For The Best Growth, This Is Where You Should Be Planting Yellow Hostas

Are you interested in planting some brilliant yellow varieties of hosta such as the 'Sea Fire' cultivar or 'Gold Standard' but aren't sure where to place them in your garden? Well, the first thing to know is that there are actually two general groupings of yellow hostas which look and act differently. Knowing which category the variety you want to plant falls under will help you know exactly how much sunlight your hosta can tolerate and how much it should be getting to encourage that impressive, bright yellow foliage you want to see.

One type of yellow hostas, known as lutescent, begins life with green leaves that slowly turn to their signature yellow as they become exposed to sunlight over time. Examples of lutescent cultivars include 'Lemon Love Note', 'Midwest Gold', and 'Cherry Tart'. The second kind is called viridescent. These hostas are bright yellow in the spring but then, as the year goes on, lose their brightness and turn dull yellow or green. Examples of viridescent hostas include 'Guardian Angel' and 'Midnight at the Oasis'. In general, both lutescent and viridescent hostas can grow in Hardiness Zones 3 to 9 but they are best placed in locations which get dappled morning light. This means they get enough light to encourage their bright yellow shade to remain prominent without causing the leaves to burn in strong, direct sunlight. However, because lutescent and viridescent hostas develop their yellow color in different ways, there is slight variation in the best ways to expose them to that partial morning light. Let's explore the sunlight needs for this popular and versatile plant with graceful blooms.

If you have lutescent hostas which turn yellow over time, you may be eagerly waiting for them to absorb sunshine and turn that striking yellow color you've been longing for. However, as mentioned, that doesn't mean you should plant your lutescent hostas in full, direct sunlight in the hope of more quickly turning them yellow. This is a key mistake when growing garden favorite hostas because the strong sun can cause the leaves to burn, turn brown, and even die off in severe cases. So, it is best to plant this yellow hosta type in a location that gets some gentle morning sun to encourage the transition from green to yellow, such as on the east side of a larger tree. The morning sun will increase as the days grow longer, allowing the plant to adjust to the additional sunlight and eventually turn a bright shade without getting burned.

On the other hand, while viridescent hostas do also benefit from dappled or partial morning sunlight, the goal with these is to encourage them to maintain their existing yellow color for as long as possible before they shift to green later in the season. To do this, make sure that they are only exposed to a finite amount of morning sun which does not increase as the days get longer. This can help them stay yellow for longer as the restricted sunlight means the change of season will have less of an effect on the plant. For example, you can either plant your viridescent hostas under a tree that filters morning light and blocks afternoon light or on the east side of a fence or wall that runs north to south.