A favourite of mine is Hosta "Golden Medallion", which is a sport of Hosta tokudama.
Hosta tokudama is one of the smaller species, growing to about 50cm tall with glaucus blue-green leaves.
Over the years it has produced several different golden-leaved sports which are all known collectively as H. "Golden Medallion".
The form in Dunedin Botanic Garden's Rhododendron Dell has narrower leaves than the typical species, but its colour makes up for any loss of impact in stature.
Rather than golden, as its name suggests, the leaves are a luminous light yellow, which gleam in the bands of afternoon sun streaming through the surrounding trees.
Hosta "Golden Medallion" increases slowly, so is well-suited to a semi-shaded spot in any size of garden where it will illuminate and emphasise the darker shades of green around it.
It also contrasts beautifully when planted around red-leaved maples, but not underneath them, where any falling debris will spoil the effect.
As with any hosta, H. "Golden Medallion" needs ample water for best results and has flourished particularly well in this year's cool, wet spring.
See it near the small bridge beside the old rhododendrons first planted in the Rhododendron Dell.
Closer inspection reveals fine, light-green parallel veins etched into the leaf.
Spreads to about one square metre over 15 years.
Avoid overhead watering in sun.
Evening watering attracts slugs and snails. Hosta tokudama comes from Japan.
Doug Thomson is curator of the Rhododendron Dell at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
