Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise'

Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise': Crinkled Gold Sunrise at Ground Level

Crinkled golden leaves with streaky dark green edges, like first light breaking through a canopy. 'Rainforest Sunrise' turns any dim corner into A MORNING PERSON, even if you're not one.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise'
• Common Name: Plantain Lily, Hosta
• Height: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Spread: 40–60 cm (16–23 in)
• Flowers: Pale lavender, on short stems just above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July)
• Foliage: Thick, crinkled golden-yellow leaves with wide, streaky dark green margins
• Features: Good slug resistance, Hosta of the Year 2013

Where to Plant: Use it as an edging plant along a shady path, at the front of a border, or massed as a small-scale groundcover. It's also tidy enough for containers and rock gardens.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Rainforest Sunrise' in a moist, shady bed with yellow epimedium, gold bleeding hearts and pink astilbe. Epimedium 'Sulphureum' opens bright yellow flowers at 25 to 30 cm in April and May. Dicentra 'Gold Heart' adds rose-pink hearts over gold leaves at 60 to 75 cm in May and June. Astilbe 'Vision in Pink' brings soft pink plumes at 40 to 50 cm in July and August. Hakonechloa 'Aureola' edges the bed at 30 to 46 cm with gold-striped blades.

Plant Care: Plant in part sun to full shade, in moist, well-drained soil enriched with compost. It handles average garden soil, including clay, as long as it doesn't stay soggy. Morning sun brightens the gold. Water during dry spells, especially in its first year. Deer and rabbits will eat hostas, so use a repellent or fencing if they visit. Its thick leaves give it good slug resistance. Remove the foliage after it dies back in fall. Divide in spring or early fall if you want more plants.

History: Jim Anderson of Winterberry Farms in Georgia registered 'Rainforest Sunrise' in 2003, after it began as a tissue culture sport of Hosta 'Maui Buttercups'. The American Hosta Growers Association named it Hosta of the Year in 2013.

Final Thoughts: Small, slug resistant and bright. The only sunrise you'll ever see without setting an alarm. COFFEE STILL RECOMMENDED.