Primarily grown for their beautiful foliage, hostas are long-lived, shade-loving perennials highly esteemed by gardeners. Easy and adaptable garden plants, there are hundreds of cultivars to choose from, ranging from incredibly tiny plants to giants, with leaves in pretty shades of green, chartreuse, gold, dusky blue or beautifully variegated.
In general, Hostas perform best in cooler climates with cold winters and warm summers. Reliably hardy to 28ºF (-2ºC), they can tolerate summer temperatures as high as 100ºF (38ºC) for short periods of time. Heat dormancy occurs above temperatures of 95ºF (35ºC). Hostas may quit growing, or become summer dormant as a result of heat or too much water stress.
Hostas require winter chilling to less than 40ºF (4ºC) for several weeks to achieve proper dormancy. Winter dormancy is brought about by the shorter and cooler days of fall. The above ground portion of the plant ceases to grow and prepares tight buds for over-wintering.
Of the hundreds of exquisite hosta varieties available, the range of choice gets quite limited in southern climates. The hostas that perform best in warmer southern regions are those with lower than normal winter dormancy requirements. Hostas which emerge the earliest in spring, hence requiring shorter chilling requirements, are those that are good candidates for warm climates, including Upper South, Middle South and Lower South. Hosta plantaginea (Fragrant Plantain Lily) performs better than other hosta species in Coastal South.
The farther south, the more water and shade hostas need.
| Hardiness |
3 - 9 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
1 - 8 |
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 |
| Plant Type | Perennials |
| Genus | Hosta |
| Exposure | Partial Sun, Shade |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
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| Hardiness |
3 - 9 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
1 - 8 |
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 |
| Plant Type | Perennials |
| Genus | Hosta |
| Exposure | Partial Sun, Shade |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
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Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
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