I have a long bunglow and alongside the front of the house is a garden that is hard on the eyes. It is quite long (25 feet) and narrow (4 feet). Right now there are Hostas taking over with other unknowns thrown in for good measure and not to mention a few rocks. I moved in two years ago and have done nothing with it. It is entirely all shade and directly in front of a large front living room window. What plants and placement would make this pleasing to the eye and add a bit more uniformity to the garden. As well, how on earth do I dig out hostas? I tried to do this last summer and they are very sturdy and I was thinking I might need a backhoe.
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boy sure wish I lived near you...I just cant get enuff of them...last year we bought 25 and I still want more and NOPE dont have a huge garden...just love all the varieties and they are no work
Your flowerbed sounds like it has the chance to become something quite fantastic if you let it. Being under the front window, someone must get the opportunity to see it.
First to those Hostas. Check with your local Garden Club to see if they'd like them. In Spring, most clubs have plant sales where they raise funds for their upcoming activities and for the student bursaries many of them give out. They'd dig it up for you and happily haul it away.
If you definitely don't want the Hostas, take a good, sharp axe to it. Chop it in as many pieces as necessary to get it out of the ground. You'll probably find sections of root worth planting if you should change your mind. Ensure that you get all of it or you'll be seeing Hosta later. They're one of the most hardy plants. They flourish in almost any zone and can even be planted up-side-down - they'll find the way up!
With those roots gone, you'll have to add more soil. Bagged topsoil at the reno store/garden center is easy to handle. This is just the planting medium - there is no nutrient value. Adding in some composted manure [the bagged stuff again] will aid in moisture retention and add some nutrients [enough to get a good start]. Never use very smelly compost - it's not ready yet and can burn roots and foliage. Feed with slo-release granular fertilizer after planting.
Next, you'll have to decide on a "look". You could go with evergreens, herbaceous perennials or the spectacular color of flowering annuals.
If you choose evergreens, you can pick from rhodos, azales, pieris japonica, viburnum davidii, nandina domestica [heavenly bamboo - not invasive], bergenia, some ferns and pachysandra [japanese spurge].
Herbaceous perennials [die to the ground every winter] are OTHER managable hostas [there are thousands of varieties in every size], more ferns, perennial geraniums [cranesbills], heucheras, tiarellas, and astilbes [if there is enough moisture]. Many others, too.
If you decide on annuals , you can do a completely different color scheme each year. Impatiens, lobelia, begonias, coleus and heliotrope like a shady situation.
It is now up to you what kind of garden you want to have. Ask if you have more questions. It's in your hands - have fun getting them dirty...