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There have been many requests for a list of hostas that will grow in warmer climates. There is no guarantee that any of these will grow where you are. I've tried to keep only hostas that have both parents from the family groups that are supposed to do well here but I'm sure that a couple have slipped in where one parent isn't on the list.
Hostas generally need many days of cold to continue to thrive. Without cold they may just fade away after a few years. This happens to some hostas above zone 8. The other issue is heat. These hostas are in families that do better with less cold, not necessarily more heat. If you have hostas that do better in hotter summer climates please add them to the list. If the grower is in zone 8 or lower though people in zone 9 shouldn't assume that they will grow well in their zone. There is a separate section at the bottom of the post where I will put those hostas.
Hostas will generally do better in more shade than less and with more water where the summers are hot and dry.
I haven't grown these hostas in my zone 9b garden but have put some of them in recently. I have had Golden Tiara and plantaginea in my garden for years. Please only buy So Sweet and Golden Tiara and it's sports (Royal Tiara, Amber Tiara, etc) from reputable dealers since they are identified as being easily infected with HVX. These are great plants and it's not a reason not to grown them but do buy from good hosta specialists or vendors who will tell you that they get their plants from HVX controlled nurseries.
Please feel free to add any that work for you. There are over 160 hostas in this list.
Lists are From:
Plant Delights Nursery hostas for southern gardens,
Bridgewood Gardens Fragrant Hosta List
and some individual research based on hosta families.
The families of hostas that do well in southern gardens are:
clausa
gracillima
kikutii
longpipes
montana
Nakaiana
plantaginea
rupifraga
sieboldii
some species
tibae
ventricosa
venusta
yingeri
nakaiana
A list of individual hostas that are likely to do well in southern gardens is below. Again, no guarantees, and I'm no expert. Some of these are older and may be unobtainable but there are many that are easily found and wonderful plants like the beautiful Stained Glass which was Hosta of the Year in 2006 and Diana Remembered which is very popular right now.
Please not that Sieboldii 'Elegans' is a hybrid with Tokudama as one parent. I've included it here so that there are more blues available. Tokudamas in general shouldn't be grown in zone 9 but it might be worth taking the chance.
Alice Gladden (White Vision X montana)
Alligator Shoes (Dorothy Benedict X montana)
Amber Tiara (Grand Tiara)
American Sweetheart (unknown)
Anne Arett (sieboldii)
Aphrodite (reported to do well in Texas. It's plantaginea)
Apple Green (nakaiana)
Athena (streaked Aphrodite - plantaginea)
August Moon (sieboldii)
Austin Dickinson (Resonance X plantaginea)
Baby Bunting (venusta)
Ballerina (venusta)
Bennie McRae (Plantaginea)
Birchwood Parky's Gold (nakaiana)
Birchwood Elegance (sieboldii)
Blue Belle (longipes)
Blue Blush (lonipes)
Blue Boy (nakaiana X Sieboldi Elegans')
Blue Flame (Fragrant Blue)
Bob Olsen (unknown)
Brazen Hussy (montana X Gold Regal)
Buckwheat Honey (plantaginea X Ginko Craig)
Buckwheat Honey (plantaginea X ginko craig)
Candy Hearts (nakaiana)
Carolina Sunshine (tibae)
Cathedral Windows (plantaginea)
Chartreuse Wiggles (sieboldii) - did not do well in my garden
Cherish (venusta)
Choko Nishiki (montana)
Color Parade (Fragrant Bouquet - plantaginea)
Chickadee (plantaginea)
Christmas Tree (frances Williams X Beatrice - sieboldii)
Crested Surf (sieboldii)
Curley Top (ginko craig X plantaginea)
Diamont Tiara (nakaiana)
Diana Remembered (plantaginea)
Dixie Chick (plantaginea)
Donahue Piecrust (montana)
Dorothy Benedict (sieboldii) - very rare
Dream Weaver (Montana)
Ebb Tide (Montana)
Eliator (montana)
Emerald Tiara (nakaiana)
Emily Dickenson (Neat Splash hybridXplantaginea)
Emma Foster (montana sport)
Fan Dance (sieboldii)
Fatal Attraction (kikutii)
Feather Boa (sieboldii)
First Mate (sieboldii kabitan)
Flame Stitch (ventricosa)
Forncett Williams (Frances Williams hybrid - sieboldii)
Foxy Doxy (William Lachman X Frances Williams)
Fragrant Blue (unknown)
Fragrant Bouquet (Fascination X Summer Fragrance)
Fragrant Dream (Fragrant Bouquet sport)
Fragrant Candelabra (Fragrant Bouquet)
Fragrant King (Fried Green Tomatoes sport)
Frances Williams (sieboldii)
Fried Bananas (plantaginea)
Fried Green Tomatoes (Guacamole)
Frilly Puckers (sieboldii)
Frozen Margarita (Fried Bananas)
Gala (longipes)
Ginsu Knife (longipes, montana but also tokudama so this one might be a risk. I'm trying it this year)
Ginsu Knife Supreme (Ginsu Knife - see warning above)
Gold Drop (Venusta)
Gold Heart (Grand Tiara)
Gold Regal
Gold Scepter (nakaiana)
Golden Scepter (grand tiara)
Gold Standard
Grand Prize (nakaiana)
Grand Tiara (nakaiana)
Grand Slam (lonipes Latifolia)
Great Lakes Gold (White Vision X montana mycrophylla)
Guacamole (plantaginea)
Hadspen Samphire (sieboldii)
Harpoon (yingeri)
Hart's Tongue (sieboldii Kabitan)
Hirao Splendor (kikutii)
Hole Mole (Guacamole)
Honeybells (plantaginea X sieboldii)
Hollywood Lights ( tet sport of On Stage)
Hush Puppy (venusta)
Hyuga Urajiro (kikutii)
Invincible (plantaginea)
Jade Cascade (montana)
Invincible
Jim Wilkins (Dorothy Benedict)
Iron Gate Bouquet (plantaginea)
Iron Gate Delight (plantaginea)
Iron Gate Glamour (plantaginea)
Jade Cascade (montana macrophylla)
Jim Matthews (sieboldii)
Kabitan (sieboldii)
Kifukurin Mo Mame (kikutil)
kikutii Kifukurin (kikutil)
Korean Snow (yingeri)
laevigata (species)
Lakeside Black Satin (ventricosa)
Lakeside Looking Glass (yingeri)
Laura (Dorothy Benedict sdlg X montana mycrophylla)
Lemon Lime (sieboldii)
longpipes Golden Dwarf (species)
Made You Look (Dorothy Benedict seedling)
Masquerade (gracillima - or sieboldi X venusta or venusta) Sources disagree but all are OK)
Maui Buttercups (Frances Williams X August Moon - August Moon's parentage is unknown but if you love this hosta it might be worth a try)
Memories of Dorothie (Montana 'Aureomarginat
Mesa Verde (montana macrophylla X Sagae)
Midnight Sun ( High Noon x montana macrophylla)
Mildred Seaver (Frances Williams)
Ming Treasure (plantaginea)
Minute Man
Miss Saigon (plantaginea)
Mistress Mabel (plantaginea)
Misty morning (venusta hybrid)
montana Aureomarginata (Montana)
Mountain Snow (montana)
Montana Moonshine (montana - unregistered)
My Friend Nancy (Dorothy Benedict X montana Chirifu)
Niagra Falls (montana macrophylla X Seadrift)
Night and Day (Dorothy Benedict sldg X montana mycrophylla)
Old Faithful (plantaginea)
Olive Branch (Candy Hearts - nakaiana)
Olive Bailey Langdon (seiboldii)
On Stage (Montana)
Orange Marmelade (seiboldii - sport of Paul's Glory)
Orphan Annie (venusta)
Otome No Ka (unknown)
pachyscapa (species)
Paradise Glory ( seiboldii - Sport of Paul's Glory)
Parky's Prize (Birchwood parky's gold)
Paul's Glory (seiboldii)
Patriot
Paxton's Original (sieboldii)
Peedee Gold Flash (sieboldii)
Peppermint Ice (William Lachman (sieboldii) X montana))
Plantiganea
Plantaginea Aphrodite
plantaginea 'Grandiflora
Platinum Tiara (nakaiana)
Potomac Pride (yingeri)
Pretty Peggy (White vision X montana)
Prince of Wales (sieboldii X montana)
Purple Lady Fingers (clausa)
pycnophylla (species)
Queen of Islip (Frances Williams - sieboldii)
Raspberry Sorbet (rupifraga)
Red Hot Flash (Sieboldii)
Regal Splendor
Rippled Honey (plantaginea)
Rising Sun
Royal Standard (plantaginea)
Royal Tiara (originally registered as nakaiana - some disagreement here. The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas says that this one in now considered to be a sport of 'Gold Edger'. I'm growing it for the first time this year)
Savannah (plantaginea)
Scooter (sieboldii)
Sea Thunder (unknown)
Secret Love (Fragrant Blue)
sieboldii Subcrocea (sieboldii)
Silk Kimono (Dorothy Benedict X montana)
Skylight (Dorothy Benedict X montana mycrophylla) X uknown))
So Sweet (plantaginea)
So Sweet (Fragrant Bouquet X Aden 462)
Sombrero (honeybells)
Southern Gold (yingeri)
Southern Essence (sport of Warwick Essence)
Stained Glass (plantaginea)
Stiletto (sieboldii)
Stingray (kikutii, montana)
Sum and Substance (according to Encyclopedia of Hostas)
Summer Fragrance (plantinea, sieboldii - Honeybells)
Sunami (montana)
Sundance
Sun Power
Swamp Thing (yingeri hybrid)
Sweet Bo Peep (plantaginea)
Sweet Home Chicago (Birchwood Parkys Gold)
Sweet Jill (Plantaginea X Tokudama sport)
Sweet Standard (Honeybells)
Sweet Susan (Plantaginea X Sieboldii)
Sweet Tater Pie (yingeri, nakaiana)
Sweet Winifred (plantaginea)
Sweetie (Fragrant Bouquet X Fragrant Candelabra)
takahashii Gosan (species)
Teacher's Pet ( Dorothy Benedict X montana)
Teaspoon (venusta)
Teeny Weeny Bikini (unknown)
The Shining (Cathedral Windows - plantaginea)
tibae (species)
Tick Tock (venusta)
Time Tunnel (Frances Williams)
Tortifrons (longipes)
Tortilla Chip (Stained Glass)
tsushimensis (species)
Undulata Albomarginata
Undulata Univitata
Venus (plantaginea)
venusta (species)
Ventricosa 'Aureomaculata' (ventricosa)
Verna Jean (sieboldii)
War Paint (Montana - sport of Niagra Falls)
Warwick Edge (nakaiana)
Warwick Curtsey (Dorothy Benedict X nakaiana)
Warwick Essence (pod parent plantaginea)
Waving Winds (sieboldii)
Waving Wuffles (ventricosa)
White Necklace (unknown)
White Shoulders (plantaginea)
William Lachman (Breeders Choice X Frances Williams)
yingeri (species)
There are some mentioned that do well in hot summers although they may not do well in higher zones. It's up to you to try them. They are here because their heritage is unknown.
Undulata albomarginata (originally listed as fortunei albomarginata)
Earth Angel
Blue Angel
As I grow hostas that aren't on the list, I'll try to report on those that multiply and come back every season for three years.
Wolverine
Lakeside Shoremaster
Blue Sliver
Blue Mouse Ears
This message was edited Jun 8, 2008 7:10 PM
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