Hi Miketropic,

I'm not sure if you have already found older postings on this topic. There was a good one last August.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0817145629037.html?8

try don's lists sun tolerant hosta. you don't trust that, you are using choc milk in your cereal

http://www.pwk.resteddoginn.ca/lists/hosta_list_sth.php

dave

Sun on the west side does not last long. It is hot, but most plants will compensate and "fold up" their tents to conserve water (sotaspeak). If you have but a bit of sun and these plants are under a pine tree, you are regularly watering, they should be okay. The lighter the color, the better tolerant to sun they are. The darker, the more cold and shade they need. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

miketropic, My personal experience is that although fragrant hosta area touted as being the most sun tolerant, some are not. For example, I have found Honeybells to need some shade. On the other hand Fragrant Bouquet, Guacamole, and some other plantaginea hybrids are sun tolerant for me. To my surprise, Francee is quite sun tolerant and I suspect other fortunei hybrids or sports are as well. So I understand why you are asking for personal experience. As for greens, I find Royal Standard to be sun tolerant, frangrant and quite spectacular as is Mojito. So saying that lighter color is more sun tolerant is only a general trend - not true in all cases. Good luck.

Beverly

Most of my hostas that r light colored get a lot of sun. I live in St. Louis where it gets hot. What I did was place plastic water/pop bottles 3-4 inches into ground next to each individual hosta. I water every couple of days in the summer through the bottles. These hostas actually do better than some of mine in shade.

One thing you have to know is that sun-tolerant for MN does not equal sun-tolerant for KY. So take every recommendation you receive with a grain of salt.
Also, just cuz it is sun tolerant doesn't mean you can get away with the same amount of water as if it were in deep shade. What you MUST do, no questions ask, is attempt to drown the darn things when they're in sun. What you must also know is that the year you move them, they are going to look like crap. They do not handle the stress of moving from shade to sun very well. But next spring, they immediately get used to sun, cuz that's what they emerge in.

That said, these hostas are in sun from dawn to 3pm at my home:
Royal Standard,
Fried Bananas
Fried Green Tomato
Guacamole
Rascal
Praying Hands
Roller Coaster Ride
Gold Standard
Golden Tiara
Minuteman
Revolution
Patriot
Gentle Giant
Hadspen Blue
Montana Aureomarginata
So Sweet
Captain Kirk
Celestial

Notice, however, that in sun, the green colors seem to all wash out to a similar shade. I wasn't expecting that at all and will be re-situating as a result.

Blues become dark greens in sun.

I have tried 2 golds, which were listed to be full sun and did not handle the sun well: Designer Genes, Rising Sun. Both go crispy rather quickly.

Mmm, chocolate milk in cereal...

Sugar, the gateway drug! : )

My personal experience with hosta that can take some sun is anything I've got that's fragrant, except Fragrant Blue. Also, a few that aren't fragrant...

Mister Watson
June
Sum and Substance
Paul's Glory (believe it or not)
Diva
Banana Muffins
Luna Moth
Parky's Prize and..I guess that's it for mine, far as I know for sure. Your results may vary.

Dave, I do have a lot of trust in Don R's lists for sure, but I also use chocolate milk in my cereal (AND Count Chocula makes it like that AUTOMATICALLY!!)

Does that count? When the Count C. is ate up, it's definitely chocolate milk I'm polishing off. : )

Don B.

Well now, it all depends on how much sun, during which hours, and WHERE you live... (latitude). Morning sun works everywhere, even here in CA.

-Babka

They all need a little sun. I have mine placed where all get some morning sun, about 3+ hours. The ones on the far right, as you walk out the door, are in the deep shade. So this is where I keep my less sun tolerants. The medium aka part sun/shade are on the patio itself and the more sun tolerant are in front. Though even they don't get more than 6 hours a day. The oak tree keeps it pretty shady. But I don't know of any hosta that can be kept in full sun here and not be fried early on.

Fragrant hostas usually are sun tolerant. In my zone 5 garden, I can not give 'Aphrodite' enough sun to bloom. Plantaginea comes from the southern part of China and is used to more sun. Bernd

Bernd, taking into account that plantaginea can take more sun than the others, I am reorganizing my hosta. Clustered around the center of my hosta garden which has the best morning light, I'm locating my major plantaginea sports and hybrids with best chance of fragrance. My bistro table set up iis in the center spot.The north end gets the most sun period, in early and late summer, but perfect all day in early spring and fall just before dormancy. I can put umbrellas or large shrubs to create shade to take advantage of the changing sun path. I'm even thinking about a windsail for a more permanent solution, one thing does it all, since I'm getting too old to keep chasing shade.

Note I say "chasing shade" ....which is MY problem, NOT "chasing the sun"....

No hosta can take our afternoon sun in zone 9a without burning up. But, as I can attest, the root system is humongous. I've repotted some that were 3 feet long when I unwound them. Like working on a snarl of fishing line! I've experimented with some hosta that they say can take more sun. Even with more water, it is a cruel thing to watch the plant cooking, looking like wilted lettuce before long.

If I were a hosta, I wouldn't want to sit out there and bake. I'd appreciate the fresh morning air and enjoying the best part of the day. I'd respond to that kind of treatment.

Here is a picture taken in May 2012 when I first had visions of a hosta garden. We face north, and there is no shade except that provided by small blueberry plants. The chainlink fence has tiny star jasmine planted below, but they cover nothing so far. But its okay, the sun is still mild for another week or so, the hosta can stay in the sun except for the 80-90 degree afternoons. See how clear the place is? Just two camellia sasanquas in the northern HALF of the 25 foot wide area.
{{gwi:1001393}}

Remember that pirogue amidst the blueberries. It will set the location for you as the same place.

Here is the same space (note the boat) In July 2013...note the umbrellas, and the shrubs making shade....a peach tree, a satsuma or two

Now this row of golds, oriented like a ray of sunlight where the late afternoon sun rakes down the length of it, most of these golds from Mason Hollow Nursery, they could take it. But they needed WATER, and COOL POTS (hidden from the heat). This was taken in April 2014 before I started reorganizing this area. They were in this spot for the last two years. Some turn green, some stay gold. They like the sun very well.
{{gwi:1001395}}

April 27, 2014 a view of the basic center of the garden (maybe not the exact MIDDLE, but the CENTER).

The pink boat would be to the left top of the picture, out of view in that image above.

Now you see the pink boat again. The sun is on the hosta as they are in the afternoons this time of year. The golds will stay in the same row but share it with the gold fragrants, to give them more sun time. Such as Aphrodite, plantaginea tribe like Venus, Cerveza, Mojito, Doubled Up, you know, the big greens that must have sun to bloom. The other variegated fragrants will tend to have the morning sun area, which is that surrounding the bistro table area.

Like a pebble tossed into a still pond, it will radiate outward from the center, especially where I have multiple plants of one variety those will be exposed to more sun than the primo one of its kind, which is getting morning sun.

Not that I'm forgetting the rest of the hosta. They are all important. Meanwhile, at the south end of the garden, down the Moon Walk, will be my super stars which happen not to be fragrant, but are not blue. (blues are in the courtyard.)
I have a shade structure which will moderate the sun and then I must figure how to control air circulation. When hosta are sweating, they need to have good air flow to help them cool down. "Dead" corners and densely packed crowns on the plants can lead to southern blight. You gotta watch out for the air flow. If you have a lot of mosquitos in the air, that generally means the air is still, not moving. When there is a breeze, the mosquitos are absent.

That's all I got to say about that. ;)

I appreciate this info too. Also love the pictures. I am not getting a page showing for Don's list.

I currently have guacamole, August moon and cap't Kirk in afternoon sun at the edge of trees. They do crisp up if not watered enough. Guacamole had little visible color variation too so I might move it out to more shade.

Try this link.

Indeed, gotta water often and generously for those in a lot of sun.

Don B.

Here is a link that might be useful: Don Rawson's Hosta Lists

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Fri, May 30, 14 at 18:49

I bought an inexpensive irrigation system at Lowes, Mister Landerscaper. It's on a timer and cools the hostas during the hottest part of the day with a mist. Here's the ones I have growing in the hottest part of our gardens. These would burn up if I didn't cool them down with the mist.

Here's another one I have growing on the opposite side in full sun. Alex Summers gets even more sun than these and I haven't updated the misting to that part of the sun garden yet:

On the left, Peter Ruh, middle back, Sun Power, middle front, Made You look, right is Captain Kirk:

Other ones in full sun are Mister Watson, Sum & Subtle, Sum & Substance, Karin, Gin & Tonic, Linda Sue.

Gesila

Great Expectations, Dancing Queen and Night Before Christmas seem to thrive in a lot of sun, as long as I water them every day once it gets hot. Earth Angel, Summer Breeze, Sum and Substance and Stained Glass get half day sun and need a couple inches of water a week. You might not be able to push things quite as far since you're one zone up. I do get burned leaves by August, but the hostas grow. The NBC in half shade is a quarter the size of the one in sun.

Gesila, take a look at Smooth Sailing and see if it does not match nicely your larger Made You Look. Sort of same leaf but smaller?
It is one of my favorite hosta. Got it in 2012

My golds take a lot of sunshine in this location.

Fried Bananas definitely takes sun very well.

This is their first season in sun, but so far Brother Stefan and Wheeee! also seem to be ok.

Last year I had a potted Guardian Angel in a lot of sun. It burned at first, but once it adapted it was a strong grower in the sunlight.

Good to know that about Guardian Angel, SummerSunshine. I have my new GA sitting with the blues, mostly shade, so it is about time he got down off the porch and played with the big dogs! Thanks for your experience.

gee mocc, i gotta wonder how much you have invested in purchased pots alone, let alone the plants that are in them.

and the special mix. when do you find time?

looks fabulously wonderful though ....

dave

Ideas for those who have lost shade.