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It is interesting to know that in fact the hosta can be planted in the sun, contrary to established beliefs that the “queen of shade” does not tolerate bright light. Most species of this plant are indeed shade-loving, and their natural habitat is dense twilight under the canopy of trees in a humid forest, a cool bank of a reservoir, an overgrown ravine or mountainside. However, there are also functions that look great and develop under the rays of the sun - in an open area, in the middle of a meadow, in a river floodplain. First of all, these are plantain hosta and its hybrids, but currently varieties have been bred based on other common species, among the advantages of which is the possibility of planting in illuminated places. If you take into account the other preferences of the hosta, which is not afraid of the sun, and organize proper care for it, you can ensure that these spreading ornamental perennials will grow successfully in all corners of the garden.
Can hosta be planted in the sun?
Of course, not every hosta tolerates planting well in bright sun. However, if you choose a specimen of a suitable variety and create favorable conditions for it in a lighted area of the garden, the plant may well feel comfortable.
Today, many hosta varieties have been developed that thrive in the sun.
When deciding which hosta to plant on the sunny side, you need to take into account the following factors:
- Morphological features of the variety. If the hosta has thick, glossy leaves, then its resistance to the sun's rays is definitely higher than that of specimens with thin and matte leaves. The smooth, shiny surface reflects the rays well, and thanks to its dense structure, the green mass retains moisture better.
- Plant coloring. Hostas with yellow and golden leaves tolerate the sun best, even if only the center or edge is colored this color. Varieties with white stripes and spots tolerate excess light somewhat worse. And finally, blue-blue hostas with a waxy coating on the surface of the leaves are exceptionally shade-loving. The sun melts this protective layer, which protects the plant from burns, age spots, fungal diseases, and excessive evaporation of moisture. As a result, the bush ages and dries out prematurely.
- Climatic conditions of the region. If summer comes early and is usually dry and hot, then it will be much more difficult for the hosta to adapt to a sunny area than in conditions where this time of year is usually wet and cool, with a lot of cloudy days. Correct agricultural technology will help correct the conditions set by nature: organizing timely watering and shading the bushes during the midday hours, planting them in the openwork shade of tall bushes and trees.
The color of different hosta varieties growing in the light can sometimes deviate quite significantly from the varietal standard:
- green ones fade;
- blues acquire green shades;
- yellow ones either become brighter (in lucent varieties) or turn green (in viridescent varieties).
In any case, it is impossible to predict exactly how a hosta of a particular variety will look and feel growing in the sun. This is usually determined experimentally by planting the bush in appropriate conditions and observing it.
The best hosta varieties for sunny places
The most important stage is to decide which function will be placed on the illuminated area. Below are descriptions and photos of hosta varieties most suitable for sunny places.
Sun Power
Classic medium-large (up to 60 cm in height) hosta with dome-shaped bushes and spectacular pale lavender flowers. Its leaves have the shape of an ellipse with a pointed end. Veins are clearly visible on their wavy, slightly corrugated surface. The color of young Sun Power foliage is greenish.
With age, the color turns into a rich golden color if the hosta grows in the sun, or becomes close to the color of lime in partial shade.
Blue Mouse Ears
"Blue Mouse Ears" is a popular mini-hosta, about 25 cm high.Its silvery-blue leaves with a slightly wavy edge resemble hearts and, due to their dense texture, are invulnerable to slugs. Winters well. It grows slowly and is actively used as a ground cover crop or for planting in containers.
Hosta Blue Mouse Ears prefers partial shade, but does well in the morning sun.
June Fever
"June Fever" is a low (35-45 cm) compact hosta with small but dense teardrop-shaped leaves. Their color is bright yellow with a thin emerald border around the edge. When planted in full sun, June Fever leaves become more vibrant in color but lose little contrast.
June Fever blooms in the second half of summer with light purple flowers.
Devon Green
Hosta is medium-sized (up to 45 cm) with glossy dark green hard leaves, on the surface of which the veins are clearly visible, and lavender flowers. The shape of the leaf blade is broadly oval with a pointed end. The bush is dense, dense, the leaves overlap each other.
Hosta Devon Green is a universal variety that grows well in both sun and shade.
Fire Maiden
“Beautiful Virgin” is a very decorative hosta of medium size (the bush reaches 20-30 cm). The edges of its wavy, slightly concave gray-green leaves are edged with creamy white or yellowish contrasting “feathers”. Fair Maiden grows slowly and does not tolerate heavy soils. Can be planted in both sun and partial shade.
In the second half of summer, Hosta Fair Maiden is decorated with large white and lavender flowers.
Empress Wu
"Empress Wu" is recognized as the tallest decorative hosta in the world. The height of its bush reaches 1.2-1.8 m, and the width of the massive dense leaf with a waffle surface structure is about 40 cm.The color of the leaf blade is dark green; in spring it is covered with a bluish coating. The bush grows very quickly, provided that sufficient soil moisture is maintained and regular fertilizing is done. Large lavender flowers on tall stems appear in mid-July.
Empress Wu grows in sun and shade
Blue Ivory
A hybrid Blue Ivory variety of medium size (up to 45 cm), capable of growing into a wide bush up to 1.2 m in diameter. The central part of the dense, heart-shaped leaf, slightly elongated to the tip, is painted dove-blue, while the wide border along its edge is creamy white with a yellowish tint. The flowers are delicate, light blue in color. Grows well near water bodies.
Hosta Blue Ivory prefers partial shade, but can also be in the sun provided it is shaded during the midday hours
Francee
The lush, fast-growing bush of Hosta "France" has the shape of a hemisphere and can be up to 70 cm in height. Its leaves are dense, juicy, dark green, with a narrow white uneven border along the edge. When planted in the shade, the color of the greenery is richer, in the sun it is lighter.
The flowers of the France variety are large, funnel-shaped, lavender, with a delicate pleasant aroma.
Christmas Candy
“Christmas Candy” can also be classified as a sun-loving hosta variety. An upright bush can grow up to 45 cm. The leaves of Christmas Candy are oval with a pointed end, dense, large. Their central part is painted ivory and maintains this tone throughout the season. The uneven wide border around the edge is dark green.
The ideal lighting option for a hosta planting site: sun in the morning, light shade the rest of the time
Guacamole
The wide leaves of this large (up to 60 cm in height) hosta have an ovoid shape, a glossy surface and clearly visible veining. The color of the plate at the beginning of the season is close to a shade of lime or green apple, changing towards golden over time.
The dark green border of Guacamole along the edge of the leaf is hardly noticeable and only appears when the host is exposed to the sun for several hours throughout the day.
Saw Sweet
A compact hosta of medium size (40-50 cm) is characterized by slightly crinkled, bright glossy green leaves with a wide, uneven yellow-creamy border, which by the end of the season manages to fade to white. So Sweet grows quickly and tolerates light partial shade and full sun.
So Sweet flowers are fragrant, white, with a faint lavender tint
Irish Luck
Luck of the Irishman is a very unusual, large hosta with a height of about 60-70 cm, always recognizable by the characteristic glossy shine of solid, dark green leaves with a wavy edge. Leaf blades with pronounced veins, slightly elongated, on long petioles. The bush is growing quickly.
Irish Luck is shade-loving, but tolerates sun well
Captain Kirk
A variety of medium height (60 cm) with fleshy, dense, rounded leaves. In the middle, each of them is painted a bright light green yellow, while along the edge there is a wide border of a rich green hue. Captain Kirk grows well in moist, acidic soil.
Captain Kirk blooms by early August with large pink-lilac flowers
Lemon Delight
Miniature (up to 20 cm) fast-growing hosta with lanceolate thin leaves with a wavy edge, distinguished by a green center and a narrow golden border. It blooms with bright lilac buds, beautifully and very abundantly, sometimes even twice during the season.
Lemon Delight prefers sun in the morning and light shade the rest of the day.
Sam and Substance
Among the yellow-leaved hosta varieties that grow well in the sun, this beauty is considered one of the largest and most spectacular. Its height is about 90 cm, and the width of the leaf plate reaches 38 cm. An adult bush of Sum and Substance has a dome-shaped shape and grows quickly. Its wide leaves are curved like a “cup”, they are dense, pointed and moderately corrugated. The color of the central part of the leaf is light green, gradually turning into yellow at the edges.
In the sun, the yellow pigmentation of Sam & Substance intensifies
Aureomarginata
Hosta variety Fortune, growing up to 50 cm. It is characterized by wide oval leaves, resembling hearts of a rich green color with a thin olive border along the edge. In the sun, Aureomarginata feels good, but the color becomes somewhat paler. It grows quickly.
Aureomarginata has excellent frost resistance
Striptease
“Striptease” owes its name to a narrow white stripe running through the yellowish center of the leaf and its wide dark green edges. The plates are dense, with a slight shine, slightly wavy.
Planting the variety in the sun is possible, but the unusual color of this hosta will manifest itself most clearly in partial shade.
White Feather
Compact plant up to 30 cm tall with lanceolate, glossy, creamy white leaves.During the season, green stripes gradually appear on them, filling almost the entire plate by the end of summer. The White feather variety is frost-resistant. Is immune to many diseases.
White Feather does not need pruning and grows quickly and vigorously
Tattoo
The bright leaves of this mini-hosta (bush height up to 15 cm), golden-light green with a green edge, seem to be decorated with a “tattoo” pattern in the form of a maple leaf. In adult plants, the pattern is more noticeable, and the plates look slightly compressed. The bush grows slowly.
Tatu prefers partial shade, although it can tolerate sun in the morning
Features of caring for sun-loving hosts
Caring for hosta varieties growing in the sun is to create favorable conditions for these plants to remain strong and healthy, showing their varietal characteristics in the best possible way. Regardless of where these plants are planted, they require:
- sufficiently moist, nutritious soil;
- regular loosening and weeding;
- 2-3 fertilizing with complex fertilizers during the season;
- protection from diseases and pests.
At the same time, some elements of care should be treated with special attention if the host is supposed to be grown in the sun:
- Planting in soil with a suitable composition. The soil should be light, loose and moist, ideally loam with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. To increase nutritional value, it is advisable to fill it with organic matter (leaf soil, compost, rotted manure) in advance. Mandatory conditions are good aeration and drainage.
- Properly organized watering. Hosta leaves growing in the sun actively evaporate water.In this regard, they need to be watered abundantly as the soil dries, moistening the soil to about 10 cm in depth. It is advisable to do this in the morning or evening, carefully ensuring that drops do not fall on the surface of the leaves, otherwise the daytime sun can severely burn them.
- Mulching the soil at the roots with crushed tree bark, wood chips, and fine gravel. This will help further retain moisture.
- Shading during midday hours. This measure is especially relevant if high air temperatures (more than + 35 ° C) along with bright sun last for a long time. You can arrange an artificial cover or canopy for the hosta, or create an openwork shade by planting tall companion plants on the south side.
Hosta will be an excellent decoration for a sunny area of the garden with the right choice of variety and proper care.
Diseases and pests
Certain diseases can cause significant harm to the health and beauty of hostas growing in the sun. Most often, gardeners encounter the following troubles:
- Sunburn. The leaves lose turgor and wither, discolored spots appear on their surface, the tissue in these places quickly dries out and crumbles.
Obviously, excess sun is detrimental to the hosta, so it is advisable to provide it with shelter from the scorching rays or transplant it into openwork shade
- Root collar rot. The plant must be dug up, the roots carefully cleaned from the soil, the damaged areas trimmed with a sterile knife and treated with a fungicide. After this, it is necessary to transplant the hosta to a new place, in well-drained light soil.
The disease manifests itself in the discoloration and rapid death of foliage, while the blades dry out or become wet and sticky
- HVX virus infection. It may appear 2-3 years after the plant is infected.At an early stage, an unnatural, spotted color of the leaves is characteristic - the appearance of streaks, stripes, compactions, and “mosaics.” The disease cannot be treated, so it is important to prevent infection of healthy plants: disinfect equipment and tools before transplanting and pruning, keep purchased specimens in quarantine before planting them next to those already growing on the site; purchase hosta that strictly corresponds to the description of the variety.
At a late stage of the virus, root rot develops and the host dies
The most common insects that harm hostas are slugs and snails. They gnaw multiple holes in the leaf blades with torn edges, and leave marks on their surface. Chemical preparations (“Slug Eater”, “Thunderstorm”), as well as mulching the soil under the plants with broken shells, pine needles, and wood ash will help deal with them. Manual collection of pests also produces results.
Conclusion
When choosing which hosta to plant in the sun, you should correctly determine its variety, taking into account such features as the thickness of the leaves, their color and surface texture. It is also important to take into account the specific climate in the region where the site is located. If you prepare suitable soil for the plant, provide it with sufficient watering, regularly loosen and mulch the soil under the roots, and organize shading in the middle of the day, then the rays of the sun will most likely not prevent the hosta bush from being a luxurious and beautiful decoration of the flowerbed.
