Hostas do prefer a good healthy soil, one well endowed with organic matter with a soil pH in the 6.5 to 7.5 range that is well drained but does retain moisture fairly well, ie. a good garden soil.

Adding sand or pea gravel will not do much to help poor drainage unless the amount put in is about 45 percent of the total soil by volume, a lot of that material. Organic matter will do more to correct poor drainage, except where that drainage problem is the result of a high water table.

A simple method of checking soil drainage is to dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep in the proposed planting area and fill that with water. Wait for that water to drain away and then refill the hole and time how long it takes for that water to drain away. Less that 1 hour and the soil drains too quickly, A soil with good drainage will allow the water to flow out at the rate of about 2 inches per hour.

kimmq is kimmsr

My Hostas are planted in sandy soil near the mailbox where they get roadsalt, snow, and sand piled on them all winter long. They get full sun ALL day and look happy as they have multiplied since 2007.

I have two others in 8in plastic pots since 2007 cuz I had no where to put them and wasn't really sure I would like them. The roots have come out of the pots of course and both also get full sun ALL day.

None are on my watering path or schedule. They have not really multiplied in the pots yet have survive quite well. I have one pot out near the garden which clues me in when there are deer feeding.

IMO Hostas are not the least bit fussy about soil but do like the have FULL SUN ALL Day. Remember two are not planted but have survived in pots since 2007.

I would just dig a hole on the south side of the house in an unshaded area and not worry about amending the soil - just plant em.

IMO Hostas and Day Lilies are the easiest plants to grow as they don't require a lot of care or attention to be happy - just plenty of sunshine.

"FULL SUN ALL Day."

Don't know where that notion came from as hostas have been traditionally considered shade plants. There some of the many hundreds of cultivars that will tolerate full sun but that is a bit intense for most selections. If you source information on preferred growing conditions from hosta specialty nurseries, virtually all will suggest a siting that offers morning sun and afternoon shade if not dappled or filtered all day shade. They are NOT full sun plants and you won't get the best performance from them if you plant in full sun.

You are right - "There some of the many hundreds of cultivars" no doubt.
Mine happen to be in FULL sun ALL day and in poor, sandy soil or pots sitting on poor, sandy soil. AND appear to be happy doing so. That is ALL I said.

btw - All of the Hostas I see where I live are in "FULL sun ALL day" - maybe just a coincidence.

I also said "I would just dig a hole on the south side of the house in an unshaded
area and not worry about amending the soil - just plant em.

and... "IMO Hostas and Day Lilies are the easiest plants to grow as they don't
require a lot of care or attention to be happy - just plenty of
sunshine."

So that notion came from "My Experience" - I will not speak for yours.

I strongly suspect whatever they are, they aren't hosta. We have trouble growing sun tolerant hosta in full day sun with an irrigation system to try and keep them happy. They also aren't known as pot plants. Since most large leafed plants are shade plants, I'm rather curious as to what they may be.

The plot thickens because hosta are high up on the list of deer candy, and in most of Connecticut would be regularly decimated in an open location unless somebody is regularly spraying them with deer repellent.

Just to give you an idea...
This Hosta is in a pot. Not sure if you can tell the purple alterantha directly above it is wilting. Note the shadow.

Here is the Hosta in front of the house...

This shows the verigated hosta in a pot (top center) both were planted the same time in 2007

This is another angle of the same two plants..

You can see the sandy soil there. To me there is a difference between thriving (in shade) and being happy in full sun. You can see they are clearly "in FULL Sun".

But the OP did ask about soil and this does show the soil also.

Maybe giving them too much water is not a good idea either. As mentioned, I provided virtually no care what-so-ever for these plants - whatever they are.

It really depends on what variety of Hosta you have. Some have been bred to do well in full sun, while others (mostly the blue or darker greens) still do well in shade. All of them need some sunlight to thrive even if it says full shade. Most Hosta's are very easy to grow, and will grow in almost any kind of soil, and I would say if they are planted in sand you probably couldn't give them too much water, however clay would be a different story.

FTR- I am not of the variety that would spend a penny to spray a repellant of any sort on a Hosta. As mentioned earlier, the Hostas in the 1st pic above serve as deer bait so I can tell if I have been visited by deer or woodchucks. Note the leaves are still intact.

ANY plant can be growing in a container, hostas included. I grow mine in containers because a) I have very little inground shade available (but plenty for containers) and b) because I have huge slug and snail issues that growing in containers significantly limits the impact of.

Visit the Hosta forum if you have questions about the best conditions for growing hostas. I'm sure you will get all the confirmation you need that these are not considered full sun plants. btw, I see hostas frequently in very heavy shade (no direct sunlight) that are lush and full and thriving.

images of hosta gardens - note the trees as fixtures/centerpieces in most