get pictures for you, it's funny. See if I can do that tonight haha

Here we go, if we can get an ID



These have been out the ground for weeks and this new one got left behind when I pulled the clumps up. :)

Pardon the mess, the lawn is a write-off (needs to be solarized) and it's the time GF and I set things up. haha

DaisyI said:Did you acclimate it before ripping it out of its pot and stuffing it into the ground? (no reflection on your planting techniques, only my own. )

It sat in its pot in the spot I planned on planting it for three days. That was all the acclimating I could withstand. It was there for about a month, and continued to burn until its day in that spot. It's now in an area with just 3 hours of sun, and has sort of calmed down on the burning. Its leaves are almost paper-thin, which is why I thought it burnt so easily. The autumn frost hosta I planted in its place had zero acclimation time!

cosmosist said:Here we go, if we can get an ID



These have been out the ground for weeks and this new one got left behind when I pulled the clumps up. :)

Pardon the mess, the lawn is a write-off (needs to be solarized) and it's the time GF and I set things up. haha

Those are some gorgeous hostas! I've actually been looking for a hosta with that color and leaf structure! I'm not sure what the type is, but it sort of looks like a dark green version of the fire island hosta I was talking about. It may be the same specie of hosta, or in the same breeding family.

CrazedHoosier said:

Those are some gorgeous hostas! I've actually been looking for a hosta with that color and leaf structure! I'm not sure what the type is, but it sort of looks like a dark green version of the fire island hosta I was talking about. It may be the same specie of hosta, or in the same breeding family.

Perhaps!
The more I think about it, they do well, I might re-plant them elsewhere. Hopefully they don't hate me too much for leaving them too die, you know. No big deal right?
Got a few spots in mind now.

These let off a purple flowers, it's kinda cool.

I've got some tough hostas, pretty sure they're just plain green undulata types, which everyone has around here. Had one in full afternoon sun last year and it mostly just suffered snails.

LucyP said:I've got some tough hostas, pretty sure they're just plain green undulata types, which everyone has around here. Had one in full afternoon sun last year and it mostly just suffered snails.

I must just be a hosta lover, because I think that plain green undulata is beautiful too! Maybe being able to keep hostas in full sun has more to do with how Northern you are more than anything. Although, elderberry bushes tend to burn here in the full sun.

CrazedHoosier said:

I must just be a hosta lover, because I think that plain green undulata is beautiful too! Maybe being able to keep hostas in full sun has more to do with how Northern you are more than anything. Although, elderberry bushes tend to burn here in the full sun.

They are beautiful!

For what it's worth my container grown hosta's are in full afternoon sun, once I acclimated them they don't fry, they do incredibly well. I split them every 3 years because they out grow their pots and then give sections away, I wouldn't have the heart to throw away mine,

To Crazed Hoosier,
I, too, am in USDA zone 6A. I'm near Springfield, MA. Last fall I never got around to sinking a number of pots of hosta Golden Tiara into the ground. They spent the entire winter in their pots, sitting on top of the ground. See photos of what I have this year. They are still in the same pots, still in the same spots where they spent the winter. I tried to move some of them this morning, so at least I could get them out of the tall grass for my photos, but they are now firmly attached to the ground. Unless you have something else going on, such as deer coming in for the kill, this would seem to be a good variety for you to try growing. Golden Tiara is probably the fastest growing hosta I own. Extremely hardy for sure!
Kat2014

Here's an article that I downloaded a couple years back with some generalized information. (click on it to enlarge)

I had a huge cottonwood tree shading my yard so I grew a lot of hostas. Once the tree was removed, many of the hostas eventually acclimated to direct sunlight (e.g. Royal Standard and Francee) but the variegated hostas burned so I had to move them. There are many variables that factor into where they'll thrive - zone, light exposure, moisture and soil type/drainage, hosta variety - so while they're generally hardy, it may take some experimentation. I've had White Feather and Fire Island hostas for years that grow very slowly but Dancing Queens have taken over my garden. Hostas will let you know when they're happy.