I think this is a duplicate post. Or deja vu.

Just fill the whole area with hostas!

-Babka

It’s a good idea to get more hostas and plant it up... nice space you have there! And I wish I had your shade!

I’d say- avoid a ‘polka dot’ effect. Plant in groups or drifts. Even if you plan to keep the grassy area in the middle, you can enlarge and shape the beds around the shrubs and plant with hostas and a few companion plants for interest.

Heres a good article with design tips for hostas: http://www.finegardening.com/article/designing-with-hostas

As the others say, why not plant the whole bed with hostas, ferns and others? I'd love to have so much empty garden space. Some nice big ones in the middle :-)

Bsmith, glad your post wasn’t an accident. Some big variegated hostas in the middle would look great when the azaleas are out of bloom. Did someone post that pic of a yard with a bunch of big Liberties lining the sidewalk in your last post? They take a while to grow but are so impressive when they are mature.

bsmith, have you seen the post about giant hosta? There is room enough for quite a few of them. And as I'm still a big fan of Japanese maples... :-) Hydrangeas and Liriope sound nice, please share pictures in summer. Imagine sitting on the porch and that corner is filled with a wide variety of wonderful light colored hostas. The azalea leaves are so dark when they are not flowering.

Ooooh - I like the idea of a Japanese maple or two... for some different color and height variation.

LOL - I think some of us are having a lot of fun imagining what we would do with that lovely space and shade.

I think it'd look very nice.

bsmith, while considering your location I have a suggested hosta to brighten up that area. Tortilla Chip is one I found to look better in more shade, rather than more sun. It also is from plantaginea lineage, which means it should do well in your warm climate. (Would look great with a red Jap. maple)

Give everything space to grow........

Don't know the names, they were both findlings...But you can ask in a garden center or maybe someone else can recommend some. I've seen a lot of small ones around here. Or check the internet for dwarf japanese maples...the leaves of the yellow burn in too much sun, so it would be perfect for the shadow under the trees, the red one is in sun all day long, no problems at all :-)

The yellow looks like this in spring...

Awesome trees Karin, I'm jealous, I can't seem to grow them, I'm tired of burning so much money on them.

bsmith, there has to be some nurseries in SC that have good selections of Japanese maples. Might have to ask around a little, or do some web searching. I really think that space in your yard, is begging for one.

I also wanted to recommend Dixie Wood Fern for that area. Grows about 4 feet tall, and no special care necessary, and doesn't take over like some others do.

Steve, actually all my trees are bargains or seedlings I collected in gardens...Very small ones some time, I keep them in pots for a few years and plant them whenever they seem able to survive winter unprotected...

Found those last year...

Me too, Steve, DH calls me Kathy, The Tree Killer.

I'm also jealous of gardeners who can look at a plant and know just what it wants, water, fertilizer, etc. Me, I don't have that sixth sense. I put a plant in the ground, water it a few times, and then it's on it's own. If it lives, great, it belongs in my garden, if it dies it doesn't belong.

I have tried babying some Japanese maples in the past, and they still choked. My best luck is in pots, but even then, I've lost them. My only survivor in the ground, is a viridis cut-leaf one, in dry, complete shade of Norway maples and black locusts. It doubled it's size in 20 years, now about 2' x 3'. I love seeing them in other peoples gardens though.

As my maples are in the same beds or region with pots as my hostas, they get the same treatment...I water them well and that's it...I'm just lucky that I have good garden soil, no need to fertilize...I try to avoid cutting them, I read that they don't like it. So they grow as they want. That Full Moon maple looks good!

Kathy the tree killer, that's not nice...

Try to find seedlings then at least you don't loose money.

Now... regarding the Japanese Maples... that's something you might actually find a bargain on at Walmart or the other big box stores. Just look for one with a decent root ball and promising trunk/limb structure.

I finished out the front, just thought I’d share a pic.. 6 liriope in the row and two hydrangeas behind it. Just enough to give it some summer pop after the azaleaa

I like your shady wooded neighborhood..reminds me of my own..where are you?..Myrtle Beach?..Charleston?..Hilton Head?..I love SC..hoping to move there someday..a pic to show you..a mass planting of hydrangeas..if I ever move to SC I would try this..