Yellow Hostas

Yellow hostas are often sun-resistant or sun-tolerant hostas

*Note that in 2003, the American Hosta Society changed its show rules to replace the term “gold-leafed" with "yellow-leafed". Hostas with chartreuse leaves belong in the green hosta category.

Genetics of yellow hostas

The color of a yellow hosta is genetically determined. Chlorophyll creation is slowed or blocked in yellow hostas, this leads to a reduced amount of chlorophyll makes the leaves appear different shades of yellow. As yellow hostas contain fewer food-producing chloroplasts and are therefore not self-nourishing, annual fertilizing is important.

More sun, more yellow

As a general rule, yellow hostas need to be planted in sunnier locations to keep their yellow color vibrant. The yellow color may fade to green without at least two hours of full sun. Some glossy chartreuse hostas can change to yellow when exposed to more light such as Sum and Substance. As yellow hostas can generally, but not always, tolerate full sun better than other hostas. The select hostas which are able to handle more or stronger sun are called “sun-resistant” or “sun-tolerant” hostas. Search for sun-tolerant hostas on our HostaSearch Database.

The heat generated in a full sun area can vary from area to area and certainly during different periods of the day. Full sun in the morning hours will not be as intense as full sun at noon. Full sun at higher elevations is different than lower elevations. Even though both yellow and fragrant hostas need some sun exposure most of them can still get burned due to overexposure.

Any hostas in full sun will need to be watered frequently. It is best to not water overhead during most intense sunlight (usually just after noon) because the water drops can magnify the sun’s rays and burn the leaves. Hostas grown in full sun will tend to turn to a lighter color and the leaves will likely elongate. Yellow hostas that are sensitive to strong sunlight are most vulnerable to sun damage early in the season when the hosta’s leaves are expanding. These hostas need temporary shade if they put out their leaves before the shade trees put out their leaves. To learn more about how sun affects all hostas, visit our Hostas and Sun page.

Ideas for using yellow hostas in the garden

• Be sure to plant yellow hostas in an area which receives at least two hours of sun a day to keep them from darkening to a chartreuse color
• Yellow hostas draw attention because of their brightness, place them in an area you want people to focus on.
• Yellow hostas often look best in clusters or drifts and make a garden look more organized than if they were placed individually around a garden.
• Place yellow hostas in front of dark green or blue hostas to add more "depth" to a garden

Yellow hostas add color, brightness and contrast to the garden. Their luminescent leaves glow at dusk, dawn or on rainy or overcast days. Planting next to green or blue foliage makes all of the plants look even better. However, over-planting yellow hostas in a blue or green border can produce a spotty effect.

Lutescence and viridescence hostas have seasonal color change

Lutescence and viridescence hosta are caused by genes related to sensitivity to temperature. In the case of viridescence hosta higher temperatures slow down the activity of this inhibitor gene so that increasingly more chlorophyll is produced. With lutescence hosta the gene(s) become more inhibiting as temperatures rise so less chlorophyll is produced. Lutescent hosta need more sunlight than viridescent hostas to maximize the potential color. Learn more about these hosta phenomenon at our Abiqua Recluse August Moon Bitsy Gold Cheatin’ Heart Cherry Tart Dawn’s Early Light Daybreak Dragon Tails Faith Fan Dance Fat Cat Fire Island Golden Friendship Golden Scepter Golden Sculpture Harriette Ward Inniswood Jaz Jimmy Crack Corn Key West King Tut Lemon Frost Little Aurora Maui Buttercups May Midas Touch On Stage Orange Marmalade Paradigm Paul’s Glory Pee Dee Gold Flash Piedmont Gold Rosedale Golden Goose Solar Flare Stained Glass Star Dust Stitch In Time Sum and Substance Summer Lovin Sun Power Teeny-weeny Bikini Templar Gold Thai Brass Tortilla Chip World Cup Yesterday’s Memories Zounds

Blue Hostas | Sunlight and Hostas | Green Hostas

Hosta FAQ | How to Plant Hostas