Photos, please.

I second that request!

I'll do that today. I bought 2 minis a few weeks ago. (Holy Mouse Ears and Cracker Crumbs). I also realized yesterday that I had no space by any blues to contrast them with. I will put the pots in the photo but could plant them anywhere.

Sorry, I went out of town and never
got back to taking photos. There were not all taken at the same time: the first was evening, which throws the color off a bit.

Though there are a few exceptions, the
general idea is blue and gold. I am trying to minimize plain greens, though of
course the shade of blue will vary. I used to have dark purple heucheras, so it
was gold-blue-purple, but they don’t really like the shade and moisture there.
The few left are holdouts. I pulled out almost all the greens last year in a
major overhaul. The very largest hostas cannot be moved, as they are really
solidly growing into the pine roots.

There is a slight slope. The part of
the bed that is not mostly shaded, closer to the house, transitions to other
non hosta plants. There is a very dense maple on the parkway that shades the
foreground most. I dislike the maple, but that’s the city’s tree, and there is
nothing I can do about it. Our “zen-trimmed” pine is opening up and providing
less shade than in the past. Growth is at the tips and now light is getting in
at the center, after losing a large central branch this year due to snow
weight.

Filling in between the hostas are
more silver or purple Japanese ferns. Gold heuchera Citronelle. All Gold Japanese forest grass and a gold sedge.

From the street perspective: Center
and highest is Blue Angel. Flanking it in front and behind are 2 Frances
Williams. Blue Cadet in front of FW. Next to the gold grasses you can see 2 of
the bluest, the Fragrant blue.

Foreground are several Limetini a NOID blue with long leaves, and
Baby Buntings. I am not keen on how the latter look. I bought them going into
dormancy, so they were very cheap. I could move them with no hesitation; they
do nothing for my color scheme.

Side view facing south:

UPDATE : I did not place
the 2 minis discussed above here, but away from this area.

I love it . It looks great.

I would like to have it as it is:-)

OK, I'll be the bad guy. Looks too busy to my eye, too helter-skelter. I'd put the painted ferns closer together to form a clump or a ribbon and do the same with the heuchera and the yellow grass. Put the small hosta in another area altogether and add one or two larger solid colored leaved hosta. You want the plants to be identifiable from the road, not just the sidewalk.

Just one man's opinion.

tj

A safe bet, but I agree with tj. Also, your zen pine looks as if it might be buried in a mound (?), if so, this is not a good idea. Too crowded for my taste as well; I could (would) make two plantings or one double the size with all those plants.

If you want multiples together there should be three (rule of threes). 2 Frances Williams, 2 BMEs, 2 Baby Buntings.....a lot of 2s when there should be none or one on one side and one on the other sparingly.

My opinion is that hosta look better spread out and variegated draw the eye if displayed in a sea of blue green or vice versa. I would take out all the doubles and start a new area and then move the remainder around in your mind into a nice balanced area or maybe take pictures, print them out and move them around and add others.

Well that is what I would do.

Jon.

Well, I like it, I love the variety. The only need I see is for a defined edge to the bed. Just a different opinion, think over the suggestions and do what you think you'll like. Please show us the final product!

Sherry

I've seen a lot of boring hosta gardens. Your's ain't boring. I like it. Very nice contrasts. Throw in a couple of Trump signs to really make a statement.

I would like to see the top part of the tree, too. This year I have planted around an oak and a pecan tree in the front yard and I would love to see your bed with the multiple trunks. I also have a J maple in the front yard but it is too dense with roots to plant around it--I tried.

I agree with tj. You have beautiful plants, but too much variety and too much restlessness. One big hosta can make a statement at a .distance, but the rest of the plants clumps or ribbons as tj suggested, in threes or even fives for the smaller ones. To make a start, if you look at your second last picture, you could add one more of the big blues (Fragrant Blue?) to the left, where the purple heuchera is. That would give you a kind of spiraling line of blue. Then yellow grasses or yellow hostas in front of that blue line. Add another FW to the left of the existing one, above the second blue, where you now have the yellow grass and a smaller blue ( no need to make it three there, I think). That all would give impact and movement to that side, and you can work from there. Many more ways to tackle it, just what I might do.

I like the 'patchwork quilt' look of your bed. Edging it would give it a finished off effect and help settle the eye.

If it were mine, I'd remove the painted ferns and white edged hosta in the first pic - lower front center.

jmo :-)

linnea, when you titled your post Darn it! I went to far! I felt you weren't satisfied with what you had done and would welcome, well meaning. criticisms. I'm glad you came back and explained that you were actually dissatisfied.

I wouldn't want to get the reputation for being argumentative.

Jon

Looks kinda paisley to me, I like it.