The last few weeks, I have been showing my followers on Facebook their favorite flowers used in combinations. Last week someone requested that I post combinations with hostas. Now, the hosta pros would probably choose a different hosta as a partner. While that works, I’ve been on a 6-year adventure trying special partnerships. I get more excited as the years go by.

I grew up in West Texas, "The Big Country." With no hostas seen for hundreds of miles, it was more like, "What is a hosta?" No azaleas or hydrangeas in the mesquite jungle either. So, now in Georgia, the calling to grow all three was an opportunity for them to be landscape pals.

There are around 20 varieties of Shadowland hostas, and by the time I plant Shadowland Love Story and Shadowland Lone Star I will be growing half. All of these are in my backyard with a wood fence. Once I go out the fence toward the front yard, it becomes the wild kingdom of hosta eaters.

If there was ever a perfect herbaceous perennial partner for hydrangeas, it is the hosta. But even that is not without some challenges. The first year I blissfully combined Shadowland Etched Glass and Shadowland Autumn Frost with Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha, three mountain hydrangeas and various Let’s Dance hydrangeas.

It was perfection and love at first glance. It was the same the second year and it became quite apparent that the hydrangeas were happy and growing -- big! There would have to be some hosta relocation. If there was a more industrious goal it was to incorporate re-blooming Perfecto Mundo azaleas into the plan.

Can you imagine reblooming azaleas, hydrangeas and hostas showing out and all in sync? Well, that’s probably a Haley’s Comet type event. The azaleas have rebloomed in July, August and October, but if you bet on any of those months, you’ll go broke.

Oddly, the October bloom did sync with some hydrangea rebloom, but they were not all that close to each other. Last year was my best effort as Shadowland Miss America timed perfectly with a mid-July rebloom of Perfecto Mundo red azalea. So far, it’s really two of the three, but I am having great fun.

The easiest and most beautiful combinations are with Soprano impatiens. Going this route means you can always plant close, and it is guaranteed; simply pick out your colors. But you can tweak this by adding Heart to Heart caladiums.

My favorite ever consisted of Shadowland Coast to Coast, a bright chartreuse selection with Heart to Heart Raspberry Moon caladiums, Soprano impatiens, Let’s Dance hydrangeas, a young Shadowland Empress Wu hosta, a Primo Peachberry Ice heuchera and the thriller if you will, a Florida Sunshine anise with gold foliage.

There is one more that should open a world of hosta partnerships. Last year I had one ColorBlaze Sedona Sunset coleus left. Without even thinking I planted it with Shadowland Autumn Frost hosta, and a Let’s Dance hydrangea. It was sheer magic! I really believe there are many coleus, caladium and hosta combos lying in wait.

Creating hosta partnerships will give you a lifetime of enjoyment and the Shadowland series is a great place to start. Fertile well-drained soil and a little comfort shade in the South will have you sporting the green thumb. When they bloom, the hummingbirds will feast and you will break out in the happy dance.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

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