Shove 'em in together

Thanks mikgag!

I agree. I'm working towards that. My first inclination is to polka dot everything, but I'm learning that's not a very sophisticated look. I've studied and studied and studied this year (both on-line and in person at professional gardens) and I think grouping the same or similar things together is best. In swoops, some designers say. :)

Pools of color, swoops of texture, and odd numbered groupings- 3 or 5, never 2 or 4. Symmetry is for formal English gardens- most of us find asymmetrical designs very pleasing to the eye.

If you plant in one hole, as if still one plant, you may find that they grow at different rates...if one is getting more light than the others, for example, it may come back taller next year and then block even more light from your other two, further stunting their growth. Planting separately but beside one another in a drift will give you a natural look, as if Ma Nature did the planting.

any way you want.. throw them on the driveway for an hour.. just to show them who is in charge ...

perhaps the only issue .. based on your collector gene.. do you have room to waste on giving 3 plants 3 spots ... if not.. plant all together.. i mean really .. sooner or later.. you will ned the 2 extra spots.. dont you think ... lol

if you have lots of space ... spread them out..

ken

You should do whatever you prefer. There is no wrong way to design your own garden as long as it's what you like. Keep in mind that you can change it later if you decide you prefer another look.

That's exactly the problem... I really don't have space for three fairly large hostas that don't want full, all-day, scorching Kansas sun. Winter Snow, Final Summation and Cathedral Windows are tolerating that and growing, but I can't say they look beautiful.

I love the look of mass plantings or groupings of the same plant, and I've done that a little bit elsewhere, but for IC, I just don't have the right kind of space. So I can plant them together or plant just one and give the others away.

Connie, and others, have you had failures planting multiples as one? (Of course I realize that if it's a disaster I can always start over... it's just the practical part of me that doesn't want to waste the plant or the money.)

you are way over thinking this ...

if your plant matures.. and you have multiple pips on a single crown ...

what would be the difference of having multiple pips on multiple crowns???

i might plant them 6 or 8 inches apart.. so i could dig up one in the future.. if i might want to gift good friend .. in other words.. just so i could dig one up.. with lesser impact on the others...

there is another option.. i used to have a nursery bed ... when i put little pieces of plants .. just for trading and gifting ... it wasnt more than 4 by 8 feet.. and i made sure i gave them away .. before it just became a choked mess ...

ken

Sounds like a good plan Ken. I think I'll dig the hole a little bigger and space them like that.

I have bought duplicates several times--just planted them near each other. Right now I have 3 Midnight at the Oasis and I've tagged each with the vendor--it will be interesting to see what does best! (I'm not that forgetful--I thought the first 2 had died!)

Thanks Connie. I can see what you mean.... Were they parts of the same original plant, or completely separate plants from the get-go? And, I'm not sure that would make a difference anyway - except perhaps if their ages at planting were very different. Well, I suppose I could do it as an experiment and separate them later if necessary.... Mine are much smaller, and less robust-looking, than yours in the first photo. You started with larger plants.

Gotta say also - they are beautiful! I haven't had the nerve to try GE yet. Maybe someday I'll locate a spot for one and give it a whirl.

Edit - also - the whole scene is beautiful... with the other hostas and companions!

They were not part of the same plant. I've had the smaller one for longer but it doesn't have the same vigor as the other one.

Don't be afraid of growing GE. She is a little picky but worth the trouble. If you see an especially large one for sale, snap it up - they are not all the same. There are some great posts on here about GE's requirements.

Thanks for the compliments about the scene. I have special conditions in that section of the garden and most of the hostas do well there.

That's exactly the problem... I really don't have space for three

===>>> and while you are out there with the shovel.... planting one or 3 of these .. get rid of all you undulatas.. lancifolia.. and all those plain old green ones..

AND MAKE ROOM FOR BETTER ONES...

and then find some friend or neighbor who thinks they are valuable.. and the best gift they ever got.. lol ... or just put them at the curb with a FREE sign ... maybe the edge of the driveway apron would be more apropos ... lol

KEN