Lamium would look great.

For something quick, an annual in a pot or in ground would work. This would enable you to see if the hostas will fill in.

Longer term, perhaps a nice heuchera? There are some pretty vivid colors available which would provide that visual relief from a sea of hosta green! Maybe a small astilbe? That would give color and some height too. Hakone grass? Color might not be too different but the height and texture would add variation. Ferns?

:)

Dee

I like repeated elements: if you're already using White Nancy in the area, that would be great.

One of my favorite combinations in my yard is Geranium macrorrhizum with my hostas. Weirly, the hostas took off slower than the geraniums this year for the first time, so in this picture the hostas have not spread to their full size. Bigroot geranium is just so easy to grow. I tried lamium with my brunneram, but the lamium could not survive the winter oak leaf tarp.

Pretty deanna! Yeah lamium is not a long-term survivor in my garden either. Too bad because it's quite lovely, especially with hostas. Sorry Marie, but for the life of me I can't find any lamium in your photo lol! What am I missing?

:)

Dee

P.S. And I would never tell anyone else to stop being lazy and get out there. I spend many hours looking at my garden, either outside where in my mind I make great plans, or through the window from my desk where I go on the computer as I look and think and make even greater plans lol, but how many of those plans do I actually implement? And sometimes something small like moving a hosta eight inches over seems like more work than putting in a whole new garden lol!!

Lamium and brunnera grow like weeds in our yard. I like the idea of astilbe or heuchera for a long term solution. We put large pots of coleus among ours. We get the coleus plants that get quite tall and come in all kinds of colors. We also put tubs of impatiens in front of our large hostas. I love caladium and plant a couple of pots as well. You can't beat the gorgeous colors that they come in.

Once again, I lost a response.

I get annoyed when the OP responds with a list of objections to suggestions.So here I go:

maple trees nearby. I have some astilbe nearby and don't want more to water.

I've used caladium before and I think I had problems with its browning out and the leaves just not looking great all season. However in combination with impatiens that pick up the color of veining (or vice versa) it could be very effective.I have plenty of lamium I could take a hunk of and see how it looks

Good old impatients worked while the garden filled in. Then the virus came. It must have abated because certainly shade impatients are back on the market.

I'always enjoy a few nicotian langdorphii or a tall relative here and there.

It has been cold and damp and rainy here. Not sure I should put the heat lovers in right now.

I have a sun garden that needs to be completely reworked. Lost two big shrubs and took down a big tree and it is half empty. It would be helpful to walk away from it for awhile.

I'll try to remember to show you when it's no longer just a thought but a deed!

Marie

Marie, boy do I feel for you!! I can commiserate with you on the loss of a big tree! My “sun tolerants that are new to my garden this year are burning as they adjust…..my yard is full of umbrellas ☂️.

I especially like the idea of a Hakone grass. The bright yellow and green striped leaves would brighten the area. Also like the idea of using pots to try out things. Also agree with miles about potted coleus, of course it’s an annual.

debra

Tricky because the hostas are a really strong presence and have architectural form. I might be tempted with something understated such as a saxefrage fortunii or impatiens omeiana

I'd shove an Astible in there.....

Polly Hill looks wonderful. Such a beautiful delicate color for spring. You have truly beautiful shade space. I love the collections of colors and forms.

I had a long answer to all your thoughtful suggestions but it got wiped out.

There's something about the screens on my phone and chromebook that

makes it too easy to accidently get off track. If that happens the text is gone and not saved anywhere.

Wow Marie I guess I never realized your garden was so big. No wonder why you sometimes need a break lol! Such lovely stonework!

I've been dipping my toe back into the impatiens pool. I used to use them - white in particular - to edge and brighten up my shade gardens till the mildew issue hit. Now I am trying the Beacon series - they are supposed to be mildew resistant. I had mixed results with them last year, (the first year I ventured to plant them) but I don't think it was mildew - just a combination of too hot, too dry, too sunny (I too, lost a beloved triple-trunk oak and my shade garden is suddenly in sun!) but I am trying the impatiens again this year.

Here's another idea for a potted annual - how about tuberous begonias? I think they are quite beautiful and don't really know why I don't use them more often. Okay, I guess I know - they seem to be more expensive than other annuals and they're always last on my list and then I've spent too much money already. Anyway, I digress... how about tuberous begonias lol?

:)

Dee

I love tuberous begonias. They are really eye candy. I havent' had much luck with them

in the garden but they were terrific in window boxes which I had my first gardening season in our first house 45 years ago, My husband buit these monster window boxes with supports and they would have withstood an earthquake. The begonias were gorgeous.

I don't think I knew about fertilizing boxes/pots back then.

onto to Impatiens omeiana and saxifrage fortunai. Sorry if Im mispelling, I stayed up late and its your fault primula, cause I went down the rabbit hole of trying to find these in the US. Of course then I got into about 4 different websites and looking at other delicious offerings.

I would happily move a hosta for the saxifrage. I'd think a bit harder about moving one for the impatiens. The foliage is good, the flower underwhelming. I could be convinced, however. My eyes burn, my back is aching and it really is time for sleep.

Marie

I have a lot of high contrast areas in my garden, so love the yellow hostas for contrast as well as hakonechloa.. But you seem to prefer a more restful look for your beautiful garden. What about epimediums for that area? Super low care but a nice contrast and they fill in nicely.

Yep, an epimedium is my shady version of 'when in doubt, plant a...' They thrive in my wood, where so many other woodlanders have been defeated by drought, roots, overly vigorous competitors. The only other 'proper garden plants' to rise to the challenge are hellebores. Mind, epimediums are quivering on the edge of a very deep rabbit hole indeed.

Are you looking for a contrast to the hostas? Or another ground-cover?

By the way, what a beautiful garden you have, Marie. Serene and artful

May eye candy is simply gorgeous. What a beautiful shade garden. We have jumped back into the world of impatiens--I think all of the heat last summer really ended ours early. We don't see the warnings that they used to have posted in nurseries about viruses, etc. So we're guessing they have somehow managed to develop more resistant strains? I don't know. Just took a look at my back bed where the hellebores are now overwhelming the brunnera. Time to give some more away!

I would want a contrasting foliage shape, so maybe a fairly wide bladed grass, Iris foetidissima, Libertia or a tallish non frondy fern, like Harts Tongue. I also really like Meconopsis cambrica, despite it being so common. Oh, and Hellebores, of course.

When our cousins across the pond write i have scurry to google.

scurry scurry

Thank you for the compliments

come visit any time.

warning: several off topic paragraphs so skip this if you are not in the mood to learn a little about the personal lives of epimedium

No More Hostas if i can help it t

Rainbows End might work but it may be a bit big its colorful

i have about 10 varieties of epimediums a modest collecton by some standards

my favorite is queen esta which is a stately tall variety with largish pink flowers. Flushed Leaf color remains good all season. a baby epi showed up at her feet a week ago. the first was a red epi leaf but disappeared. here is the second leaf. i have since built a protective cage around it

could some one tell me how grow it to adult hood ?

theres soil beneath/ mixed in to that gravel hard to imagine young roots transplanted out of that planting medium

the story is plantsman and epi breeder Harold Epstein found this plant in his own garden and named it after his wife. i cant imagine his wife was as interesting as the historic Queen Esther. . Is this a hybrid of Esta who is inches away and a loose cousin somewhere else ?i have swaths of epimediums in same area.

for epi fans: the great breeder Daryll Probst lived and bred epinedium out in boonies of. massachusetts. the cataligue had directions which also warned one that no public restrooms or restaursnts were in the vicinity. it was aBout 1.5 hours away I went a couple of times andd spent far too much money.. His fiomer partner Karen Perkins took over the business and continued to breed and sell the plants from a modest back garden operation. Daryll went on be a major plant breeder including new coreopsis that couldnt make it through a damp zone 6 winter.

Rainbow’s End

Epi Queen Esta & presumed offspring

the green dot in gravel

actea or cimigifugia- might work

i wish it would seed because i dont want to buy another.

Carex Evergold might look good there

Really like epimedium. I have a couple that have survived, Now, I am jealous--you are so lucky to have "swaths" of them. I will have to try and take some pics of the few that I have been able to grow.

I know this will generate some eye rolling, but Hosta Monkey Business would fit nicely there.

under the oaks

i like monkey business a lot. dont you think it might be overwhelmed by thise huge hostas on either side?

id find a place foe somewhere else for sure.

i have a large gold hakone grass i need to move snd im leaning towards that

or cimigfugia tho i wonder if it might get lost in the shadows

thank you everone for great list of ideas and suggestions. i learned a lot

I'm learning a lot here too.

I have two ideas, jacobs ladder would grow narrow and tall in there, could be a white variety for pop of light in the shade. I love my jacobs ladder that pops up all over the place, maybe not for everybody?

Jeffersonia dubia, I've been delighted with mine this year. It's shorter but sooo early that you'd get gorgeous purple bloom before your hosta showed up, I think, and then lovely filler foliage after that.

Really enjoyed your photos, thank you, beautiful! My shade garden is full of equisetum (horsetail) but other than that I'm enjoying it and working on it and I have learned a lot here.

Tiarella comes to mind, in addition to what's been mentioned.

dark leaved Actea elsewhere

The flowers are fragrant,

very tall and be seen from a be seen from a distance

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I really had to stretch my imagination and use google sometimes to check out some of your suggestions. Re; Jacob's Ladder after mine blooms the foliage just lies down and plant is not much of a prsence any more. Some plants I was dubious about the lack of sun. And others, I decline because I don't want more green and round there.

It needs yellow. May, Fire Island or Curly Fries would look good.

My Monkey Business grows in a frost-resistant pot outside. It is very vertical. I like the pot because it helps me see the nice maroon petioles.

I have like curly fries .

isnt it small/shirt

i agree somethinh bright

I should consider taking out one of the two hostas and putting in aralia whatever the gold one is.....senior moment....It would be a nice punctuation mark.

Whatever you choose I would want to repeat it a few times throughout the bed, not just have a solitary specimen.

You are right Flora.

my tendency towards ”onesies” has lessened but sometimes i cannot 'see' what I've done until I've stepped away physically and mentally. Then I might be to tell something worked or didn't.

Frequent among those reasons is a "onesie" making a dot, not a 'flow'

The hosta left of space is 26” tall the one to right is about 20”.

the dark brown actea is already 36” and still pushing leaves at the top. i think it will top out at least 48” not including the flower.

I already have green and dark leaved acteas in the bed.i cant think of any thing gold and shade tolerant except all-gold hakone grass which would add texture, color.,flow but not height . several other grasses in various beds around the garden beds.

Opinions or are you all sick of the subject?!

Hi Marie! Love, love, love your garden! Looking forward to seeing it soon in person!

In my shade garden mixed in amongst hotas are tiarella with pink flowers which gives a nice pop of color. I just picked up and planted heuchera ’lime marmalade’ a beautiful yellow. Not sure if you have room there for a yellow bleeding heart? My yellow ones dont seem to get as huge as the plain old ones. There’s also that iris for the shade garden that has purpleish leaves. I think you identified it for me once, so hopefully you know what it is or which one I’m talking about. I’m also kind of partial to foxglove grandiflora which is nice in shade. What about a fern of some sort? Heck, I have so many varieties (volunteers) around my back deck I can bring some down next time and you can play around with them if you want. I have found stokes aster blooms quite well in the shade.

Oh!! What about some of my double trillium there! It does wither away later in the summer but I imagine hostas would be filling in more by then anyway? I’ll dig up a clump and divide and bring some down either way. I know you can find a spot for it!

The trillium erectum (luteum) is much taller this year and makes me think it would work there. Someone already mentioned Jeffersonia. Spectacular early foliage and flower then turns to a nice green clump.

I can’t remember, do you have any columbine in that border? That could be nice in there.

You know I get so excited about shade plants!

Re:Iris foetidissima, I love it (from the pictures) Flowers meh, but they are not the point. The foliage and berries look wild-ish and unstructured in the photos. Are they actually like that/

Pushing the hardiness a bit because I'm 6a and we have very deep freezes on occasion.

Libertia its description reads 'full sun' this is full shade, at times bright shade. Nice plant; I really like it.

"or a tallish non frondy fern, like Harts Tongue." /I've liked it & used it but here it only grows to 18". Am I getting too hung up on a plant getting 'lost' among the hostas which are between 22" and 28" tall? Tell me if I am.

re: g. maccrorhizum I have several and use them as ground covers. I thinK I have enough of them, thank you! I love them too.

thyme to dig: so many thoughts. My first reaction to several you mention is that they are, short.

Several would look great but in spots other than the "hole" in question

Back to my wondering if I'm hung up on that. I think I do have to pot up candidates and plot them in visual confirmation.

I'm not going to turn down a piece of double trilium. I still wish I'd bought the double bloodroot.at Garden Visions.

Columbines have never lasted more than a season this garden. I believe it is too shady.

And once the blooms are finished the columbine leaf miners destroy the foliage so there's hole in there. There are other spots for Stokes etc but more to the front where there's a bit more sun.

I've done entirely too much thinking for this hour of the night. And the blue light stimulations will surely keep me awake.

I foetidissima has a pale yellow form, ’Citrina’, but the main thing is that they are evergreen. They don’t strike me as particularly unstructured, but my whole garden is like that so maybe I don’t notice. They self sow but not problematically.

I have seen Libertia growing and flowering in quite heavy shade in a local park. RHS says it will grow in light shade.