only plant more.. if you plan on moving them elsewhere in about 3 years ...

otherwise... it look like spacing is about spot on ...

ken

ps: of course .. it hard to be sure.. since we dont have IDs ... especially since the pic is so far away ... 3rd year is the leap year ...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>I don’t live in Zone 6, but here is my rule of thumb for perennials:

The first year they sleep.
The second year the creep
And, the third year they leap.

So I would leave things as is. This is your chance to focus on some other part of your garden. Enjoy.

I think it looks real nice...
A few things I've come to learn about gardening.....It's always a work in progress...
If something dies....that's called a new opportunity...
And not to forget...it's only a shovel...

I wouldn't add any more. They need room to grow. Should be pretty.

Actually, I'd add a little bit of walking room in there so you can weed without trampling on the plants. Some pavers would help with that.

It’s jam packed. I know, because I do the same thing. Three years later, I’m sorry.

Totally a matter of preference. But if you feel like you want something to use up space and add color temporarily, plant some cheap annuals for now.

As for me, I start my gardens out nicely spaced and then within a month, they somehow become jam-packed with new acquisitions. I don't mind, and actually sort of prefer, packed gardens. I figure you can always move or divide or give away later when/if they get too big.

But many people I know prefer a tidier more sparse look. As gardeners, we seem to respect the way others like their gardens. As long as you garden, that makes you kin. How you garden is up to you.

I am more into the full look. I never really intended for this to be full of hostas, just sort of ended up that way. I wanted a more natural look, with just a couple hosta June. I bought this house 2 years ago, and last summer my mom said she wanted to pull some weeds for me. The backyard was pretty barren, that area was just a bit of old mulch and dry clay. She divided some of her hostas and planted them in my backyard. I'm not much of a gardener, but I do appreciate plants and nature. I have always associated hostas with suburban yards, and I wanted my own suburban yard to have some more natural looking elements.

I guess that's why I was thinking about adding some other plants, to break up the hostas a bit. I hate digging, so odds are whatever goes in probably won't come out unless it dies.

Luckily though, that little garden has almost zero weed growth, other than some tree suckers and random grass, so weeding shouldn't be an issue.

My goal for the last 2 years has been to fill my half acre lot with lots of trees and plants for privacy and beauty. It has become an obsession, but I am hoping to put the obsession to rest after another season or two of watering all my new stuff!

If I ever sell this place the new house will have to be one that is already landscaped to my liking. 10 acres in the middle of a forest with a creek running through it... One day.

your plants look nice..just one thought..the mulch is too high around your trees..they have the telephone pole look - no basal flare..it's a common practice but not healthy..too much mulch rots the bark..I had to pull mulch off all of my trees when I moved into my house..neighbors told me the previous owners spread mulch everywhere to tidy up before the house went on the market..I prefer to see the flare and roots on trees even if mulch was harmless..

I am aware of the deep trunk. I pulled most of the mulch back, problem is the soil is actually what is too high. I imagine it has been this way for years.

Peter, I like how this area looks right now. There’s plenty of space for the plants to grow. As others have said third in general is good growth year. I don’t know about drawf lady ferns, my the ferns I have move around each year as they lose the seed and it gets blown around or the ferns just increase in size where they are planted. It has a very nice look right now. I wouldn’t add anything at this time. Oh, and btw—-us city dwellers love hosta too! :-)

peter..I also had a few trees where the soil was too high..I used a weeder and would carefully pop up bits of soil and smooth it away with my hands..if I were you I would try to fix it..

You could always add some "mini" hostas. They are adorable and addictive. If you want to add plants other than hostas, go for it! Ligularia, foam flower, astrancia, columbines, even the non-climbing clematis do well in shade. What about a brunnera?

I feel this is enough planting for this place. As of now, just take care of your plants and let them grow.

I think there are enough, as well. However, I agree about the hostas, I’m not a fan either. Here are some of the plants I had in my shade garden that did great, in case you want to change it up:

tradescantia, tiarella, heuchera, lady’s mantle, phlox divaricata, geranium maculata, white wood aster.

Have fun!

I think the spacing is good but I wouldn’t add any more. If you don’t want to see bare ground, you could fill in with impatience annually until things fill in.