Here is what I have to work with:
10 assorted (from Direct Source...they choose...so I don't know what I'm getting until it arrives), 3 Gold Standard, 1 Patriot (oops...still in box--sold as bareroot), 2 unknown variegated, and about 6 large pure green hostas. The space available now is just a strip, but I I must expand because there is no more room. The new shape is going to be roughly triangular--one side gets deep shade and is up against the back of the garage, one side will be getting some sun and will be up against a chain link fence, and the third edge will be sometimes in sun (including afternoon), and sometimes in shade. The area currently has poor drainage and heavy clay soil....not even the sweet woodruff will spread! Obviously, I will have to amend the soil. I also have 2 Japanese painted ferns that I would like to go in that area, as well as the sweet woodruff (which I will have to dig out and replant) and lily of the valley (also barely hanging on in the waterlogged bed....I swear I could have a bog garden back there!). SOOO....any design ideas? TIA, Tamara
Design help with hosta bed
Zone5girl, do you have a photo of the proposed area. It's hard to figure out what you might do with the hostas until we see the area and the hostas that come. When you do, ask the folks at the hosta forum to help you find out what is the best kind of light and the eventual size of the hostas. They can range from 6" across to 70". The sizing system doesn't help because it only measures how tall the plants get - well that helps some. Start with the area of most sun and put the cultivars there that work in most sun. Or - put something that is happy with more sun and a bog situation like Louisiana iris. Their only drawback is that they have to be divided fairly frequently. But the have nice foliage if they are kept wet in the summer and the flowers are wonderful. They will also provide some shade for the rest of the bed since most are about 3-4 feet tall.
If the hostas don't work, there are a lot of shade plants that like bog conditions - all the ligularia and farfugium, toad lilies, astilbe, some ferns, etc. Or these are things that you can use with your hostas. Some of the Ligularias are very tall and look great as a back drop for other plants. And they will cover up the chain link fence.
So right now pot up the hostas that you've received and wait until you find out what the others are. Hope that you get some great ones!
Ditto everything that Doss said - also, there are a ton of great shade plants for Zone 5! Doss mentioned toad lilies and astilbes, which are wonderful. Some of my other favorites are pulmonarias, woodland phlox, and lobelia siphilitica. For the part sun -part shade spots there are jillions of plants you could add. Columbines, foxgloves, lupines, lady's mantle, tradescantia....
I'd love to see a picture of the area - it would help a lot!
Stacy