Show us your best shade companion plants!

I love hosta and would like to see what you guys are planting with yours. Landscape shots are welcome :)
Teresa in KY

These are in pots but don't have to be. Hosta Karin, Impatients, and Creeping Jenny. I also like ferns and Caladiums with hosta. BEV

Very nice, I have lots of Creeping Jenny. I can pull it like weeds!

I am trying to get some started here in the shade garden. BEV I love the color and it lights up patches here and there someday!!

Boggles my mind why anyone would buy creeping jenny. I found it growing wild near me and brought some home long before I knew what it was. I'm still trying to get it eradicated from some sections of lawn years later.

Ann

ViolaAnn are we talking/thinking about the same thing? We have Creeping Charlie which will take over your lawn, house, first born child ...LOL. The Creeping Jenny here is much better behaved although a still prolific spreader. I've seen these two names used for both plants. Will you post a pic please? Thanks.

well didn't think I'd be posting pics on this forum for a bit but here are some groupings with hostas that I'm working on. Big Note: my shade gardens are going to need a few years to mature so they are a little sparse. I'd sure appreciate feedback or thoughts on things to add. ok first dwarf astilbe with hostas. Not quite blooming yet but is burgandy.

Definitely needs some grow time but fern and pink jacobs ladder. I just put in the white path stones this weekend to echo the hosta and to add some brightness as this is deep shade during the day.

This is my fav right now for potential . Ligularia rocket in the back and there is white nigella coming up which is hidden by the bressingham. New halo dogwood to the left.

I like the container in the garden look. I'm hoping the contrasting colours will make this blue pop????

ok now we get into what to do when you lose your background companion to winter kill. (There was a 'Britt Marie Crawford' ligularia there). I went funky voodoo LOL

Again jacobs ladder and astilbe but the dead nettle (lamium) really works well with this one I think. The bright foliage on the lamium helps to show it. The hosta has a very shiny leaf so the too textures work well together. Again full shade so the lamium isn't invasive.

asiatic lilies and heuchera I think really look nice with hostas

and then to end on an oops. This is like "Where's Wally" except its 'Where's the Hostas?' I don't think this plan is working too well LOL.

I like Astilbe with mine and I've used annuals which add colour - snapdragons are a fave as is verbenum. I have some pics I'll try to find when we get home tomorrow.

Dahlia - the Creeping Jenny has little round leaves and bright yellow flowers. I suspect we ARE talking about the same thing. Except you may have the light yellow-green colour.

We head home tomorrow from Vancouver.

Ann

Hello,
We are in montreal for 2 days staying in a hotel but i do not see any pix.i have wireless and able to check emails etc but no pix on the thread!!!. I will just wait till i get home to check your pix.I will be posting sasannie garden when i get home. Bellie

My Creeping Jenny isn't in the yard just spreads widely in the flower beds.
Have a great trip, Bellie.

Is astible hard to get established? I planted a large plant and it looks like it is dying! Maybe it needs more water than I was giving it :(
Teresa

it, is funny, i see pix now!! we are dropping off our friends going back to calif then will head back to quebec till AM then to prince edwrds for 4 days for golf, then to maine. Bellie

Japanese painted fern is nice, In this pix I have ginger as ground cover and smaller hostas, here "Little Aurora". This was planted when I had deep shade now, a few years ago a storm took some Arbovitae down and the Hostas are suffering. This Vignette is about 5 years old.
I too like the newer white leafed lamium and plan to underplant with it. And always an impatient or two. Liguaria the "Rocket" looks good as backdrop, but needs so much water. It is definitely beautiful along a pond. We had a huge Hailstorm late May/early June and the Hostas are a mess. A few years ago I had Elephant Ear "Black Magic" within another Hosta bed, that was Spectacular. Also The Black Castor Bean Plant, but this needs some sun.Helene

Helen, that is a beautiful planting! I love to see the different shades of green. I need to get my camera out and take a few shots.

Teresa in KY

Bellie - sounds like you are having a good trip. How did your visit to Ottawa go? (You can D-mail me if you wish rather than hijacking this thread as a travelogue).

Teresa - in what light conditions is the transplanted Astilbe? I've not had problems with mine, but the ones that are a bit farther from my Linden tree do better than those that are close. If you just transplanted it and it gets sun, maybe it just needs more water until it gets settled in. Good luck.

Ann

I composted it well and it is in dappled shade about 8 ft from a maple tree. Everything else is that bed is growing well. I am at a loss about it. I admire them every time I see them, hopefully this one will pull out of it. I bought some Miracle Grow transplanting solution this week to try on it.

I like Coleus, but this cold, wet spring wasn't very kind to mine. Not too many survived, and the ones that did are way behind!

Teresa, Astilbe will go dormant in our heat and humidity if not kept well watered. I have some that is 3-4 years old that does make it thru the summer, but the ones my wife just planted this year are dying back too. Once established they will be OK and don't worry it will come back next year with a vigor.

Ann, you don't have our hot and humid weather. Believe me it does make a huge difference!

Doug

Doug - we do so! Well maybe not quite as hot being farther north, but Ottawa can get well into the 30's (C) with very high humidity.

Doug, so the top will die back completely now? Hmmm, I have never raised these so I am clueless. I thought they would be green the entire season.

They may not die back completely, but they will be ratty looking. After a few years they will survive the heat better.

Doug

Doug,

I've been watering my Astilbe like I do my annuals. That won't help keep them from dying off? I'm trying them this year for the first time, too. Not sure what to expect. They are really pretty when they are blooming.

Rose

I like the contrasting texture of hakonechloa macra All Gold.

And similarly, contrasting foliage with syneilesis aconitifolia (shredded umbrella plant).

And finally I like having small-leaved asarums wandering around my hosta beds.
This one is asarum takaoi.
The cage in the right of the photo is protecting one of my new mini hostas from my hungry bunnies.

Weerobin, ahhh your companion plants are beautiful, just beautiful. Helene

All your companion plants are just beautiful!

I have the hosta, Lederhosen which is a very unusual slate gray. Am thinking of planting nasturtium Peach Melba with it or another bright yellow shade annual or perennial.

Here is my baby Endless Summer blooming behind calla lilies. Several coral bell are mixed in too. This is a morning shot and the sun is shinning thru. I love shade gardens.
Teresa in KY

This nice little spot was my favorite spring combo this year. I really love all the contrasting leaf shapes... The Elan (sp) hosta is getting very huge. I love the ripplse in the leaves. The white sweet woodruff is my fave shade ground cover. I have it in several of the gardens in our yard. Goats beard, Huskers red, Oak leaf Hydrangea, h. Honeybelles.

Here is a mixed bed of a few dls, iris and coral bells. The stones are old handcut chimney stones from my dad's farm.

Here is GUCAMOLE in the front of tiger lilies.

LOVE PAT with lots of BIG BLUE LIROPE. LMK if anyone needs extra, I love to trade plants.

My little toad house in the morning sun. I love ferns with hosta.

Here is a link to more of my garden pics. I hope you enjoy them.
Teresa
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/876311/