any chance at a pic of the spot

Marie are you looking for one variety, or a mix? My first thought was Sum and Substance, but I don't know if this is too big for your purposes. I should add that I don't have a lot of sun so I can't recommend from personal experience, but I believe this may be one of the more sun-tolerant varieties.

:)
Dee

P.S. I tend to love variegated hostas myself, but if you don't want something too busy, IMO Regal Splendor is a rather elegant hosta with a nice shape. But again, I know less about the sun-tolerance of this than the Sum and Substance.

I have both S & S and RS in my "Upper Garden" They are too big for this purpose And though I wouldn't need so many of them, the size I'd buy would take too long to 'bulk up' and be effective or too expensive to buy in larger size.

But I love big hostas and have a lot of them, just in much more space.

Marie have you checked out Gilbert Wild's hostas? They have collections that are quite reasonably priced, if you want a mix of hostas. The downside is I don't know if they are labelled (not sure if that matters to you), and I would assume they are small, for the price. But just an option for you to consider. I have never bought their collections but have been happy with their hostas and dayliles and iris for years.

:)
Dee

I believe the Elegans hostas would be large leaved and tall but not sprawling. They also seem to survive drought well, not to mention deer and rabbits.

I need a medium sized hosta such as Patriot or June though June is what I call a medium small.

I'll look on the Gilbert website. Also NH Hostas.

I have Elegans. It is too large , much larger than the shade perennials inside the border.

But E is great, so slug resistant and water thrify when established

I've enjoyed Fire Island..the spring color is beautiful..it fades to a "lime" green..these are several years old..pic#1..a spring pic before the edging was in..pic#2,#3 taken recently after the edging was finished..they're on their way out..you can see they're not large..pic#2..Honeybells on the left of 5 Fire Islands..pic#3..Honeybells at the top with Fire Islands below..

Might watch Craigslist or Nextdoor for give aways and just do in parts and not as whole project. Some local clubs might do garden exchanges. I run garden swap every spring and we have good turnout with lots of plant exchanges. If you are on a budget might be something to consider. Frankly there is plenty of stas that are very similar so your design will not suffer.

It's not too clear to me what you are looking to buy. So far, it seems you want a medium sized hosta that will work well in shade and sun and does not require lots of water. What color do you want? Any green hosta would blend in. Is that what you want? Do you want something that stands out, like a yellow or a variegated?

I hear lots of what you don't but want, but not much about what you do want. If you are looking for a beautiful hosta that is not too showy or too dull, doesn't bloom or take much water and is inexpensive, it could take a while.

Look at Green Mountain hosta. They sell multiples at a reduced price. Order in the winter, as they sell out their shipping capacity early in the season.

bkay

Ooh, nicholsworth those Fire Islands are nice! I usually don't care for the yellow hostas (I think I have too many neglected plants in my garden lol and the yellow hostas remind me of dying plants!) but these are quite pretty and eyecatching. I have read (just in passing, not serious research) that the lighter-yellower hostas take more sun but not sure how true that is.

bkay, I am sitting here struggling with going to Green Mountain's website or not. Not sure I should. It might be dangerous lol.

:)
Dee

thank you Dee..here's a close up next to heuchera Palace Purple..they're a joy in the spring..mine don't get full sun but from what I've read the yellow hostas darken even in full sun..I like the "lime" green color too..

Wow great combination, nicholsworth! I love these colors together and helped do a friend's garden in similar combinations.

:)
Dee

Nicholsworth, I hadn't thought of that bright yellow-green. that's looks stunning!

bKay, it's not clear to me either which is why I asked for ideas. I was able to say 'medium' and that I liked bold green and white such as Patriot, Minuteman and Christmas tree.

Nicholsworth introduced another idea, above; chartreuse.

I don't think I can acquire and plant what I'll need this fall, but I can begin if I can decide on which one. Probably find some on sale, too.

I think using matching pots or sun tolerant hakone grass at the start of the path can solve the sun proplem and break up a too long line of vegetation.

Now onto find the perfect hosta.

A picture would reeeely help.

But without, I will put in my two cents for what it’s worth.......no hosta can go without watering....... I have been told by forum members that hostas do look there best when well hydrated. That said, if we go have 10-14 days without rain, my hostas in deep shade need to be watered. Now, hostas in sun that don’t get water......why bother? When in sun, hostas need lots of water to look nice or they will be ugly by July. I cut a bed this year for sun tolerant hostas and watered them extensively.

On the hosta library first page, you will find a link that says “Rawson’s Lists.” Middle row, first or second one down. Click on it and it will take you to lists of hostas for just about anything you can think of: size, leaf color and shape, bloom color, sun tolerant, drought tolerant and so on. It can maybe help you make some decisions! Good luck!

debra

Instead of patriot, consider Strip Tease or similar. Not too flashy, not to boring. June would have a similar effect but smaller. Just choose one you love and divide. Also, I agree that you have to water. Try to avoid plants with mediocre substance, they show damage from heat and sun first.

I used to have a few Patriots but eventually got rid of them. The leaves got ugly way too early in the season. It happened multiple years in multiple locations.

Paul's Glory always catches my eye at the hosta store.

Captain Kirk has been a good variegated medium for me. The yellow gets whiter as the season progresses depending on the sun levels. I am noticing a golden dicentra in the background which always looked good with it. I think I see some Carex Ice Dance in the pot.

Do you want all hosta?

Golden Tiara is a good quick spreader. Smaller scale but fills in nicely.

more yellow in more sun:

That is Frances Williams on the right. I don't recommend it. More Carex Ice Dance on the left. Cutie dwarf spruce in the rear.

Here's another chartreuse one...

THis was one of my favorites...On Stage

I hope I didn't load too many... Is bandwith still a problem loading big pages like the old days?

Wendy,

Maybe I'm not discerning but I'll watch Patriot more closely next spring.

Golden Tiara is a workhorse and it does grow quickly. It is too small for my needs.

Paul's glory is one I recognized on my hillside that I hadn't thought about all year.

I think I have enough to divide. I dont' get tired of a good white and green.

I'm going to try to transfer other hosta photos for help with identifying.

Captain Kirk en-masse on each side of the path would fit the bill nicely.

Yes, I can see Captain Kirk is a handsome dude with substance!

Golden Tiara is nice in mass, but the slugs love it! You would have to do your vinegar drenches all up and down the path. love Wendy’s suggestions.........perhaps a mixture of colors and textures would be nice. For sun, you said you would not mind green and white in mass.....check out Queen Josephine. Sun tolerant, Small to medium, nicely shaped green leaves With yellow to creamy edging as year progresses. TC by Mark Zilis and cultivated by Bob Kuk. It has violet flowers. I added one to my sun bed year but all the sun tolerant ones struggled to adjust to their new environment and had to be shaded for a while.

some others that could work are,

Plant in partial shade

August Moon

Maui Buttercups, this grows in total shade for me, this color Early then gets yellower

debra

Thanks, Deborah