Daffodils and hosta are a great combination! I'd never really thought of that until I gave a talk to the Pittsburgh "Daffodil and Hosta Society." What an unusual combo, I thought, until the person who invited me explained. Hosta leaves are big enough to poke up through the collapsing daffodil leaves, too... unlike some of the perennials I have to hunt for as they emerge each spring!
Sally, that's a good idea about planting in fall... I know Rick was thinking of having something in place for the memorial celebration, but maybe we could do a planting around the new rhododendron in the center of the bed (hope there's a plan to keep that watered!) and then plant the rest in fall. That would give us some time to propagate plants, too (by fall, I'd have Montauk Daisies in gallon pots).
I, too, was hoping they could provide labor for ripping out old stuff and mulching, maybe even for putting in new plants & shrubs (especially shrubs... I do OK with perennials, but those bigger holes for shrubs just about wipe me out).
Whether we planted now or in fall, I was going to suggest running some soaker hoses (cheaper than drip) down the bed with a quick-connect on the end to make watering easy. I don't know how or if they water their other beds, but even "xeriscaping" plants need water the first couple of years. Well, except last summer. But let's hope it's not quite that wet this year.
