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Heavenly Hosta Playmates

© Emily Levitt

Last year, I decided to perk up my hosta collection with color and texture accents. The usual impatiens had become boring, albeit useful, and I wanted to see what I could find that would give the shade some pizzaz.

Visiting several nurseries located well off the beaten path yielded some of the most interesting specimens. One of my favorites, primarily used for texture, is Japanese plum yew (Cephelotaxus), a plant recently named a Gold Medal selection here in Georgia.

This low growing, soft needled conifer is hardy in sunny coastal areas and shade alike, and is a terrific accent plant for blue and gold leaved hostas . It 's hardy to Zone 6b to 9a, which covers a lot of territory. It deserves wider use!

There are caladiums in all colors and sizes, which are exclamation points in the shade. I bought a mixed bag of mystery caladuim bulbs in a bin at a local MegaMart, and put them in a tray of soil in my potting shed to see how they would look once they "showed up." Some were purple, others pink, and a few were white. I put them in individual peat pots with slow-release fertilizer and a couple of Water Grabber granules, and buried them where I needed them. I got more compliments on them than almost anything else!

The late season entry in the fun with hosta division is the unjustly named "toad lily" (tricyrtis spp.) This charming perennial blooms late in the season on arching stalks of leaves, producing dozens of tiny orchid-like flowers.

I bought the 'hirta' specie (photographed here in my garden last fall) two years ago and it has transplanted itself in damp areas all over the garden. It is also available in variegated form, and with other flower colors. Quite eye-catching when placed close to a walkway of doorway! and certainly something to keep color interest going at a time of year when most things are on the fade. I can't say enough about them as a peak point for the fall garden, and for background texture in summer.

AND-- for my last suggestion for hosta pals--also blooming later-another whacko name for a great plant,"turtle head." No, not the one Bill Cosby was afraid of as a kid, lurking under his bed... (remember that one?) The chelone spp. likes light shade, moist conditions, and some company. It ends to get leggy when left alone, so pinch it back when it gets to be about a foot high, for fuller plants with more blooms. Both pink and white flowering specimens of this native wildflower are widely available.

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