I've tried caladiums, they are nice with hostas, canterbury bells, toad lilies, hydrangeas and clematis. They all seem to do nicely together. And a dwarf weeping cherry makes a nice middle story between the hostas and the full-sized trees.

Lainey

Trollius, pink and/or white dicentra spectabilis, Northern Lights hybrid azaleas.

If I decide to mix in annuals, sometimes I might use impatiens or tuberous begonias; othertimes a caladium or several for a really bold statement.

Ive looked at caladiums but thought they might get beat up from the wind easily, that does sound like a nice combo tho. Dwarf weeping cherry sounds interesting, Ill have to look that up! Thanx guys!

I have painter pallet[persicarea)spelling wrong i am sure-
But it lookes good mixed in,so does,sweet woodruff,bleeding heart,wild ginger,i can take pictures of the painters pallet and wild ginger if you wanna see it.Oh, and,Jack-in-the-Pulpit

I am in the same boat as the rest of you,i need something different too.I hope some one else comments.

Carol

Cimicifuga 'Hillside Black Beauty' behind bright gold hostas)
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Variegated Solomon's Seal
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Chinese Wild Ginger (Asarum splendens), nice leaves,easy to grow
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European Ginger, little round glossy leaves
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Strawberry Geranium, small round leaves mottled with silver veins, easy to grow, forms a nice little ground cover, looks great under large upright hostas
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Ferns,both native and bought. Trilliums,Heucheras,Brunnera,St. Johns Wort,Jack-in-the-pulpit,(a native),mosses,violets. Oh,and rocks! Phil

Oh yes rocks,must not forget them.Big rocks-the BIGGER,the better.
Carol

Here's one hosta surrounded by heuchera, bleeding heart, hakone grass, 'Jack Frost' brunnera and japanese painted fern.

I also use wild geraniums, celedine poppy and hydrangeas.
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Depending on the amount of shade/sun I also like thalictrum and goat's beard mixed in as well as the other things mentioned.

In the front part of my hosta beds I have had success with growing lilies between the hostas. I prefer dwarf oriental, dwarf asiatic, and turk's cap lilies. They say lilies require 4 hours of sun a day, but I've had success with them in less than 4.

I also have jack-in-the-pulpits, ajuga,bloodroot, variegated solomon's seal, ligularia japonica, and bear breeches.
trees/shrubs: tri-color beech, Japanese maple, and hydrangeas.

Okay, I think that my head is going to fart here!! and it is going to smell really bad, because, almost everything i grow ends up with the hostas somewhere in some type of combination, unless it needs more sun!! I can feel the gas comming out of my ears right now as I try to remember what I have (not going to get out the flashlight tonight!!)

Annuals-
begonias
orange red pink
persian shield-everyone should have this, purple and silver!!
impatiens-of coarse!!
crossandra-bright orange flowers w/ glossy green foliage
coleous-alot
magilla-
sweet potato vine-blackie contrasts so nice with gold hostas
alternanthera-thin and broad leaf-works with just about any hosta!!
wandering jew-what can i say, it wanders (or maybe just lost in my back yard)
blue lobelia-just got to have some blue!!! got too!!!
streptocarpus-somewhere in the african violet family
elephant ear-esculent(something like that), blackie, and the green one, make it look tropical
canna-the really dark one!! just love those with the almost black leaves!!
mona lavender-seems to do better with a little shade-I dont think that it is really in the lavender family at all. it will be blooming in a couple of weeks
That burgandy grass-penasetum?
Xanthosoma-a really HUGE type of elephant ear
fuschia-the garden master one
im sorry i was dosing!!
uh i know there is another one, hmmm
(not going to get the flashlight, not going to get the flashlight, not going to get the flashlight)
OUCH!!
Oh! the giant nicotinia!!!-does really well in the shade, and am so impressed with it!! LOOKS GREAT!! OUCH!! (that one really hurt!!!!!)
Oxolis-burgandy with yellow flowers (really cringes when the sun hits it around 5 pm)
pineapple lillY-didnt know where else to put it!!

Perenial (oh gees)
Cimicifuga- 'Brit Marie" just starting to bloom and has burgandy leaves
FERNS
japanese painted-have about 20 soon to be 40 (need dividing[anyone want to help?])
lady in red-has red stems
ostrich-grows like a weed, but still water it
maiden hair
tassel fern-looks like a miniature tree fern to me
Hachonachloa (or hack grass) 3 different types) the 'all gold is my favorite)
That gold colored creeper in the Purple loosestrife family
(hold on, the drier is done, have to fold some clothes)
and what do i find in the drier? a tube of blistex!!!
now i have to wash them all over again!! (which gives me more time here)
oh plants, yes, uh....
coral bells-why not (about 75 total, but only about 5 different types, they need dividing every couple of years)
Primaulla-got to have something for early spring, especially like the 'Cowslip'
Hydrangea 'all summer beauty' (or something like that)
Ligularia-the green one
astilbe-about 5 different types, dont care for the white one (I think that i will feed it to my goldfish!!) Osterfeder is my favorite, along with the dwarf called 'sprite'
fernleaf and old fashioned bleeding heart
Lady bells-kind of a weed but it is my replacement for delphinium in a shadier spot (and comes back EVERY year meaner than the year before!)
lilly turf-a grassy looking thing with tiny flowers that are just starting to bud out
(what did i do with the Lysol spray, it stinks in here!!)
and more ligularia
rhodos-why not, (and azalia, i think that there is an E in there somewhere) I didnt have to pay for them!
and some yews to block the view of 'no tour area'
red jap maple
cherokee cheif dogwood
and did i tell you that my castor been is about ten feet tall?!! but it is not with the hosta
Spider wort
irish (or scitish oops scotish moss)
I know that there are some other things out there
OH, did i mention that I have Hostas planted with my Hosta?
that is just about the most ultimate combo that I could have ever thought of!! I think that i will patent that idea!!

Whoda Thunk? and i wasted all this time planting all of these different types of plants and just could have stuck with one type of plant that share all of the same needs!!!and not worry about the needs of another type! DARN i'm really stupid!!
(and maybe just alittle obsessive)

This was the hosta forum correct?

okay, now look what you have done!! now i am all out of beer and it's after 2 am!! and my cat is all out of smokes!! and now i have to go up to wallgreens to find a flatulent reducer for my head!! and more Lysol!!

Can we hold off on the list type of thing for a couple of days!! I just did one the other day!! that about broke my fingers on the the keyboard!!

How about something like?

I REALLY LIKE TO INTER MINGLE ROCKS WITH MY HOSTA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THEY ARE TOO BIG AND HOW DO YOU DIVIDE THEM AND WHERE DO YOU PUT ALL OF THE BABIES (ONCE YOU SMASHED THEM WITH A HAMMER)?!!

A MUCH EASIER TO ANSWER QUESTION

just a bunch of LOLs here!

Paul
(now to preview this big mess!)

FFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have 2 hosta beds in front of my house where once they fill out will be nothing but hosta. Rest of it is garden, shady garden in dappled shade under higly pruned oaks. I also have hostas there but they intervined with multiple multiple perennials many of them I have grown from seeds so many are not so common in gardens. My blooming season starts mid Feb- with snowdrops blooms and ends with fall late blooming asters, aconitums and fall crocuses.
Spring season includes multiple small bulbs- pushinkina,scilla, bluebells, muscari, ornitogalum, geranium maculatum, corydalis, camassia, galanthus, spring crocus, etc As spring progresses I have multiple columbines growing from alpines to Mc Kana giant ones- just cut foliage after they bloom or let the unfurling hosta grow over it and you can easily have them in you hosta bed. Multiple primulas are my faforites- grow them from seed and love their show- many of them will disappear by the time hostas fully leafed so can be planted together.
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pulmonarias, heucheras, spring anemones add much to the beds. As summer progresses lobelias and fall anemones pick up show. Various sedges and hakonechloas add on to different shapes. Aconitums are varied - they bloom from mid summer into late fall and always welcome in the shady garden.
I love campanulas and have many varieties of them. many low growing ones twine around smaller hostas bringing their bells to give additional interest.
To mention a few- polemoniums, peltobykinia, tellima grandiflora, lysimachia, hardy geraniums early and late blooming ones, mitella diphylla, kirengosoma palmata, bergenias- of well, I have to go out and see what else I
remember is there.
For bulbs check out Van Engelen wholesale- they are great or Becky and Brent.
As much as I love hostas- there are so many other plants I want to grow in my garden- whew,,,,makes my head spin

yeah, Holy Mole looks great with hydrangea Anabelle- picks up same light green color from each other- stunning combination. accidental planting of Gilt by assotiation next to lysimachia ciliata fireckracer with its intense purple leaves in spring was unbeatable and mentioned by everyone who visited garden.

hmmm....Im thinking Im sorry I asked! No wait, I just read Pauls post. Yep. Im sorry I asked.

Wow linda,that is so pretty,did i miss in your post what they are?I am in z5 also,il.

I think i want some of them,name please?

Carol

Try Black Lace Elder,beautiful, a good replacement for Japanese Maple and a lot cheaper. Also the green one is Sambucus, Sutherland Gold Elder. I had 2 and bought 2 black and 2 green this year. Check them out.

upnort you're okay with the post!!

I just like to be a smart A##!

But i did end up having to cheat and go get the flashlight!!

and then it turns out that when it is daylight I forgot a couple. Not going there!!

Paul

LOL Paul!
Loved your post actually. Im going to try your hammer trick on my hens and chicks. Why is it that plants I cant stand do so well?

Lady's Mantle (newly planted, so not yet filled in enough), dwarf goatsbeard, goatsbeard, and bergenia....

Maybe a little ordinary, but plain ol' begonias...

Annual browalia, which is wonderful in shade and turkeys.... now wait just a minute.... who planted those turkeys?

thanks upnort!! i thought about you all day and thought that maybe i went way over the top!!

I feel better now!!

Paul

Inlimbo--I'm sure Paul planted that turkey there--the night he was out with his flashlight. I keep telling myself, I have to spend a lot less time reading posts (winter will soon be here, and my list is very l-o-n-g). But then I'd miss those wonderfully funny posts by Paul and others. I'm waiting for the censors to find our little forum and declare them outlawed to the public. Then we'd have to go underground I suppose. LOL Mary PS I doubt if there is a plant left in existence that you won't find in this post!!!!! Oh yes, there is one. I don't think anyone mentioned my very favorite -------yellow and white cordyalis.

Well, you no i do keep turkey eggs in my pocket when i go out at night!!

Paul