I have a passion for Hosta Lilies and Ferns. Many of my gardens are a mixture of these along with Pachysandra, myrtle, and, yes, tiger lilies in both yellow and orange. My favorite Hostas are the ones with the large leaves and the dark green, almost, blue color to them. I plant them in moist loam soil and use an acid-based fertilizer, like Hollytone, to keep them looking fantastic.
One of my favorite, almost ornamental, shade trees is the Sweet Gum. The Fall foliage is, always, spectacular; and, perhaps uniquely, I've had good luck shading my backyard lawn area with (guess what) stag-horn Sumac. I’ve planted these trees about 20’ apart and let them grow very tall. The upper branches fan out and the lawn area underneath is well shaded throughout the Summer. Not bad for a tree many people consider to be little better than a weed and, also, mistakenly call poisonous. I, also, like those grape-like clusters of fruit and flowers, too. :wink:
