27 Hosta Companion Plants For Shady Garden Areas

Hostas rule the shade. They are great foundation plants that other perennials can easily be layered against to create garden harmony. The possibilities are endless.

If you’ve decided to plant hosta and hosta companions, you’ll need to pay close attention to foliage textures and colors that will complement and contrast against them. This will help create stunning and visually interesting combinations in your garden or container planting.

While there are many hosta companion planting options, I’ve outlined my favorites below whenever I’m creating new arrangements for my shade garden or containers. Any of these combinations will help you create a visually stunning garden space, especially in shadier areas where it’s tougher to grow.

Hostas

	botanical name Hosta spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6″-4′ tall, 5″-5′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

I feel like I needed to get the obvious one out of the way first. The best hosta companion plants are other hostas. I wrote an article about 31 unique varieties of hostas (worth checking out if you’re looking for perfect hosta pairings). A friend called me afterward in disbelief, saying, “There are that many hostas?!”

She’d always assumed hosta was just a plain green shade plant. In reality, there are over 3,000 hosta varieties, and some look so different it’s hard to believe they’re even the same species. Simply mixing and matching hostas can create a patchwork of foliage colour in a shade garden. They also grow well together without competing for nutrients the way other plant pairings sometimes do.

One of my favourite combinations is a chartreuse-leaf Sum and Substance hosta next to an August Moon hosta, finished with a Guacamole hosta that has a medium green margin and chartreuse centre to tie everything together.

Coral Bells

	botanical name Heuchera spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 18″ tall, 18″ wide
	hardiness zones 4-9

Coral bells might just be a hosta’s best friend. They like the same soil, water, and light conditions, and they are both leafy marvels. Coral bells have a different ruffled leaf shape and come in a range of colours, including deep purples, chartreuse, and red.

When the contrasting textures and colours of coral bells are planted in and among hostas, they create a beautiful tapestry of foliage. Try a dark purple variety like Heuchera Black Pearl next to a blue variety of hosta, like Blue Angel, for a striking combination.

I also really like that coral bells have an evergreen quality. They pop up before the hostas, so you’ll have heuchera growth in the early spring garden instead of the bare soil hostas leave behind until they decide to emerge later in the season.

Creeping Jenny

	botanical name Lysimachia nummularia
	plant type Herbaceous perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2″ tall, 24″ spread
	hardiness zones 3-8

Creeping jenny, or Lysimachia, is my garden hot sauce. I put it on everything, but alongside hostas is one of my favourite uses, especially the golden variety. Under the base of hostas, it covers the soil and acts as a natural mulch to keep the soil moist.

The golden colour makes any chartreuse in variegated varieties, such as Guacamole, Stained Glass, or Whirlwind, really pop. Just be aware that Lysimachia can get out of hand. It is a vigorous invasive species in many parts of North America. In those regions, plant these hosta companions in a container or avoid planting them altogether.

Ferns

	botanical name Multiple species
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height Variety dependent
	hardiness zones Majority 4-8

Ferns are excellent hosta companion plants. The light, airy texture of fern fronds against the large, solid hosta leaves is visually interesting, even when it’s green on green. I think this combination is what makes a shade garden feel truly lush, almost like you’re living in a jungle. As a cold-climate zone 3 gardener, I’m always craving that jungle feeling.

Ostrich ferns and male ferns, for example, are generally taller than hostas and make an excellent backdrop with hostas in front. Smaller ferns, such as Japanese painted fern or tatting fern, work well among or even in front of hostas to add interesting textures and colour variation.

Tuberous Begonias

	botanical name Begonia (Tuberous Group)
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 18″ tall, 16″ wide
	hardiness zones 9-11

I love putting a few tuberous begonia plants in and among hostas. They add bursts of colour that break up the sometimes uniform green of shade gardens.

I’m usually a more-is-more gardener and prefer masses of annuals over one or two spread out. But tuberous begonias in a hosta bed are the exception. You can space a few large-flowered tuberous begonias throughout your hostas, and they will still make a big impact with their oversized blooms.

I love the Nonstop® series. Nonstop® red has giant balls of crimson blossoms that can be seen from across the garden. They also come in yellow, pink, and white, so take your pick. Tuberous Begonia plants like the same water, sun, and soil conditions as hostas, making them perfect hosta companion plants.

Vinca Vine

	botanical name Vinca major
	plant type Annual
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-8″ tall, 24″ spread
	hardiness zones 7-9

Vinca vine is an evergreen vine that pairs beautifully with hostas. Be aware that vinca vine is aggressive, borderline invasive, so check whether it’s on the invasive list in your area before planting. I like that vinca is up and out of the ground in early spring. Hosta gardens can look like bare soil until they decide to start growing later in the season.

Their glossy green leaves, available in pure green or variegated forms, look lovely with hostas. Their purple flowers are the same colour as most hosta blooms, creating a coordinated look for purple flowering plants throughout the season. Just note that they don’t bloom at the same time – Vinca flowers in spring, while hostas bloom in late summer.

Hydrangeas

	botanical name Hydrangea spp.
	plant type Perennial shrub
	sun requirements Full sun to partial sun and shade
	height 36-48″ tall, 48-60″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-11

Hostas and hydrangeas are the classic combination. This pairing graces the covers of gardening magazines and is all over Instagram, and for good reason. Hostas growing around the base of those large pom-pom blooms are undeniably gorgeous. Hydrangeas also make great hosta companion plants because they share a preference for acidic soil, just like hostas.

They both have wide leaves and create a lush, full look. Then, later in the season, when the hydrangeas start flowering in blues, pinks, or whites, the display is spectacular. If you live in a zone where the classic blue or pink hydrangea doesn’t grow, try an Annabelle hydrangea or a Peegee hydrangea. Both perform beautifully in colder zones.

Sweet Woodruff

	botanical name Galium odoratum
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 12″ tall, 24″ spread
	hardiness zones 4-8

This sweet woodland ground cover is lovely with hostas. It has dainty, glossy green foliage that pairs beautifully with large hosta leaves. In spring, it explodes into tiny white star-shaped flowers that peek through the smaller, new hosta leaves and look wonderful. It does need occasional maintenance to keep it in place, but it’s easy enough to pull or dig out if it starts interfering too much with the hostas.

Tulips

	botanical name Tulipa spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-36″ tall, 6″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

I love this sneaky little combination. In fall, when the hosta foliage is on its way out, grab a bag of tulip bulbs and plant them in and among the hostas. When spring comes and the hostas are still sleeping, the tulips will pop up and do their cheery tulip thing.

Then the hostas will emerge as the tulips fade, and the hosta leaves will cover the dying tulip foliage. This works especially well in a part of the garden that’s shaded by a deciduous tree. In spring, the tulips will get plenty of sun before the tree leafs out. Once the leaves fill in, it becomes a shady paradise for hostas. These colourful, low-maintenance perennial flowers make excellent companion plants for hostas.

Brunnera

	botanical name Brunnera macrophylla
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 24″ tall, 18″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

Brunnera is another leafy marvel that fits easily in and among hostas. It usually has a frosted-looking foliage that pairs beautifully with hosta greens.

I love coral bells, hostas, and brunnera all together in one bed. They create a patchwork of foliage, and since they are all roughly the same size and stay in their own space without spreading, this trio makes a great low-maintenance design option with a lot of visual impact.

Allium

	botanical name Allium spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-36″ tall, 6-12″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Alliums are fall-planted bulbs that pop up in spring. They look like purple lollipops on sticks. One of my favourite plants, they add so much impact and a touch of garden whimsy. They also work beautifully with hostas because hostas hide their lower foliage.

When an allium blooms, the thin grassy base of the plant is already starting to yellow and die back. That’s the downside to alliums. The trick is to plant them where the lower leaves can be hidden by another plant, so the blooms look like lollipops floating through your garden. Hostas are perfect for this, since they are emerging just as the alliums are blooming and their lower foliage is fading. The hosta leaves cover the allium leaves perfectly.

This is another great option for shade gardens under deciduous trees. Just like with tulips, the alliums will grow and bloom before the tree leafs out, and once the leaves appear, they create the ideal shade for the incoming hostas.

Lettuce

	botanical name Lactuca sativa
	plant type Annual / Biennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-18″ tall, 6-18″ wide
	hardiness zones 2-11

Okay, hear me out on this one. Vegetable gardening has become even more popular over the last several years. I struggle with vegetables, and I could never figure out why. Not with growing them, but with wanting to grow them. Why don’t I want to plant something my family and I can eat, yet I’ll happily grow tons of ornamental plants? After thinking about it, I realised it’s because I garden for the art of it.

I love visually appealing gardens. Vegetable gardens can look nice, but they’re often grown more for function than beauty. At the same time, I adore fresh garden vegetables. So I started sneakily planting vegetables throughout my garden beds.

Lettuce is perfect for this because you can find beautiful and delicious varieties. I love mesclun cutting mixes. They have chartreuse, green, red, and purple all mixed together. I throw the seeds into my hosta beds in early spring, and they start popping up. If the hosta leaves begin to take over, that’s the perfect time to cut them for salads.

I don’t put too much thought into it. For a one-dollar packet of seeds, I use what I can. Or I buy head varieties like romaine, iceberg, or a red leaf type such as oak leaf, or even an interesting textured one like frisée. I plant these in front of or among the hostas and cut them as needed. It’s the best of both worlds for me – beautiful gardens and tasty fresh vegetables.

Dogwood

	botanical name Cornus spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-20′ tall, 10-15′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Hostas need wind protection, and dogwoods provide exactly that. These hosta companion plants also add structure to a garden, and their red branches (which now come in yellow and pink, too) bring beautiful winter interest.

One of the challenges with shade gardens is that much of the plant material fades away in winter, leaving the space looking bare. It’s nice to have something to look at through the cold months.

Dogwoods offer wind protection, light shade, lush summer foliage, and striking winter colour with their bright branches. They make an excellent hosta companion. I highly recommend Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’. It’s a tidy, rounded shrub with vivid red stems and beautiful variegated foliage.

Clematis

	botanical name Clematis spp.
	plant type Perennial vines
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-20′ tall, 3-20′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Clematis is a great match for hostas that grow in sunnier conditions. The lighter-coloured hostas are especially well suited for this pairing. Clematis likes cooler feet with sun on the upper vines. In spring, when temperatures are still cool and the clematis begins to sprout, it needs sun to get going. Then, once it grows taller, the hostas will fill in and shade its base, helping to keep the soil cool and moist.

Choose a clematis adapted to your area, or one that’s native to your region, to ensure strong growth. Avoid invasive clematis vines to prevent unwanted spread.

Muscari

	botanical name Muscari spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 9″ tall, 4″ wide
	hardiness zones 4-9

Muscari, sometimes called grape hyacinth, is a lovely hosta companion. It is a fall-planted bulb that can be tucked in and among hostas. In early spring, it will pop up and bloom before the hosta leaves emerge. Once the hostas leaf out, they will cover the stringy, grass-like foliage left behind by the muscari. I like planting these hosta companion plants in a river pattern that runs through the garden.

When it’s in bloom, it creates a spectacular floral river of blue sweeping through the garden. After blooming, though, muscari is left with those stringy, grass-like fronds. If you plant it in solid blocks, you’re stuck with patches of messy foliage through summer. A flowing wave, on the other hand, lets you cover the fading leaves with other plants, like hostas, that will hide the foliage once it’s finished blooming.

Alyssum

	botanical name Lobularia maritima
	plant type Annual
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6″ tall, 12″ wide
	hardiness zones 5-9

I was at a backyard wedding years ago, and they had planted a front border of alyssum all along their garden. Every time a breeze came through, the sweet scent wafted beautifully. I loved it. This is another plant that won’t handle deep shade, but part shade alongside hostas is perfect.

Alyssum gives a garden a beautiful, formal appearance. A bed with hydrangeas in the back, hostas in the middle, and a border of alyssum in front would be stunning. It blooms all season and requires little maintenance.

Chives

	botanical name Allium schoenoprasum
	plant type Herbaceous perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 18″ tall, 12″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

I’m adding another sneaky vegetable into the hosta garden. I love the look of straight, upright chives next to the big round leaves of hostas. Then you can go in with scissors and snip them for baked potatoes or eggs. Chives are easy to find and inexpensive, which I appreciate since buying specialty perennials can get pricey.

I love a cheap option when it comes to gardening. It makes the hobby more accessible for everyone. And if you don’t want to purchase them, there are always gardeners eager to give some away. The purple balls of flowers are lovely too. Just make sure to cut them off before they go to seed, or you’ll end up with far more chives than you intended.

English Yew

	botanical name Taxus baccata
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30-60′ tall, 15′ wide
	hardiness zones 6-8

Yews love the shade, and so do hostas. A dream match. I love the soft, needled foliage against the large, rounded hosta leaves. Yews also provide some wind protection.

These hosta companion plants have a soft yellow tint in their foliage that pairs beautifully with the chartreuse tones in varieties like Guacamole, Whirlwind, and Brother Stefan. The evergreen foliage of yew also adds great winter interest long after the hostas have disappeared into the soil for the season.

Lady’s Mantle

	botanical name Alchemilla mollis
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 18″ tall, 18″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

The green foliage of lady’s mantle blends beautifully with hosta foliage. Then in summer it blooms with sprays of mustard-coloured flowers. The soft, delicate blooms hover above the leaves and spill onto the hostas, brightening everything.

In a mixed hosta bed with chartreuse varieties such as Sum and Substance and green varieties like August Moon, adding a lady’s mantle ties everything together. The green foliage and sprays of yellow flowers create a sense of garden harmony.

Bleeding Heart

	botanical name Lamprocapnos spectabilis
	plant type Herbaceous perennial
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 24-48″ tall, 24-36″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Hostas and bleeding hearts are a classic shade perennial pairing that feels wonderfully lush and works even in the lower gardening zones. Plant bleeding hearts behind your hostas and enjoy the full foliage and beautiful, dangling heart-shaped flowers.

When they begin to fade in the heat of summer, simply cut them back. By then, the hostas will have filled in completely, leaving you with a full, beautiful display.

False Goat’s Beard

	botanical name Astilbe spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 12″-6′ tall, 24″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

This is another stunning shade combination. The lacy foliage of astilbe against the large, structural hosta leaves is interesting enough on its own. But when the astilbe blooms with its soft, feathery flowers that rise just above the hosta foliage, it is gorgeous. They begin blooming in summer, after the spring blossoms have faded.

Both plants enjoy the same damp, humus-rich soil and partial sun. They are also neat, compact perennials that stay in their place and require very little maintenance throughout the season. Astilbes come in a range of colours too – white, pink, red, and purple.

Hepatica

	botanical name Hepatica spp.
	plant type Herbaceous perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6″ tall, 6″ wide
	hardiness zones 4-8

Hepatica is one of the earliest of early spring bloomers. I sometimes even miss it in client gardens because it has already finished flowering before my first visit. It produces little purple or white blooms that are such a welcome sight in early spring. It wanders around the garden, but not in an annoying way, and it has beautiful tri-lobed green foliage.

This is another one of the hosta companion plants that looks wonderful while the hostas are still asleep. Sometimes a hosta will cover it later in the season, and sometimes it will peek through – either way is lovely. It adds to the lush, layered feel of a shade garden’s floor.

Cranesbill Geranium

	botanical name Geranium sylvaticum
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 24″ tall, 24″ wide
	hardiness zones 5-9

This is a bushy, often weedy perennial that grows well in part shade. It has small, lacy foliage that looks great against the large leaves of hostas. It usually blooms in late spring with purple flowers. Be careful with this one, though, as it can take over. On the flip side, it can also cover a large area and create a lush, full look with its foliage.

Bugbane

	botanical name Actaea racemosa
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 4-7′ tall, 24″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

I love the combination of a dark purple, lacy-foliaged bugbane behind a blue hosta like Blue Angel. Actaea ‘Black Negligee’ is my favourite variety of bugbane because it is tall and a reliable bloomer.

It blooms in fall and has an intoxicating fragrance. But even when bugbane isn’t in bloom, the delicate, lacy, deep purple foliage adds beautiful texture and colour to a shade garden.

Monkshood

	botanical name Aconitum
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 36-48″ tall, 24″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-7

Monkshood likes part-shady areas of the garden in order to bloom (not full shade). I like placing hostas at the base of monkshood. Monkshood often develops scraggly yellow leaves near the bottom of its stems, so having a hosta there to cover them is the perfect solution. They also have similar bloom times, so both will be flowering purple in late summer. I also like the lacy leaves of monkshood as a contrast to the rounded leaves of hostas.

Pansies

	botanical name Viola tricolor
	plant type Herbaceous Annual, Biennial, or short-lived Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10″ tall, 6″ wide
	hardiness zones 2-9

Pansies are my favourite. I love their wide, cheery faces. They look great as a front border around hostas. I find pansies look best when you plant a lot of them. Don’t grab a couple – grab a flat. Then plant them in a long border framing the hostas, or plant them in groupings of three, five, or seven at the front of the bed. You can also tuck them underneath hostas in containers.

Don’t make the same mistake I made my first year gardening and plant them behind sleeping hostas. Pansies are easy to grow and can be planted very early in the season, long before hostas emerge, so it’s easy to plant them behind or too close to hostas and then have the hostas cover them. If that happens, just dig up and move the pansy.

Do not plant these hosta companions in deep shade. They get leggy and won’t bloom in full shade, but dappled part shade is perfect for pansies and hostas. And if you stop deadheading pansies in fall (pinching off the blossoms once they finish blooming), they will self-seed and you’ll get sweet little Johnny-jump-ups throughout your hosta bed the following season.

Bugleweed

	botanical name Ajuga reptans
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 12″ tall, 24″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-10

Bugleweed is a great hosta companion. It lies low underneath a hosta, and my favourite combination is one of the blue-tinged varieties, like Blue Angel, with purple bugleweed beneath it. It creates a beautiful contrast of colour in the shade.

Bugleweed also emerges early in spring, well before the hostas. It produces lovely purple blossoms in early summer that bees adore. I love finding spaces for bugleweed in gardens. It can be aggressive, but I find it easy to pull out if it starts invading your hosta’s space.