I don't know what I'm doing..... What I'm trying to do is create a semi-natural woodland type space in this neglected area of my yard that is dominated by a large oak tree to the west, a large, beautiful Chinese Pistache on the east, bordered on the south by a 40+ year old hedge of euonymous, behind it a fence and a whole lot of very poor, sandy-clay soil. I had these five hostas in the front yard next to the east facing front porch ('giant blue' hostas that I picked up at Lowe's about four years ago). They looked great but they didn't tolerate the sun or the heat and so I transplanted them thinking they would look cool and be less exposed if I created a semi-circle of them around the little volunteer redbud under the expanse of the oak. They're shaded from the sun by the Oak and to a lesser extent by the redbud. They're about 4-foot in diameter and about two feet tall. I transplanted a few little hostas that survived (though neglected) a previous, half-hearted attempt to beautify this spot, (several years ago) in front of the larger hostas. I transplanted the English Ivy (that also survived) in the soil that I built up to attempt a perimeter. Since I took this pic (about 6pm central time), I've taken out the blocks that I put in to retain the soil (on the camera side) from the hostas and the mulch. The soil was heavily and deeply amended with garden soil and potting soil to try to keep the hostas moist. If you notice the sun on the leaves is an afternoon sun, as opposed to a morning sun. They only get about two hours or less a day and I'm actually hopeful they won't get too scorched like they did on the front porch. The erect 4x4s are a pull-up bar I put in for my son, and which I used to tear my rotator cuff! He's no longer at home, so it will come down when I get a round tuit. The new plant under the oak is a climbing hydrangea. I had to raise the bed with garden soil surrounded by walls of clay-soil and firewood, in order for it to have some soil to get started in as the roots of the oak were too prominent to expect the hydrangea to establish quickly or well in such thin soil. I planted more of the ivy around the base of the raised bed. There's also a patch of volunteer ajuga behind the little redbud which seems pretty happy and a dead hydrangea (that I probably drowned) in between the ajuga and the euonymous.
What I'm interested in are suggestions for perrenial companions to the big blue hostas, preferably natives, (I know the hostas are not) and something that might compliment the poorly thought out arrangement. Like I said, I don't know what I'm doing, so I'm asking for your help.
I'm interested in and appreciative of your ideas.
