Front Yard Landscaping Ideas With Hostas

Borders

• Edge front yard flower beds with hostas for a neat appearance. Grow a row of the same variety along the edge of the bed and plant taller, colorful flowers within. Plant hostas around the edge of a dark green hedge in your front yard for a contrasting look. Select shorter varieties to edge an area without detracting from the main feature: hosta clausea grows up to 8 inches high and features deep green foliage; hosta decorata grows up to 10 inches tall and features light green leaves with a wavy margin; hosta minor matures at 5 inches and features green leaves and tiny purple flowers.

Pathways

• Plant a row of hostas on both sides of the path or walkway that leads from the gate to the front door. Dig a bed 1 ½ to 2 feet wide on each side and plant young or mature hostas. Depending on personal taste, use the same variety of hostas or break up the monotony with a low hedge or perennial flowers for heightened impact.

Hardscaping

• Soften the transition from garden to hardscaping by planting a row of hostas. The natural rounded shape of these plants adds elegance to flat, harsh surfaces. Hostas also soften the appearance of a fence, wall or terrace that suddenly juts out of the ground, such as walls or sidewalks commonplace in front yards. Most hostas need an area 1 to 1 1/2 feet wide to reach their optimal size, which makes them easy to incorporate into the garden.

Decorative Accents

• Grow hostas around tall or leggy plants and structures in your front yard to hide stark elements and bare stems. Use the rounded and curved habit of these densely growing plants to cover tree trunks, bare stalks of trailing plants and the bottoms of lampposts, signposts and vertical garden statues. Plant low-growing varieties around shorter elements and taller ones around higher elements. Use hostas in subdued shades of green or blue instead of the variegated varieties around vertical statues or accent structures so the viewer is not detracted from the focal element. Conversely, use bolder, variegated varieties around leggy shrubs such as forsythias or lilacs that produce showy blooms only for a short time.