or this:

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hh

This year I was planning on putting coleus with the hostas. Both are foliage plants but what a contrast in colours! That clematis is beautiful. Do you know the name? Will it take dappled shade? I have violas and white bleeding heart in my new hosta bed. Waiting for the bleeding heart to mature so I can get a picture of it. Marg

hardy geraniums:

ajuga:

siberian iris..(Dance ballerina and bridal jig) with patriot

lamium checkers:

Heuchera dales strain with june and striptease

close up of heuchera dales strain:

tiarella..crowfeather with wolverine:

heuchera (dales strain) with june and wolverine:

columbine..seedling:

Hostas with all the wonderful shade plants shown here really works. Now that I'm growing some hostas in much more sun (thanks to Ken) the options increase.

With Dahlias and ornamental grass.

A small type of campanula

Annabel Hydrangea and 2 Cats

Siberian Iris and Oriental Poppies

Love these perennial "sunflowers"

Roses

Another Rose

A current favourite for filling in is Nasturtiums

Now if I could only get some that are labeled correctly and don't grow to 15 or 20 feet.

My favourite for shade is still red Impatiens

I like Japanese painted fern , impatiens, and Krossa regal.

Here's another I love, June and Palace purple coral bells. Also looks stunning with a Japanese ptd fern with it.

These first-year hosta were added to a bed of azaleas. It works great since they enjoy the same conditions and the foliage contrast makes for a beautiful sight.

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These Halcyon grow with a perennial geranium and a lily beneath a hydrangea.

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Primrose
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Perennial Geranium - 'Karmina'
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Rodgersia (back center) and Sensitive Fern (front)
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Paul

pic's of my young garden - can't wait for it to grow up....

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Then there's succulents in hypertofu pots:

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hh

Fern - Ram's Horn:
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Daylilies and Lilies
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Paul

Here's a 2 yr. old h. Stained Glass and some impatiens.
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Peggy

I planted hundreds of daffodils and minor bulbs amongst hostas in my west border.

As the daffodils fade the hostas fill out and soon completely cover the messy foliage.

Dicentra formosa and Sedum kamtschaticum 'Golden Carpet' with hostas under evergreens.

Changable h. 'Janet,' h. 'Emerald Tiara,' and 'Golden Tiara' with pale pink 'Elfin' impatiens.

Cimicifuga simplex 'Brunette'(foreground) with h. 'Gold Standard,'and in my neighbor's adjoining garden, Hemerocallis ´Stella de Oro.´

Hostas underplanted with lamium 'Silver Beacon' and 'White Nancy' and lamiastrum 'Herman's Pride,' with Aruncus dioicus at the back of the bed.

More lamiastrum:

Blue sage and h. 'Wide Brim.'

Clockwise, Lamium, h. 'August Moon,' h. 'Wide Brim,' and (foreground) pachysandra.

Cosmos patch in a hosta bed, late fall.

Ferns, impatiens, sedum and hostas

(Too many) Rudbeckia Deamii in the back of the west hosta border in fall.

Wow, what lovely photos! I don't have any that look that good. One of my favorite hosta companions is Mukdenia rossii 'Karasuba' It is just has cold hardy, tends to stay a little lower making for an excellent front-of-the-bed specimen and introduces a little red which is a fairly rare color for the shade garden. ...plus it is not very common which I like.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mukdenia rossii 'Karasuba'

I like to use carex and hellebores (they are evergreen here in zone 8).

beautiful pictures. Do any of you have trouble with rabbits when using impatiens? Love the contrast of hostas and bright impatiens, but rabbits eat them to the ground. Mary

Mary, have you tried Coyote or Fox urine? Fox urine is readily available in the sporting goods stores, or that department of many big box stores.

HTH,

hh

Beautiful pictures with nice combinations!

My favorite combo. Japanese Painted Fern, Ligularia, Ostrich Fern & Coral Bells with Frances Williams, Midas Touch and Orange Marmalade. The Ostrich Ferns do have to be pulled like weeds because of their runners. Luckily they don't become too invasive.
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pretty much the first blossoms here . . .

hh