We love hostas for their lush, structural, shapely foliage and summer bloom scapes. The perennials illuminate shaded areas, cooling down the display in tones of blue and jade or brightening it up in hot chartreuse and gold. From strappy and curly to broad and cupped, hostas bring dynamic foliage to anchor the border.

Another merit of hostas is their versatility. They work in formal and informal arrangements, from foundation plantings to woodland edges to containers. Their lavender blooms draw hummingbirds and other pollinators, while the foliage remains attractive all season. Hostas complement other perennials, both blooming or with foliar interest, and shrubs, from hydrangeas to boxwood to conifers. They’re also low-maintenance and durable.

To replicate these qualities of hostas in other garden locations, like those that receive more sun, heat, or less soil moisture and organic richness than hostas prefer, hosta lookalikes make good stand-ins. While the handsome perennial is one of a kind (with numerous cultivars), other specimens with dynamic foliage are ready to perform in its stead.

Agapanthus

Tubular blooms rise above strappy, evergreen garden foliage.

Agapanthus features thick, strappy leaves and rising flower scapes in lavender, blue, and white. With their wands of tubular blooms, they make excellent border plantings and handle more sun than hostas (although they also make lovely complements). The evergreen foliage is attractive even when the perennials aren’t in flower. 

Ideal soils are fertile, moist, and well-drained, though the southern African native tolerates drought and heat. These hosta lookalikes perennialize in warm growing zones. In cold climates, overwinter agapanthus indoors, where it grows as a houseplant in bright light.

From tall varieties like ‘Queen of the Nile’ to dense, compact forms like ‘Peter Pan,’ the range of sizes suits a variety of gardens. ‘Fireworks’ holds Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit status with full globes of bright white bell blooms with violet-blue throats. The huge umbels’ top stems that reach over two feet tall.

Wild Ginger

Groundcover gently fills spaces where hostas might struggle.

Wild ginger offers a native hosta alternative that covers more ground as a gradually spreading groundcover. The subtle beauty boasts dynamic foliage, although with a lower profile than its hosta counterparts. Heart-shaped leaves are thick and dark with silver mottling, depending on the variety.

Asarum canadense is a North American herbaceous perennial with large leaves and a compact, mounding habit. Fleshy roots are edible and have a spicy ginger aroma and flavor.

Wild ginger slowly forms a dense colony. Moist and well-drained soils are optimal, but these hosta lookalikes tolerate various types, including clay. Plant a group or mass to cover the most ground over time. They make a soft woodland understory or edge planting and handle deep shade.

Epimedium

Compact clusters thrive even in dry, challenging shade.

Epimediums make our list of hosta lookalikes because of their bold foliage and summer blooms. Also called barrenwort or fairy wings, epimediums grow in challenging shade conditions. They withstand heavy shade and dry conditions—a challenging spot for many.

Epimediums have wing-shaped leaves that feature dramatic mottling, blotching, and venation. Delicate, spurred flowers emerge in summer with a flurry of visual interest. The low-maintenance, compact selections are impactful in a group and combined with other shade-loving perennials like ferns, astilbe, wild ginger, and bleeding heart.

‘Pretty in Pink’ has sweet blooms in rose and pale pink with bronzey-pink and green heart-shaped leaves. ‘Pink Champagne’ sparkles with blushing blooms and leaves and is an RHS Award of Garden Merit recipient.

Solomon’s Seal

Arching stems display soft green leaves elegantly above.

Solomon’s seal and hosta share the same family, Asparagaceae, although the Polygonatum genus includes native North American species. The structural perennial has scaffolding foliage along upright, arching stems. Like hosta, their mint green or creamy variegated leaves brighten shady zones. In spring, greenish-white bell blooms suspend from each node, lining the stems.

Native species include P. biflorum (smooth Solomon’s seal) and P. pubescens (hairy Solomon’s seal), both occurring naturally in eastern North America with a wide range. False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum) is another hosta lookalike in a native species. Starry, feathery, ivory flowers appear at the ends of stems. Their light fragrance attracts pollinators, and the berries that follow support wildlife.

Hardy Cyclamen

Winter flowers peek from dense, low green foliage.

Hardy cyclamen perennializes to form a low carpet of heart-shaped leaves with fall and winter blooms, depending on the variety.

C. coum blooms in late winter and early spring with clusters of pink, rosy purple, and or white flowers. C. hederifolium is the hardiest and easiest to grow, with fragrant pink blooms from late summer to October and November. The diminutive leaves of both species form a cushion in deep green with silver patterning.

Both of these hosta lookalikes boast Award of Garden Merit status for performance, cold hardiness, and ornament. They spread slowly through tubers and reseed to form colonies. They tolerate dry shade and perform best in organic soils with good drainage. They’re slow to establish, and starting with a number of plants gives the colony a head start.

Bleeding Heart

Feathery leaves withstand drier spots once established well.

Bleeding heart brings woodland and wildflower appeal with heart-shaped, pendulous flowers that suspend from delicate stems.

Dicentra has puffy blooms in white, pink, and fuchsia in late spring. It enters summer dormancy after the spring show and as temperatures rise. Use summer-blooming and leafy perennials to disguise the fading foliage. The wildflowers combine well with columbine, heuchera, hardy geraniums, and wild ginger.

Dicentra eximia is a North American wild bleeding heart with hanging pink (sometimes white) hearts. The cut foliage is ferny and feathery and withstands drier conditions once established. 

Caladiums 

Tubers planted deeply emerge with bold summer splashes.

Caladiums bring splashes of color with their tapestry of leaves. They fulfill the role of an annual hosta lookalike, economical, and easy to plant with small tubers. They show off in containers and in the border. Their arrow-shaped leaves feature dynamic mottling, venation, and blotching in greens, whites, reds, and pinks.

Plant the tubers a few inches deep when late spring/early summer soil temperatures rise about 60°F (16°C). Water them regularly for fast development. With consistent water, the colorful display lasts until cool weather arrives.

Caladiums thrive in shady areas, with some varieties (especially red lance-leaved) suited to full sun. For most of us, caladiums are a single-season display. They perennialize in frost-free climates and may come back with winter mulching in zone 8. 

Acanthus

Pinkish-white blooms contrast beautifully with deep green leaves.

Acanthus is a larger-scale, oversized shade specimen in foliage and flowers. Its strong, architectural leaves are dark, glossy green and deeply cut with textural interest. The long, broad leaves unfurl and arch as a stately base for summer blooms. Tall spikes of pinkish-white flowers with deep purple bracts are striking and last for weeks.

Acanthus grows in dry or moist soils as long as they’re well-draining. These hosta lookalikes make a low-maintenance grouped planting for impact. It does best with morning sun or dappled light with afternoon shade protection.

Ginger Lily

Orange-colored flowers seem to float above green leaves.

Ginger lilies are sun-loving hosta lookalikes. They develop tall, leafy stalks topped with clustered blooms and a sweet summer fragrance. Flowers in crisp white, buttery yellow, or orange resemble butterflies with their petal arrangement and long stamens. Variegated varieties have crisp white and green foliage to further highlight the arrangement.

Ginger lilies create a bold tropical look. Use them as a backdrop to other flowering perennials. They spread by rhizomes and may need control by cutting and digging roots if the spread or crowding becomes too much.

Ginger lilies are tough plants where hardy and grow as annuals or container plantings in cold climates. They do best in moist, organically rich soils with good drainage.

Foxglove

Tall stems pop up with springtime charm everywhere.

Foxgloves bring big bell blooms in spring and summer, like an exaggerated hosta flower. The tubular blooms crowd the tall stems in purple, rose, peach, and creamy white with freckled throats. Each blossom draws bumblebees who wriggle in to collect pollen and nectar.

Foxgloves put on a showy display until temperatures rise (in areas with hot summers, treat them as cool-season annuals). These hosta lookalikes set their thick basal foliage and roots in the first season and flower in the second season before going to seed and fading.

Aralia

Sturdy stems support chartreuse leaves all growing season.

While some in the Aralia genus are invasive in the United States (like A. elata, commonly known as the Japanese angelica tree), others are native or more well-behaved species. Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, with lush, bright green foliage, is a non-aggressive variety and lends a tropical look to the shade garden. The chartreuse and gold tones and long, compound leaves make them a standout.

‘Sun King’ is an award winner for its performance, ornament, and reliability. The dynamic foliage of these hosta lookalikes offers three seasons of interest, along with white flowers in the summer and dark berries to follow. Pollinators and birds appreciate them, and humans do too, in the edible leaves, shoots, and roots of Aralia cordata.