It's not chartreuse but what about rhubarb? It can get huge & it is a beautiful, sorta' hosta-ish looking plant. With red petioles! ;-)

oh...and the deer don't eat it.

Amsonia?

I'm with you, Phil. That's pure heresy. The nerve of some people...to suggest there is an alternative to hosta.

bkay

My first reaction just as Phils. There are no Hosta alternatives. If you are sincere you need to go to a different forum. Hosta alternative: a Russian Wolf Hound or Irish Wolf Hound! They would solve your deer problem once and for all.

On a grand scale, if you like hosta shaped chartreuse leaves have you considered planting a Catalpa Tree?

Les

Or a Scottish Deerhound. They're said to be fabulous animals.

bkay

How about colocasia, alocasia, or xanthosoma? They would have to be dug up for the winter, but you can find them in all different colors.

There is a chartreuse colocasia, and there is a chartreuse windmill palm. The palm does not die down in the winter, but then I am zone 9a, where it is in the ground. It can thrive in a big pot as well. Not much will mess with this palm, it has some of the biggest SPIKES on the stems of the fronds once it gets to growing, that I ever saw.

Are you thinking of another hosta subbing for S&S or some other kind of plant entirely?

Hosta 'Sea Fire'"

Hosta 'Squash Casserole':
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fwiw,

hh

Also, seriously consider Hosta 'Sun Power'. We've seen them grown in 'full sun' that are, literally, MONSTERS!

Best to bury a weeping soaker hose under/by/around it, though.

hh

yeah plant hosta... and then plant a bunch of sage or salvia to deter the deer lol....alternative plant lol
john

Walters has introduced a plant called Aralia cordata 'Sun King'. It is described as a hardy, tropical looking beauty with very large, bright gold leaves. It has tiny white flowers and black berries in fall. It is said to be 3' tall and deer resistant.
Call around and see if any of the local nurseries carry it. If you do get it, please report. I haven't even seen it, I was merely quoting from their catalogue.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Here is a second year Aralia 'Sun King' from In The Country Garden...

Don't know if it is good for full sun (listed as Part shade - Full shade).

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: Aralia cordata 'Sun King'

In sun I use dwarf conifers and heathers, they like sun whereas hostas will only survive in sun with a lot of watering. Dwarf conifers can be global, prostrate or like a pillar in shape, can be gold, blue or green in color, and have winter interest.
Bernd

By coincidence just *today* I put in the ground a Sun King that I bought just today. There seems no consensus as to the height it will achieve.

I assume that 'Sun King' is a conifer? The labels on conifers show usually the size at 10 years of age, but conifers continue to grow at a similar rate after that. So when it says on the label 10 ft, then you should plan on it growing with 1 ft/year after 10 years of age. This is also applicable to width. The Conifer forum has a lot of posts about this topic.

Sun King is a deciduous plant.

It's actually herbaceous. Here's a picture of a larger one.

Steve

Any subshrubs would fill in where hostas cannot take as much sun. I use catmint, dwarf gardenias, foxtail fern, stachys, foxgloves, taller nicotiana, sage/salvia, miniature roses, carpet roses, kochia, Golden Rule® - St. John's-Wort, etc. I avoid planting any hostas where they will get sun, and go with herbs and subshrubs for half day or partial sun, which in my zone 8 garden is quite strong. Some handle more sun than others.

I have a few suggestions for substitutes, of course none are quite as trouble free as hosta.

Drawback is, you have to dig and store over winter.

Drawback is, it can spread a bit too much, and it will seed if not deadheaded.

Drawback is, it definitely needs deadheaded before seeding, and it is more of a bold look meant to be viewed from a distance. Up close, it can look a bit rough.