Terrace is a great idea, it will increase the size of the space.

Also consider the height and depth your eyes get from NOT terracing...
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Also consider the height and depth your eyes get from NOT terracing...
regatta

Let me see if I have the question?

To terrace or NOT to terrace that is the question?
Whether to take shovels against a hill of dirt,
Or, by digging remake the space so carefully,
Made by God and end it.
Is that the question?

No. The question is which hosta, among the five given, is the best to make an architectural statement. It's Clovelly, hands down. More architectural than the others, and just beautiful in its habit and shape. Color is great too, rich rich green with maybe a hint of blue.

Oh, silly me, EO was just jokin' around.

I think Clovelly would be a bit small for 4' of space. Of the 5 you listed, Queen of the Seas would be my first choice. Phantom is also very nice, then #3 for me would be Cutting Edge, then Clovelly, then Reptillian.

I agree that Queen of the Seas fits the bill nicely. It depends on whether you want to make a statement from standing back or if you want something special up close. Clovelly will not make much of a statement when you are standing away from the bed but will be beautiful if you are standing next to it.

I've been planting hostas all weekend, so didn't get a chance to respond (hard to type when you're filthy).

But I have checked back. Regattagirl - thanks for the perspective on the terrace thing. It does look like the hill shows off more hostas than a flat terraced area (that is above eye level) would, if that's what you mean. Hmm - We're not very ambitious anyway, so maybe just a short terrace/edge to give the area some definition and fill in a bit of the slope. We have a bunch of bricks left over from an old patio, so I can see doing something about three bricks high. Of course I have no idea how to make it sturdy, but I guess that's for another post.

EO - didn't know you were a poet with all your other talents. I was asking about the plants but threw in the idea of a terrace anyway - glad I did.

I kept seeing people write about how great Clovelly was, but never saw it in person. I did see QOS and Cutting Edge and thought they were great. I was a little worried that QOS would be too big, but CE wouldn't make enough of a statement. Also saw Reptilian and thought it had potential, but it was too small to get much of an idea.

I do want it to make a statement from afar - it's nicely perched so you can see it from all over our yard, but because it's on a hill, we probably won't go up there as much.

So the upshot was that I ran out to a local nursery during a break from planting, and got both a QOS and CE (oh no - two more to plant). I was actually delighted that I didn't buy anything else (oh well maybe a really small one).

I'm thinking QOS on the hill. Unfortunately, I can't find a good spot for the CE, but just saw on another post that hey j had one in a half barrel planter and it looked great. I've been avoiding hostas in planters because I'm thinking they need more frequent watering, but maybe just one.

So thanks everyone - you're terrific with ideas and insight. I'll try to post pictures when everything is planted.