Houzz is being difficult again!

Japanese Forest Grass

Heuchera Purple Palace

Heuchera Silverstreak

Echinacea

Paula..I have hosta deficiency disease hahaha..

great suggestions peren and djacobz..I have several of those same plants..

I didn't find great pics to illustrate this idea..I love annuals/tender perennials with hostas..in pots or in the ground..I love both..

Having issues today. Hopefully 3rd time's the charm.

peren.all love all your Astilbes

Coral Bells - Purple Palace. Great for around a tree where the garden is drier.

Coral Bells- Foamy Bells, Pink Fizz. Blooms most of the season.

Fern - Lady Ghost

Aralia - Sun king back of picture by railing

Stonecrop and Helleborus

Ferns and more ferns

I think here the hosta is the companion to the garden. Garden gone wild.

Sedums

Day Lillie with some hostas

Pachysandra

Fern

European Ginger

Gorgeous everyone!

djacobs I adore your Japanese Forest Grass. I am at the edge of their hardiness, any of the nice ones like yours would struggle.

nw the pots do look wonderful. I so admire those plants but also your commitment to caring for them in all seasons. Awesome!

Thanks Beth! I like all Heuchera but Palace Purple is the best workhorse, not a diva at all. I was so excited to get Aralia 'Sun King' last year. I hope mine likes it here as much as yours likes your garden. How long has it been planted?

sunnywood your gardens are breathtaking! I have to wonder how long some of the Sedum & Pachysandra will last before you shovel prune some to make more room for Hostas lol! European Ginger is among my favorites.

Campanula poscharskiana, Filipendula 'Red Umbrellas' & Heuchera 'Vulcano' peaking out on the left.

Heuchera 'Magnum'

Heuchera 'Venus'

Heuchera 'Marmelade' with 'Pinot Noir' in the background.

Kirengeshoma koreana & Lobelia cardinalis

Kirengeshoma palmata blooms very late. Arucus dioicus just showing on the left. Did a major clean up and redo of this bed after this pic. Luke never misses a photo op.

Ligularia 'The Rocket'

Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford', A. 'Bridal Veil' & Polygonatum - Solomon's Seal bottom right.

Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon', Myosotis (Forget-Me-Nots) spring foliage of Astilbe 'Fanal' on left above 'Stiletto', Alchemilla mollis above right. Did a clean up of this area too in fall.

Cypripedium reginae - Showy lady's slippers.

peren.all my Aralia was planted in 2018 last summer was its first full year. It grew wild, I love how it lights up that corner.

I love your Heuchera 'Magnum' always looking for a red Coral Bells which will make it through the winter. I tried Fire Alarm twice and now have given up on that one.

Sweet Williams

Delphiniums

Purple Palace Heuchera

Eye spy Heuchera

I posted yesterday and It booted my out. :(

And I love to incorporate some Peonies

Thanks for the info Beth that is encouraging. H. 'Magnum' is a nice one but not as red as it looks, the sun is catching the leaves just right to accentuate the colouring. I hear you about 'Fire Alarm' some are divas/duds in the northeast.

So pretty Shadow!

Epimedium sorry about the debris, I did get it cleaned up. I think rocks/boulders are a great companion too.

Phlox stolonifera 'Home Fires'

Polygonatum - Solomon's Seal

Rodgersia aescuifoliaRodgersia pinnata 'Elegans'

Trollius 'Golden Queen'

Geranium phaeum 'Samobor'

Dicentra 'Luxuriant', Campanula 'Sarastro' and a young Actaea 'Hillside Black Beauty'.

peren, I need a "LOVE" button!!!

Sunnywood, -your garden is so well organized. Love it

Beth,- I have tried ferns and for whatever reason, they never amounted to anything

djacobs-I have ornamental grass but moved it to a sunnier part of the yard 2 yrs ago.

and Nicholsworth -I am going to rethink the pots. I may be missing out on something here.

Thanks for the great ideas of more companions

peren..I didn't think of chunky rocks and boulders but they are a big deal to me!..LOVE all of the Rodgersia..

Shadow..a tip..if you don't have a wagon get one (unless you have someone strong and patient to follow you as you wander to find the perfect spot for the pot)..my hubby is strong but doesn't like strolling with me lol..it takes me awhile..even though I know that I could move it later haha..

Brunnera and Amethyst Mist Heuchera......Here is my dream ground behind that tree that I hope to get planted in hostas soon!

Oh caladiums - I forgot about those as I leave them in pots.

Peren, love all your companions.....in your last photo, what plant is top right with that lovely white floral display?

Thank you Shadow, you made my day! We are all such plant geeks lol!

nw I can picture Rodgersia in your garden, they would suit it so well!

Thanks djacobs! Those are the plumes of yet another Rodgersia pinnata. It is actually in another bed across a walkway but I took the pic from a low angle and the pathway & plants are not visible, except for some of the plumes you see.

nw & djacobs I adore Rodgersia for their stature but also because the bloom stalks arise the same time the leaves are emerging. R. pinnata has an added bonus, after the initial flowering is over the calyx (the part that holds the petals) expands and starts to turn pink and ends up deep burgundy. The flower stalks will last through the winter in the garden.

Pink stage

In Sept. The plant needs to establish in the garden for a couple of years before the flowers will perform this way.

In spring the foliage emerges deep bronze before turning green. More than you ever wanted to know lol! Can you tell how much I love these plants?

The only downside for impatient gardeners is that they are slow to establish. A full 3-4 yrs.

Peren, love all the photos of your companions!!

Thank you mbug!!!

peren..I'm the queen of too much information lol..so I love reading the plant details..I saved this post..I hope Houzz won't give me problems when I look for it..

This was a great post. I love seeing all the plants blending together. I have to get better at taking group photos. It’s so helpful when buying, purchasing or dividing plants.

Ugh. Clearly I needed more caffeine before I posted! I meant buying, MOVING or dividing plants. Ai yi yi🤦🏻‍♀️

oursteelers..Lol!!..I must need more caffeine too..I read your comment and didn't notice "buying, purchasing"..time to get a second cup of coffee..

I have much of the same, except I think I need some rodgersia. Unfortunately, they need more time/better pics to show here. One thing I haven't seen here yet is Salvia. Fell in love with them in California. Found a couple hardy varieties or I just plant them as annuals. They look good blooming as the Hostas are succombing to the fall weather. Salvia nutans with Liberty and Clematis 'Niobe' in the back.

Salvia 'Black and Blue'

I usually find a place to throw a Pineapple Sage nearby.

I'm also pretty fond of Japanese Maples and Irises and Peonies and Heuchera and Daylillies and Brunnera and Astilbe ...

Elephant Ears, Begonias, Coleus

steve - which Japanese maple do you have? I'm looking for a cold hearty one and we are in about the same zone and next door.

steve - when was the pic of the blooming pineapple sage taken...and what is your secret for blooms before the cold kills them? (Or is that pic from California...?)

I don't know anything about your climate but just going by the fact that it's zone 6 I'd have guessed that your winter starts earlier than mine. But I've had three seasons now where I got either no blooms from my pineapple sage, or they bloomed for a very short time before they were killed by the cold. I'd love to have those flowers while it's still summery.

Pineapple Sage blooming on Oct. 16. I don't think I get a particularly early start with it, but I do buy a plant and don't start from seeds. They like the sun and heat and water. I had an amazing plant in California that lived for many years and was home to some nice green spiders.

I have over 20 JMs. I haven't lost any in the ground, but we haven't had any severely cold winters since I moved here.

I just wanted you to know that my husband does not enjoy looking at the hostas and plants like I do but he spent 30 minutes reading the funnies for every letter over my shoulder. Then I was allowed to look at the pictures.

Steve, I love your garden photos!!

I mix and combine my hostas freely with other perennials, grasses, ferns and conifers, try to create beautiful combos.

Sun King aralia on the back, Astilbes and Hakonechloa in front

Brunnera Alexanders Great in front, Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford on the back..

Low growing Sedums in front

Alliums and Astilbes

A couple more JMs, Amagi Shigure

Autumn Moon and Coralinum (with Hosta Autumn Moon on the right)

Moonrise

Sister Ghost with Heuchera Plum Crazy and Stainless Steel (and Sweet Tea) and Clematis Pink Mink