If your garden has oodles of shade, you can still make it appear green and inviting using such shade loving plants as hostas and ferns. Both are wonderful ornamental foliage plants that add grace and charm to any garden area, including in pots on patios and decks.
By Esmee McCornall
Hostas and ferns can be best enhanced by appropriate placement of landscape garden garden elements such as statuary, or a stone bench, brick walk or birdbath nearby (also known as hardscape). Such elements make a nice contrast to the rich, lush and graceful greenery that both ferns and hostas provide—just visualize yourself relaxing on a hot summer’s day on a stone bench set in a cool, soothing and serene border filled with hostas and ferns!
Because shady areas generally retain much more moisture than sunnier garden spots, including a cobblestone, pebble or brick path is a good idea from the standpoint of keeping shoes and bare feet clean and dry. If your shade garden is under large trees that lend a woodland feel, you can also use a natural bark pathway. More formal gardens are best accentuated with brick or tiles, while cottage-type gardens are well suites to paths of pebbles or paving stones.
To make your shade garden with ferns and hostas area especially appealing, add a water feature. A small fountain or waterfall is reminiscent of a mountain stream where these plants grow wild. You don’t have to spend a lot to get this effect: Even a small reflecting pool will do the trick quite nicely.
Hostas and ferns also blend nicely with other shady spot plants that volunteer themselves naturally, such as mosses and lichens and can be beautifully set off by incorporating a few large rocks or boulders into your plantings.
To add visual diversity to your shade garden, be sure to include at least a few hostas with variegated foliage, preferably planted in front of the largest dark green ferns. The cream and gold colors of variegated foliage will accentuate both the hardscape elements and the solid green plants simultaneously.
To further complement your hostas and ferns, sprinkle a few early blooming woodland wildflowers such as crested irises and creeping phlox and some late bloomers like goldenrod and mountain anemones.
Shade gardens are tremendously rewarding to grow. Though preparing the soil and placing the hardscape elements can be time consuming, once these are in place garden is designed and planted, the hostas and ferns will continue providing a soothing visual with very little care.
By Esmee McCornall
Hostas and ferns can be best enhanced by appropriate placement of landscape garden garden elements such as statuary, or a stone bench, brick walk or birdbath nearby (also known as hardscape). Such elements make a nice contrast to the rich, lush and graceful greenery that both ferns and hostas provide—just visualize yourself relaxing on a hot summer’s day on a stone bench set in a cool, soothing and serene border filled with hostas and ferns!
Because shady areas generally retain much more moisture than sunnier garden spots, including a cobblestone, pebble or brick path is a good idea from the standpoint of keeping shoes and bare feet clean and dry. If your shade garden is under large trees that lend a woodland feel, you can also use a natural bark pathway. More formal gardens are best accentuated with brick or tiles, while cottage-type gardens are well suites to paths of pebbles or paving stones.
To make your shade garden with ferns and hostas area especially appealing, add a water feature. A small fountain or waterfall is reminiscent of a mountain stream where these plants grow wild. You don’t have to spend a lot to get this effect: Even a small reflecting pool will do the trick quite nicely.
Hostas and ferns also blend nicely with other shady spot plants that volunteer themselves naturally, such as mosses and lichens and can be beautifully set off by incorporating a few large rocks or boulders into your plantings.
To add visual diversity to your shade garden, be sure to include at least a few hostas with variegated foliage, preferably planted in front of the largest dark green ferns. The cream and gold colors of variegated foliage will accentuate both the hardscape elements and the solid green plants simultaneously.
To further complement your hostas and ferns, sprinkle a few early blooming woodland wildflowers such as crested irises and creeping phlox and some late bloomers like goldenrod and mountain anemones.
Shade gardens are tremendously rewarding to grow. Though preparing the soil and placing the hardscape elements can be time consuming, once these are in place garden is designed and planted, the hostas and ferns will continue providing a soothing visual with very little care.
Incorporating Hostas and Ferns in Your Garden Design
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