Hi Natanya. I have bleeding hearts with my hosta. You are probably right about hostas eventually growing over the fernleaf (Dicentra eximia) bleeding hearts, but it would take a HUGE hosta to grow over my old-fashioned (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ((formerly Dicentra spectabilis)) red bleeding hearts. I also have a Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Gold Heart' and it is not growing so fast. I hope that it eventually gets as big as the old-fashioned red ones, but it's gonna take a while... sigh...

companion plants
japanese forest grass
heuchera
aquilegia

ground cover
sweet woodruff
creeping jenny
lamium

Thanks so much! Keep 'em coming!

Don't forget ferns,both store boughten and native. I have numerous native ferns,and Trilliums in my garden. Other goodies are;Heuchera,and Astilbe,which I also have. Phil

If your area gets some sun, you might consider sedum (Elizabeth and Angelina are both well-behaved sedums) and/or daffodils. The wonderful thing about daffodils is that they bloom early (before the hostas are up), then their foliage dies back by the time the hostas really come into their own during the summer. To make the hostas look really nice, it's best to cut away the dead daffodil foliage, but that's easy to do with scissors.

I also really like heucheras as companion plants and sweet woodruff as ground cover.

Heucherella, aruncus (goatsbeard), and of course - heuchera. There should be a forum for it....I've been waiting...

Westy

I prefer to create a woodland type landscape. My three favorite companions are Variegated Solomon's Seal, Ghost fern, and native Jack-in-the-Pulpit. A fourth favorite is European Ginger which I use in the foreground and as an edger. The E. Ginger has small, shiny, round dark green leaves and looks great with hostas and ferns.

I like the Ghost fern more than Japanese Painted fern because it's more upright and the foliage is a little finer...a very beautiful fern IMO.

Here you go...

Epimedium - another collection habit!
Hakonechloa All Gold - great ornamental grass
Asarum Wild Ginger - European and Canadian in zone 6

Deb

May not be a popular suggestion, but someone in my town has orange ditch lilies planted with hostas with purple blooms. The orange/purple combo with the flower scapes both held high above the foliage is stunning.

Pulmonaria Irish Spring -- love the lime green foliage after the early spring blooms, or try Excalibur for the silver foliage

Epimedium -- lots of new ones on the market to try now including some smaller ones

Heuchera -- any of the orange/red or silvery leaf varieties, my current favourite is Peach Flambé

Geranium Max Frei -- wonderful creeping one with brilliant magenta blooms

I found a cool new shrub that tolerates shade it's cool splash diervilla I only have two I want more!(It's new to me anyway I hadn't heard of it before!)
Heuchera
Solomen's seal

for creeping I like
Creeping Jenny
any Thyme
Sweet Woodruff

just for 3 more I have- Pulmonaria, ferns and Asilbe

I have Soloman's Seal, lamium and ligularia so far. Probably will add some heuchera next.

For perennials, hands down:
Heuchera... LOADS of new colors and varieties! Georgia Peach is FAB!
Tiarella or Heucherella (the cross of Heuchera & Tiarella)
Cimicifuga

For shrubs/shrubby type:
Annabelle Hydrangea or any of the new varieties of Annabelles
Goatsbeard
Bleeding Heart (love the gold version)

Ground Covers:
Golden Creeping Jenny
Lamium "Anne Greenway"

Heuchera

Azaleas, great contrast with the tiny foliage

{{gwi:940870}}

Other hosta - the best companion plant!

Brunnera, especially 'Jack Frost', is a nice plant, and has pretty blue Forget-Me-Not looking flowers in the spring. Check out the heuchera thread in the hosta and perennial forums to see pictures of the different heuchera there are out there. I have three plant crazies, hosta, daylily and heuchera (and their kin).

Karen

I'm with Don, I like a woodland feel - Ferns, Solomon's Seal and Jack in the Pulpits - and boulders.

Paul

Combinations that I love with my hostas are:

Japanese painted fern, paired with a ground-cover of Ajuga reptans "Burgundy Glow";

Sedum "Frosty Morn", paired with a ground-cover of white Bacopa (gorgeous in a Victorian or cottage-type garden); and,

Red Impatiens and Heuchera "Ruby Bells. I have this with the hosta "Brenda's Beauty". Mine is mostly white with a ruffly green edge. Lovely.
-Sprout

Heuchera...particularly in purples & reddish tones.

Pulmonaria...any of them.

Ferns...any of them.

Gayle

I tend towards hydrangeas, ferns (almost any kind), and lenten rose.

Japanese maples

Palace purple coralbells

Variegated liriope

Very inspirational photos! Thanks for the great ideas...I sure do wish I was zone 5-6 instead of 4-5....some of those things do not overwinter reliably for me.

Bettylu, I have that same plant...someone sent it to me saying that it was Swedish Ivy...I thought "hmmmm", I've never seen Swedish Ivy like this, but I sure do like it...it's an indoor plant for me. I will see if I can get this to grow nicely outside as an annual for me, the leaves are so pretty.

Heuchera (love the new colors), brunnera (Jack Frost, Looking Glass, King's Ransom), ferns (J.P., tatted, victoria, lady, non-invasive types), astilbe.

Mary4b,

I can't imagine anyone confusing swedish ivy and strawberry begonias - the telling feature for strawberry begonias and where they get their name from is from the strawberry-like runners with the little plantlets on the end that root and grow a new plant. I have also had some seeds volunteer to sprout on the rocks of a rough stone wall, so they do reseed (not invasively for me) I have never actually tried to find the seeds themselves, they must be really tiny with such a small bloom.

So if you really do have strawberry begonias, you certainly don't have to treat them like an annual outdoors. Good luck - I hope you love them in the garden as much as I do!

BettyLu

I use Japanese painted fern alot

Okay, I already posted, but one other plant that no one has mentioned is helleborus (Lenten rose). They are lovely in the winter/early spring when they're blooming, and then they are a rich green during the summer.

I can`t wait to see if the Heuchera/Heucherella/Tiarella craze gets as big in the near future as Hostas currently are.
Where do we vote on getting an H/H/T category?

If you like annuals, try impatiens, begonias, caladiums.
My 3 top current perennial faves are Heuchera, Lamium and Sweet Woodruff.

Ligularia
Japanese Painted, Holly, Maidenhair, Cinnamon, Christmas & Ostrich Ferns
Bergenia

Creeping Jenny
Ajuga
Sedum

BettyLu,
I'm a huge fan of Strawberry Begonia. It's an excellent companion plant for hostas, is very attractive, easy-to-grow, slowly spreading but not invasive, and looks great all summer long! It's one of my personal favorites and I have it throughout some of my hosta beds. Don

If no shrubs or trees than these three;
Heucheras
Dicentra--Gold Heart is far and away the nicest I think, the foliage lasts way longer than the old fashioned ones.
Japanese Forest Grass--any of them

(only three, well if I can sneak in one more I'd say epidmediums)

Nutmeg- You can contact the moderator about adding an H/H/T forum. He will consider it if he thinks there will be enough interest. Anyone interested should let him know (Spike is still the moderator, isn't he?)
-Sprout