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Hosta lovers - please help with hosta boredom!

13 years ago

Hi All!

Along my driveway, I have a 3-4 foot x 30-40 section that is planted with hostas. They are very large, darkish green, with the ribbed texture. Not sure of the type.

I had thought they were all the same until just recently - I saw 2 variegated leaves, same basic look but with a little bit of that bluish green varigated into the ribbed leaves. Not sure if this was another type of hosta that has been crowded out by a more vigorous cultivar or not, but I nabbed him out of there and put into another garden area just in case. Made me think that at one time this area was more varied.....

This hosta area was planted at least 15 or even more years ago. It is solid and crowded. Great ground cover, but not a huge ornamental plus either.

I was thinking about digging out parts of the hosta line to complement with other plants to add interest.

This area is 90% shade, sometimes of the year 100% as the neighbors house begins about 6-12 inches south from this bed - 2.5 stories.

I'm in zone 5 - chicago - urban area.

What suggestions to make this an eye catcher as opposed to hosta musak?

Thanks so much for your ideas. I've been looking on this forum and your gardens are so lovely, gave me the idea that I could revamp this area with a little redesign....

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Comments (7)

gayle0000
13 years ago
Buckthorn Fine Line (shrub)

ferns

bird bath or other statuary

old-time ditchlilies, or other matured daylilies...don't pay money for them. Now, you will not get the flowers...that's why I say don't pay $$ for them...but you will get the foliage. I think the flowing daylily foliage is beautiful texture next to a hosta.

Gayle
chris-e
13 years ago
Astilbe are beautiful!

chris
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swmogardens
13 years ago
Try planting a couple of LIBERTY hosta in there and a purple shrub like royal purple smokebush or a rose glow barberry.
agawa
13 years ago
Columbine Hybrids (3 month bloom time)
Interrupted Fern
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I use the chartruse sedum and sweet woodruff as fillers, violets and columbine too. Go figure! My girlfriend keeps actually reading the sun requirements on plants she purchases, I just slap them in where I have a hole in the planting and things either work out or get moved.

Lungworts! I almost forgot! Good Luck with the Hosta congo line you have!
summermusicz4ia
13 years ago
The newer heucheras in great colors will add some eye candy to your hosta bed.
nutmeg4061
13 years ago
I found a very healthy, probably very old, rosebush growing in a pile of brush and saplings, total shade. Dug it up, planted it in my hosta bed. It now gets SOME sun, and looks just as happy.
And yep, can`t say enough good things about the newer Heucheras, look up Lime Rickey and Citronelle WOW!
t-bird
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all - lots of ideas to check into. Interesting note about putting plants were you want them and see how they do.

Don't you love to google image new plants and flower you don't know the name of??? I'm a relatively noob in the gardening world, and this is so helpful to me...

oh - one question - any recommendation on how much space to assign to the hostas and how much to other plants? And with the hostas, about how much space between that and another plant?

One of the things I noted as I was taking my puppy for a walk this morning, is that the most attractive hosta plantings I see around the hood, you can see the round structure of the hostas - they're kind of like round fountains spilling leaves. That element has been completely lost in the "congo line" as another said....

Thanks again!

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