Foliage Combo for Edging in Shade

This combination of plants is excellent for creating a tapestry of foliage that edges a path or fills in the front of a border. You can use this “building block” combination to add ground-plane interest to other planting schemes that occupy the mid-plane and canopy. If you don’t want to manage the colonizing and ground-covering Blechnum penne marina, you can substitute Asplenium trichomenes (Zone 3-9). This substitution will also increase the hardiness of the overall vignette because Blechnum is the plant that limits hardiness to zone 7. This combination is primarily grown for its foliage, but the Brunnera and Hosta both bloom in late spring to summer. Both plants’ appearance is greatly enhanced by deadheading as the blooms fade. 


Growing Conditions

Zone: 7, 8, 9
Exposure: Part Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Part Shade
Water Needs: Average

Design Considerations

Style: Naturalistic, Northwest Eclectic
Features: Varied Foliage, Texture, and Form, Fabulous Foliage
Focus: Efficient Use of Space, Mixed Border, Small Space, Building Block
Seasons of Interest: Three Seasons of Interest, Spring, Summer, Fall

Care and Maintenance


Maintenance Level: low
Maintenance Tasks: Deadheading



Plants In this Combo