I think this is a duplicate post. Or deja vu.

Just fill the whole area with hostas!

-Babka

It’s a good idea to get more hostas and plant it up... nice space you have there! And I wish I had your shade!

I’d say- avoid a ‘polka dot’ effect. Plant in groups or drifts. Even if you plan to keep the grassy area in the middle, you can enlarge and shape the beds around the shrubs and plant with hostas and a few companion plants for interest.

Heres a good article with design tips for hostas: http://www.finegardening.com/article/designing-with-hostas

As the others say, why not plant the whole bed with hostas, ferns and others? I'd love to have so much empty garden space. Some nice big ones in the middle :-)

Thanks. I did post up about this are before but I was referring them to the area between the road and this area. I didn’t update that post yet but I put in to hydrangeas and a long row of big blue liriope. I think it will be a nice look while driving past. I wanted hostas but I wanted something evergreen too so I decided on the liriope.

Now I’m focused on the edge between the grass and this shade bed, or planting all in between the azaleas.

I will look at those articles and appreciate that, I am trying to decide if I should plant all of a single Hosta or do more drifts of different varieties.

Karen, I would love ferns too but the only god hardy fern I have found are autumn fern and holly fern. I’m. Or if on holly fern because of the glossy low laying look, and autumn I don’t like the autumn colors ! Haha I’m picky I guess but your right I may need to find a way to deal with it. I need bigger sized plants because this area is large and not an area you will walk up to. It’s an area you will drive by mainly or see while on the porch. So no small bulbs or plants

Bsmith, glad your post wasn’t an accident. Some big variegated hostas in the middle would look great when the azaleas are out of bloom. Did someone post that pic of a yard with a bunch of big Liberties lining the sidewalk in your last post? They take a while to grow but are so impressive when they are mature.

bsmith, have you seen the post about giant hosta? There is room enough for quite a few of them. And as I'm still a big fan of Japanese maples... :-) Hydrangeas and Liriope sound nice, please share pictures in summer. Imagine sitting on the porch and that corner is filled with a wide variety of wonderful light colored hostas. The azalea leaves are so dark when they are not flowering.

Ooooh - I like the idea of a Japanese maple or two... for some different color and height variation.

LOL - I think some of us are having a lot of fun imagining what we would do with that lovely space and shade.

I think it'd look very nice.

bsmith, while considering your location I have a suggested hosta to brighten up that area. Tortilla Chip is one I found to look better in more shade, rather than more sun. It also is from plantaginea lineage, which means it should do well in your warm climate. (Would look great with a red Jap. maple)

Give everything space to grow........

I knew I’d get you hosta lovers wound up! :)
I do like the Japanese maples but the pines are all so close I feel like they may be right up on each other and also block the view from the street to the house.

I tried to get some better pictures but I couldn’t. I think I going to try to do why y’all said and make 3 or 4 clusters f different species. Maybe one on the side bordering the grass, one in the back that you’ll see when on the porch, one while driving past, etc. I also want to try and add some ferns in there, not sure how but I see what you all mean by clusters and don’t want to crowd the area at all but I think I can do some clusters wrapping around an azalea here or a row there and a single giant in another spot, etc.

You all are so mean.. I looked at my pictures and actually think I can add one in the back corner. Haha, I think it would look great too. I’m at work so I’ll have to look when I get home to make sure it won’t block anything but I do like it in that back spot. Then the azaleas would be below it and then the hostas all around. That’s is why I love this site, always giving me new ideas I wouldn’t have thought of.
But.. I’ve never seen a jap maple look like that, I’ve always seen trees. Is that a special variety?

Don't know the names, they were both findlings...But you can ask in a garden center or maybe someone else can recommend some. I've seen a lot of small ones around here. Or check the internet for dwarf japanese maples...the leaves of the yellow burn in too much sun, so it would be perfect for the shadow under the trees, the red one is in sun all day long, no problems at all :-)

The yellow looks like this in spring...

Awesome trees Karin, I'm jealous, I can't seem to grow them, I'm tired of burning so much money on them.

bsmith, there has to be some nurseries in SC that have good selections of Japanese maples. Might have to ask around a little, or do some web searching. I really think that space in your yard, is begging for one.

I also wanted to recommend Dixie Wood Fern for that area. Grows about 4 feet tall, and no special care necessary, and doesn't take over like some others do.

Steve, actually all my trees are bargains or seedlings I collected in gardens...Very small ones some time, I keep them in pots for a few years and plant them whenever they seem able to survive winter unprotected...

Found those last year...

Me too, Steve, DH calls me Kathy, The Tree Killer.

I'm also jealous of gardeners who can look at a plant and know just what it wants, water, fertilizer, etc. Me, I don't have that sixth sense. I put a plant in the ground, water it a few times, and then it's on it's own. If it lives, great, it belongs in my garden, if it dies it doesn't belong.

I have tried babying some Japanese maples in the past, and they still choked. My best luck is in pots, but even then, I've lost them. My only survivor in the ground, is a viridis cut-leaf one, in dry, complete shade of Norway maples and black locusts. It doubled it's size in 20 years, now about 2' x 3'. I love seeing them in other peoples gardens though.

This is my background screen at the moment, Full Moon maple from Longwood Gardens a few years back

As my maples are in the same beds or region with pots as my hostas, they get the same treatment...I water them well and that's it...I'm just lucky that I have good garden soil, no need to fertilize...I try to avoid cutting them, I read that they don't like it. So they grow as they want. That Full Moon maple looks good!

Kathy the tree killer, that's not nice...

Try to find seedlings then at least you don't loose money.

Now... regarding the Japanese Maples... that's something you might actually find a bargain on at Walmart or the other big box stores. Just look for one with a decent root ball and promising trunk/limb structure.

Since I’ve never had one, how long would you say that they stay leafed out in my area? Also when will they turn from green to the red colors?

I finished out the front, just thought I’d share a pic.. 6 liriope in the row and two hydrangeas behind it. Just enough to give it some summer pop after the azaleaa

I like your shady wooded neighborhood..reminds me of my own..where are you?..Myrtle Beach?..Charleston?..Hilton Head?..I love SC..hoping to move there someday..a pic to show you..a mass planting of hydrangeas..if I ever move to SC I would try this..

I would still want hostas, ferns and Japanese maples too..are the hydrangeas that you planted macrophyllas?..