Pardon - no idea how I ended up with two copies of this posted. My apologies. *hiding in my corner now, embarrassed*

It's getting too much sun.

Pretty much all hostas will burn like this in hot afternoon sun.

Morning sun is good. Afternoon sun not so much.....especially the "blue" varieties which this appears to be.

Jim, that's a bummer. that means there's no place for me to grow this variety of hosta, which appears to be really the only one I can find around here. Tell me, why would it take so long to show it? We had temps of above 90 long before this bout. In fact, we'd had cooler weather before this showed up, 60's and 70's, and then bam, it started to brown like this. (and thanks for answering, I appreciate it)

> It was listed as full sun capable

That might be true if it's mature and gets lots of water, and if it's not too hot. Any of those things not being true can cause burn like you are seeing. Your plant looks like a baby (:

But it is not dying. Give it some shade and water and it will survive just fine. The burned leaves won't heal but you can cut them off for prettiness, at a slight penalty to the plant's growth rate.

I've noticed that a lot of the big box stores have things on the hosta tags that apply to SOME hostas but not necessarily the one you are actually looking at. Some hostas can take a lot of sun but there are lots of others where you shouldn't even try. Do you recall this hosta's name?

I really don't. My husband swiped all my cards I had for my plants and tossed them thinking they were trash, so I can't tell you half of what I planted in my garden, much to my own detriment. So to give it shade, I guess I need to set something beside it, like a flag or something? Something to block some of the sun? And I'm not so much worried about attractiveness in cutting the leaves off. If it's better to leave them, I shall. Like you said, it IS a baby. I planted it about 2 months ago. It is approx 3x the size of what it started. It's got plenty of room to work, if it survives. I had even wondered if maybe I had watered at the wrong time of the day. I know that some plants will burn if watered when it's too hot out. I work strange hours, so sometimes I water at 4:30 and sometimes at 8:30 pm. I've been trying to water as late as possible when it's hot out, to avoid that being a cause.

Teresa - Where you live (your growing zone) makes a huge difference with the amount of sun any hosta can take. You wrote that it is pretty much the "only kind I can find around here". Where is "here"? Can you go back to the nursery where you bought it and see if there is another one like it with a label?

-Babka

I'm in NC. And I can probably check to see what Lowe's is carrying right now, which is where I picked it up. I remember I had even told someone IN Lowe's how great mine was looking and I was thinking of buying another. Our temps average from 80-95 on average in the summer, and it HAS been extra warm this year - but it's bouncing back and forth. Hot one week, COLD the next. In fact, I have worried about the cold more than the heat this year, so was surprised when people started saying it was sun damage. Just 2 weeks ago it was in the 60's for highs, then the next week mid 80's, but we've already hit the mid 90's and it's not even summer yet. And yes, all of the plants get a bit droopy on these hot days. I've tried, on average, to water the nite before a big heat jump though so they have the extra moisture.

Typically a hosta that has a lot of white on it will do well getting sun. The blue ones and the darker green can take some but prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. You could put it in a flower pot and grow it somewhere around your house that has less sun, hosta will do well in pots.

I have never heard of a "full sun" hosta. New to hosta, but I always thought they were a shade plant.

Hosta that can thrive in full sun in North Carolina are few and far between. In Minnesota - you might have several choices, but not so in NC. Especially not with a hosta from a big box store. You can baby it, shade it part time and water it often and I doubt it will do well in that location. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

You have two of the world's best hosta hybridizers in NC. One is Tony Avent of Plants Delight Nursery in Raleigh. The other is Bob Solberg of Greenhill Farms in Franklinton. If you want a hosta that will make it in full sun in NC, call one or both of these nurseries and ask for recommendations. Both nurseries are fairly expensive, but well worth it if you want a hosta to thrive in that spot.

bk

Thanks folks. In addition, I was outside today at mid heat - and realized it's NOT getting full sun, at least not anymore. It's blocked on all 4 sides. 1 side by the house, 2 sides by other plants near it, and one side by a very large bush. The only time it's getting direct sunlight is probably right near noon when the sun is at it's highest. It DID get full sun in the beginning but my Dhalia's are huge and are totally blocking it's sun, so I may not have to make any adjustments now after all, but if so, I'll pack her up into a pot and move to on the porch. And now that you mention hostas and NC, I do believe I purchased a hosta a very long time ago - but I put it in an area nothing else was surviving either, so assumed it was because of the soil in that area. It's a long story and not important in the entire scheme of things, except to say that there may be something else affecting it as well.

Lowe's is generally not a good place to buy hostas from, regardless of price, even if the plant looks good at the time of purchase. Good news is that if you happen to have the pot and receipt for it, you might be able to return it for a full refund. There are plenty of reputable hosta places that you can order from online, and the shipping generally won't cost more than $10. Since you've already had a Lowe's hosta planted in that spot, I would either remove that hosta and move one of your other plants in its place, freeing up another spot for a new hosta, or remove that hosta and dig a large hole around it, tossing the old soil and filling the hole with fresh soil (a mixture of soil-less, compost, and topsoil, or whatever you can get). Might be overkill, but that's just in case that the Lowe's hosta was sick, and also because it sounds like your old soil may not be so good anyway. The big bush you mentioned may choke hosta roots sooner or later too, so that location might not be ideal. In any event, here's a list of hostas that are said to be more sun tolerant, and you can probably find other lists online: http://www.hostalists.org/hosta_list_sth.php 

Hosta with light colors or good variegation; the lighter the better also have thinner leaves and transpire to cool more efficiently. Darker hosta have large amounts of chlorophyll which allow them to thrive in more shade. They also have thicker leaves which hold water which again make them better suited for shade. Some people grow hostas even in Florida. The hosta I have that gets a lot of sun (nothing compared to a lot of sun in NC unless you were in the mountains) is Rainforest Sunrise. Frequent watering especially with thin leaved variety can increase survival. Jon

Teresa, I'm in Summerfield, a little NW of Greensboro. We had that late hard three day freeze and I'll bet that's cold damage showing up. Who knows where Lowe's stored them? Being a lazy gardener, my advice is leave it where it is and keep it well watered. I think it will surprise you next year.

As the posters above have commented, you're not in the soup yet with your hosta. I grow 50+ hostas on my little green acre in USDA Zone 6a, north central Connecticut. My soil is slightly acidic sandy loam. How do I know that? (1) I'm within weeping distance of age 70, (2) I moved here when I was age 12; (3) Mom & Dad made my brothers and I do yard work. We really got to know what grew well and where AND why.

My little green acre faces east but the established garden beds face in all different directions. I love hosta so I designated the north side of my property where there's full shade for my hosta bed. I researched different cultivars and traveled to O'Brien Hosta in Granby, CT to choose my very own "designer" hostas. A friend from GardenWeb gifted me with other named varieties.

One of the named hostas I planted is named 'Liberty.' There were a dozen or more hosta cultivars developed and named in honor of the U. S. revolution of 1776. 'Liberty' is the largest among them and mine is nearing maturity. It's planted beneath my crabapple tree in front of my house where it gets partial sun in the afternoon. It has thrived, as have all the others, including 'Minuteman,' 'Revolution,' Patriot,' and others.

Relax. Hostas are pretty much maintenance-free or I wouldn't have them. My gardening philosophy has always been that plants must thrive on neglect. I'm gratified to know they actually do.

As for the bush choking, the bush is on the other side of the sidwalk opposite of it, it's just positioned that it blocks the sun from that little corner. The bush is much bigger than it should be, but hubby didn't get a chance to trim, and now it's blooming and he wants to wait. It's REALLY big, but the only choking that will happen is if their roots go under the sidewalk. I don't think that's the issue since the steps to the porch are right there.

Kathy, I was wondering about that possibility, but it didn't actually freeze here (near Fayetteville) It did get to 37 once though. I was seriously worried at the time, I gotta tell you. I think I'm going to let it go for a bit and see if it recovers, or if there's any additional damage. it may have received some sun damage BEFORE the danged Dahlia's exploded, but I know it won't get it now.

And Jon, you just taught me more about Hostas in one post than I knew ever. But then, I'm not that "huge" of a gardener. I'm like the "lazy gardeners", I try to set out a garden and not mess with it beyond watering. I've been known to stake up my lilies and such, but I really don't have the health to spend out there all the time worrying about it. Yet, I adore when everything blooms. this year's garden is rather awkward because I had to plant some plants, and some bulbs. So my lilies are done, while everything else isn't even close yet. But Neeeexxxt year - it's gonna rock! LOL Ok, maybe.

If My hosta recovers and does ok, then we'll assume it was early sun/heat, or it was the cold. Either way, I'm hesitant to add more, even the amazing ones mentioned here, because my gardens really do not get tons of shade, and it's true, it can get mighty warm around here. At least Gardenweed has convinced me it's probably not the sand and acid causing the issue, thought those varieties you're using sounds awesome! Without my annual influx of top soil here, I'd have nothing but sand (in fact, next year's project is a raised garden around the mailbox, cuz all that area is is sand, and I can't see top soil staying there).

You guys have been awesome! Thanks so much. And when the Dahlia's start to bloom, I'll post in the forums here. :D

ldygardner, I didn't mean to forget to note your response. that's also probably very informative with other varieties of plants too! Thanks so much. I've learned a lot more from you guys than just about hostas! Thanks bunches and bunches!

I came late to gardening, and am in my mid 50's, and yet I still get excited over every plant and every bloom. :)

Another thing to consider is the hosta being so close to the house. That brick is going to be a heat sink, so the plant likely won't cool even at night. You'd probably be better off putting the hosta in a pot (with a good draining medium that includes a lot of bark, NOT pure heavy potting soil) and placing it beneath a bush for shade. The heat and sun are only going to increase as summer goes on.