Hi Catwoman, personally, I enjoy ferns, Asiatic lilies (Mine grow and bloom nicely with limited sun) heuchera, and variegated liriope (The very thin, long-leaved plant next to the bigger clump of green variegated hosta) they are all in this pic, except the lilies haven't bloomed yet. Also shown is a clump of lamium.

Cheers,
Don B.

EDIT: P.S. Everything shown in my pic is perennial.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Sat, Jul 6, 13 at 18:10

Another angle of the same bed...

Don B.

Agree with the above! Japanese forest grasses are really nice or clumping (slow spreading) carex. I also like astilbe with its fernlike foliage although these can get fried with insufficient water. Solomon's seal might be a nice accent as well in behind smaller hosta.

For lower plants, a lot of people swear by lamium as a groundcover with hosta and it does look really nice. For beds with no lawn access, golden creeping jenny can be nice, but reportedly horrible if escapes into lawn. Sweet woodruff can also be lovely with taller/hardier perennials but I think it can overwhelm smaller ones. I moved one out of my mini bed and have it planted among solomon's seal where I theorize it won't do any harm. I have some non-running campanula (bellflower) planted in among my hosta and really love it. Campanula blue waterfall is an absolute champ for me and right now is totally covered in lovely star-shaped flowers. Stays green into December and flowers June-November for me. Got big fast.

More thoughts: brunnera are also really nice although around here they are surprisingly expensive. Bugbane and foamflower. Phlox stolonifera. I'd love to include some hellebores but they're also perishingly pricey around here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Campanula blue waterfall

PS I'm on vacation in Bradenton right now and my thoughts are consumed by my garden! I'm going to have to visit the botanical garden here just to get my fix! Maybe my garden addiction won't be so expensive if it prevents me from wanting to vacation...

I have ferns (especially like the Japanese painted ferns), astilbe, hellebores, anemones, aquilegia, dicentra, and some of the others mentioned. The dicentra disappears in the heat of summer, but comes back. I also have carex and liriope. I love heuchera, too, but they seem to be fussy for me and often either die or fail to return the next year. Still, I keep trying. :)

I would just be sure to have a contrast of leaf and plant shapes and plant more than one (I tend to do odd numbers like three, five, or seven of things) of the companion plants. Of course, your Hostas will be numerous and an ever-growing addiction, so leave room or plan to rearrange some of those perennials someday! ;)

This post was edited by cyn427 on Sun, Jul 7, 13 at 15:45

I have many of the same ones mentioned- astilbe, heuchera, ferns, hakonechloa grass, aruncus, and actaea.

I took these pics last year at the Midcoast botanical gardens in Maine. They keep it pretty simple- just hosta, ferns, and hakonechloa grass....if I could only have two companion plants, it would be those. I love astilbe but have a hard time keeping it watered enough and also bugs frequently destroy my flowers before they can bloom.

Great pics, Coll. They do keep it simple...But it's also very effective, eh? I love the steep/hilly topography, as well as all the boulders.

Thanks,
Don B.

I love hydrangeas and peonies mixed here and there in our Hosta garden.

Impatiens are nice to add some color and fill in gaps, although they're annuals so you'd have to replant them every year. I also like hydrangeas, astilbes, heuchera/heucherella and ferns. Acanthus Mollis (bear's breach) is a fun, unusual plant to mix in as well.

Jacob's Ladder is another very nice, interesting perennial that would go well with hosta. I can't seem to grow them, but most folks in my neighborhood do well with them.

Don B.

Here is a link that might be useful: Examples of 'Jacob's Ladder' Google Images

I once again have serious rock envy. I will regret forever not insisting on adding a boulder or two to the PODS when we moved things south from MA. sigh.....my missed opportunity. Not a rock anywhere around here.

I will wait for next year to try some hakone.. grass, but the fern from hanging baskets has naturalized in several areas of my shady flower beds.

When you mentioned "circular" beds, does that mean like out in the middle of your yard somewhere? Will there be any tall object in the middle for shade or for focal point? Are you building the bed around some young tree like a Japanese maple?

Glad to have you join us. Hope you return to show the new planted beds.

Wow, some beautiful companion plantings in this thread. In addition to the companion plants mentioned above I've tried the following:

Tricyrtis/ Toad Lily: If planted too far from the house they've been eaten by animals. I've tried some of the variegated varieties ('imperial Banner' and 'Gilt Edge') but they didn't survive in my zone 5 garden. 'Moonlight', a gold-leaved variety is doing well at the front of the house. I hid it amonst some of my pulmonaria.
Jack in the Pulpit: Has survived with tree root competition in front of cedars.
Bleeding Hearts: The common variety is doing well under spruce but I've lost minis under a crimson maple. The minis do well in my gardens but don't like a lot of tree root competiion.
European ginger: is slow to increase with tree root competition but I've seen it seeding away from the original clump. I have native ginger taking hold, though, under spruce. I understand it can be invasive.
Epimedium: does well in dry shade once established
Corydalis lutea: reseeds liberally
Pulmonaria: Does well under spruce and reseeds
Lamiastrum ('Herman's Pride'): does well in dry shade once established
Ligularia
Gentians: don't like shallow root competition but do all right under spruce.

I've also tried perennial geraniums and sedums at the edge of my shade beds under spruce and they're doing fine.

Here's a picture of 'Shade Fanfare' with sedum in front, an old perennial geranium at top left, 'Ghost' fern, and aruncus 'Misty Lace' to the right.

Here's Tricyrtis 'Moonshine' blooming at the end of September. I have another variety waiting to be planted that I received from a friend. Hers does well close to her house. I'm still trying to figure out how to hide it from the rabbits.

I have used a lot of the different companion plants mentioned above. Especially love the fern and the Hakonechloe grass (spelling?) but it is very expensive here so got it in the fall sales and could buy more . I got purple tall ones from Myrle called wild companula.. Dianthus and sweet William give it color if you desire but the pictures coil posted makes a garden look beautiful without added colors. I have seen hydrangea as a compliment and bright yellow clump of heliopsis. So many beauties to try

This post was edited by almosthooked on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 14:29

that's really pretty, Irawon.

I have some Canadian (native) ginger and while it spreads readily, I find it yanks out pretty easily because the roots aren't deep.

yeah, I have seen the hakonechloa grass priced outrageously at some places, and reasonably at others...just gotta shop around and look for deals.

Faye, the fountain looks great!

I have another grass that I really like- Carex Bowles Golden. It should probably be much bigger, but mine is crowded in this bed and is also in the shade. I really like the fountain like quality of this one. it's on the left here behind the Heuchera

Really pretty companions in your hosta bed, Faye. What's the blue, spiky one to the right?

Thanks Coll. I really like using ferns, aruncus, hakonechloa too. The only two hakone grasses I've tried are 'Aureola' and 'All Gold'. Have you had any experience with others? 'All Gold' performs better for me but that may be because my 'All Gold'gets more water and sun. The thing I've noticed with my aruncus aethusifolius (sp?), the mini one, is that it reseeds readily if given lots of water. And with astilbe, a man I met at a garden center, once asked me if I knew how to water astilbe. I looked at him strangely and said I knew that they like a lot of water. He said to fill a pail of water and to dump it on one plant. I haven't tried it yet with my astilbe that suffer from root competition because of all the rain we've had... but once the rain stops, I'll drown them.

Here's a pic of the 'All Gold' in the bed at the front of the house. I'm starting to add more hostas here and there. in this bed.

Hmm, carex 'Bowles Golden' looks great. I like the shape. I've tried 'Ice Dance' but lost them over winter, maybe because I removed the dead foliage in fall. I found some huge ones at Walmart this spring at a good price, so I'm trying them again. You're in zone 5 like me so I should be able to grow carex too, shouldn't I?

I would think so, Irawon. My carex is actually planted in a sunken pot so that i could keep it moist..i think I read it likes lots of water. That bed looks great. I have tried several of the Hakone grasses. The aureole and all gold both do well for me. The Albo striata is green with white lines and is quite vigorous. The Fubuki is the mainly white one and I was excited about it but it has been a total dud and I won't try it again. I have one small clump left that I guess I could move and try in other spot, but I bet it won't help. I used to have the all green Hakonechloa and that was more upright and VERY vigorous. I gave it to my FIL who has mor room for something like that and it looks great when I see it at visits over there. It looks like small bamboo.

Here is the Albo Striata one. Not as showy as the golds but still has the arching leaves.

O.K., so water's the secret with carex, good to know. No wonder they're a good hosta companion plant. Thanks for the lovely pix and the info, Coll.

Lilies are blooming now.

Don B.