Your current arrangement is not terrible. Professionals might call it amateurish, but it’s not that bad.

There’s room behind them for a few astilbes, but not too many. Another commonly done thing that amateurs do is overplant and not allow enough room for mature plants. (I overplant even though I know better. I just want ALL THE PLANTS!)

Most of my plants are in a row and I've been gardening for twenty years. But if you want to lift them, they probably won't even notice they've been moved. Neither are fussy. What plants don't like is direct sun and these probably get full shade during the hottest part of the day. The one next to the hydrangea is placed too close.

Plant astilbe where you can keep it consistently moist.

If it's appealing to your eye, then that's all that matters, besides it look rather fine to me as some folks like their plants lined out as such :)

Since it's clearly an edging being in a row isn't really a problem. It's in the main plantings of a border that groups look better. But if you like it what does it matter what anyone else thinks?

That space between shrubs and the eaves may be rather dry for ferns and astilbes. How about a couple more hostas?

Since it's going to grow much bigger, I might move the hydrangea back to the right of the tree trunks, behind the hostas. If it looks empty there when moved, add another hosta, or maybe a fern. The row looks fine! Sometimes, when planting in a row, just varying the size of leaves and colors keeps it from looking like a row.

It’s not a hard and fast rule but I’d probably stagger them rather than a single file line. Hostas are tough, I wouldnt be worried about moving them again.

I am also starting a shade garden. I think it looks nice! Agree there are a couple bare spots that need plants.

For my shady garden I came away with hostas, a Jack Frost brunnera, an astilbe, and a bergenia. It’s a process… we’ll see what does well.

I would move the wavy-leafed hostas and the hydrangea out of that bed. You don't need to fill every space around the shrubs. A row hugging the tree is enough to accentuate the path. I would've done five of either the same hosta or heuchera, not both. Where the solid green hosta is between the rhodies, a heuchera that is not solid green would look better.

Are those rhododendron? If so, I'd do some pruning of whole branches to open them up. It's hard to incorporate perennials in with dense balls of foliage. Also, rhodies don't like their roots disturbed so I never dig too close to them.

Yes. The hydrangea will need a lot more space than that, if it's winter hardy in your region.

It's really not my definition of 'messing things up' Everything alive, thriving, no need to berate yourself. Early days - and probably many more minor issues to solve down the road. Good luck - remember, gardening is a gentle pleasure, not a vicious spectator sport.

Marie that is so kind. Thank you!!!

You all have been so kind! Thank you! Eileen that is wonderful advice. Thank you! Those are boxwoods and red encore azaleas.

I don't see any boxwoods in the pix. Azaleas, yes, and some evergreen I don't recognise, but no box.

Next to the hydrangea in first photo.

Maybe, but that doesn't look like box to me. A close up would confirm but it seems to have longer lanceolate leaves and alternate foliage.

It looks fine. Hosta is a thug, you can dig it up and move it easily. You'll probably need to in a few years, as it is likely to overwhelm the Heuchera.

>>>But I was reading that I shouldn’t place the hostas in a row...<<

What nonsense...I had over 1800 different hosta...and was on 2 national hosta society tours...

Mine were in straight lines so I could irrigate them ... period

Not one person who toured my garden ever suggested I did anything wrong....

The only thing you did wrong was leave out the hosta forum...and not join the hosta society...

It's your garden to do as you wish... nothing new was ever discovered by following elitist snobs who don't really know what is good for your garden and peace of mind

Ken

Rows of hostas for edging a bed along a walk are fine! And will eventually look great as they grow and fill in. I actually don’t like the look of them interspersed here with the red leaves of the heucheras. And I’m not crazy about the wavy-leaved hostas, either. A row of all of the green leaf with white trim would look better, spaced as on the label so they eventually will grow together. As others have said, that hydrangea needs to be moved back, near the multiple trunks - it needs more room. These are young plants and can be easily moved. I would get more of those green with white edge hostas to put in a row, and then maybe group the heucheras in a triangle where the hydrangea is now. Same with the wavy leafed hostas - grouped somewhere.

sorry, i barely noticed the lined up plants cuz i was drooling over your path....that looks very old and happy. Did you put that in? If you want to adjust plants, do it quickly and keep them watered well. But there's nothing wrong with leaving them and watching how it turns out in a few months. The hosta and heucheras will both send up a stalk or more and bloom if they're happy.

UPDATE: we cut the spindly tree down. It was doing nothing for the space and honestly didn’t have any leaves because it was planted too close to the house.
So that said I think I’m going to plant camellias to cover up the tacky utility box BUT they take a billion years to get full. Any ideas on what to plant there? I want a flowering bush.
Thank you Ken for your kind words. We had someone put in the hardscape about 7 years ago.
All of you have been so nice and I love hearing your ideas.

Did you consider a decorative wooden panel to hide the electric box?

That could work thank you! I would really love more flowering bushes in that area.

When my house received a new electrical panel it was necessary to remove a bush to access the box. I hope you're not gonna be me LOL.

Haha! Oh man! Okay thanks! I might reconsider the bush being too close to the box.

Get the roots from the tree out and move the hydrangea there.

Thank you! Yes I plan on moving it there. We have about 8 feet. I am also want a Camilla there as well.

What variety is that hydrangea and where are you located?

It’s a Nikki blue and we’re in zone 8

Nikko blue.

It doesn't matter. I looked up Endless Summer and Nikko Blue as examples, and combined with camellias, they won't fit in 8'. You need a minimum of 12'.

Remove a few azaleas if you want variety.

I think the advice you keep getting and are now seeming to ignore is to allow for mature size.

Thanks! I’ll probably relocate the nikko blue to my backyard garden.

Promise you'll contact MissUtility to get the lines freshly marked before digging near the box. Thanks.

Yes! Thank you! I did today and they were all good with the camellias. She told me how the utility guys have a hard time with some yards with holly berry bushes.

Okay guys! Thank you so much! I moved some plants around and listened to many of you. I just finished in my yard and it looks so much better. I relocated the nikko blue hydrangea Eileen and it is in a much better spot. I changed some of the heuchera to complement the side bed. I even planted a Japanese painted fern and Lenten rose in this area.
I will post a picture of all of the work that I did tonight. It’s too dark to take one. But thank you all for being so kind and patient with me as I figure out gardening.

It is not so usual for someone to listen to suggestions and actually try them out. im sure I’m not the only one who enjoyed the back and forth of ideas and your openness to others’ ideas, comments (and warnings)

Have a wonderful gardening season and check in as your gardens progresses