Meet the MVP of shade. Hostas do best in dappled or indirect sun, but can tolerate full shade. Because they tend to grow low and wide, hostas are incredible “filler” plants and thrive under trees, between taller perennials, and along buildings and walkways. Hostas don’t mind wet feet, which makes them an unfussy and accommodating choice for that shady, damp corner of the garden you just can’t seem to keep anything alive in. 

Most hostas send up small white, pink, or purple bell-shaped flowers on tall, thin stalks, but their real glory lies in the yellows, blues, whites, and greens that pattern their broad leaves. When hosta’s flowers die back in late summer, you can prune the stalks back for a quick refresh, but no pruning is necessary for these low-maintenance wonders. Hostas range in size from plants with miniature foliage to over six feet across (wow!), so there’s almost certainly an option that will fit perfectly in your garden. 

Hosta ‘Autumn Frost’ sports blue/green leaves heavily outlined in a thick yellow margin that will fade to a creamy white over the course of each season. 

Hosta ‘August Moon’ is, like most of its yellow-hued hosta siblings, more sun-tolerant than most hosta varieties. Its heavily ribbed leaves start out light green and lighten further to a beautiful gold by the end of the season. 

Hosta ‘Big Daddy’ has the blues, in the best way possible. His large, rounded leaves are a striking blue-green with a heavy texture that makes him stand out from the crowd. 

Hosta ‘Francee’ sports kelly green leaves that are outlined in white, which put on quite a show when layered over one another in the plant’s mounded shape.? 

Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ is more tolerant of drier growing conditions than her counterparts, and sets herself apart even more with green leaves outlines with a light green, irregular margin. 

Hosta ‘June’ is stunning with bluish-green margins surrounding light green interior margins surrounding a green/gold leaf center. This fashion-forward color combo is only made better by ‘June’s’ tendency to wait until the very last minute to go dormant at the end of season (basically, this gal put on her party dress and she’s not leaving ‘til the sun comes up!) 

Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ realllllly wants to be the star of the show. Not only does he grow up to six feet tall and six feet across, he’s an absolutely beautiful gray/blue color you don’t often see in other plants. Ok, Krossa Regal. We see you. (And we like what we see.) 

Hosta ‘Patriot’ flaunts deep green leaves with thick, irregular white outlines, a contrast that is hard to miss no matter where this beauty puts down roots. 

Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ has what might be the best name out there, grows pretty enormous (3-5 feet wide!), and starts out as a lime green that becomes yellow-green as the season progresses.?