It’s true that hostas get along well with many shade-loving plants. Still, choosing the right combination for your garden is an art.

For one thing, solid green hostas often need pops of color or interesting textures. On the other hand, blue varieties combine well with coral bellflowers, baptisias and spotted dead nettles. Meanwhile, a shade garden with an edgy aesthetic could use some wolfgrass or mondo grass.

In this list, we delve into the 15 best hosta companion plants and how to make the most of each combination.

1. Bleeding heart

White, swollen, pendulous bleeding heart flowers are just what large hosta leaves need to burst.

Many people would opt for the white cultivars, but you can also find the plant in pink and red. In most cases, the plant can be expected to grow between 1 and 3 feet.

This spring-flowering perennial handles shade and moisture like a champ and shares hostas’ love of rich, acidic soil.

The foliage tends to turn yellow in hot weather, but that is not a major concern. In fact, most varieties are hardy in zones 3 to 9.

2. hellebore

Hellebores (Lenten rose) is a herbaceous perennial that forms low clumps. This setup works best if your hostas are on raised mounds. Lenten roses will not mind shade as long as they are not exposed to strong winds; Hostas don’t like winds either.

In zones 3 to 9, hellebores produce rose-like flowers that come in white, yellow, pink, and purple. If you grow from seed packets, you will most likely get a mix.

That said, hellebores prefer alkaline, while hostas lean toward acidic. Therefore, keeping the ground neutral should be a good compromise.

3. Oakleaf Hydrangea

Another white flower that complements dark-leaved hostas is the deciduous hydrangea.

Many hydrangea varieties pair well with hostas, but oakleaf has its appeal: It starts as a white flower in June, but often takes on pinkish hues later.

This hydrangea is hardy in zones 5 to 9, likes rich, acidic soil (pH 5.0 to 6.5), and thrives in partial shade. However, it gets thirsty quickly and mulch will be a lifesaver here.

Without fertilizer increases, oakleaf hydrangeas can grow between 4 and 8 feet.

4. Astilbe

Astilbe’s feather-like flowers can add a textural contrast to the soft hosta leaves.

The plant needs partial shade, clay soil with a pH of 6.0, weekly watering and phosphorus boosts. All this effort pays off with long-lasting flowers in spring and summer.

Speaking of flowers, there are pink, white, red and purple varieties. We recommend pink for light green hostas and white for darker hostas.

In most cases, astilbe grows 6 to 24 inches vertically and spreads easily. Therefore, you will have to divide it every 3 to 5 years.

5. Coral bells

During spring and summer, coral bells display small, fragrant flowers, but these flowers are not the best part of this perennial. The star of the show is the pastel-colored foliage.

If you just want to add a touch of color to your shade garden, pair short coral bellflowers with light green hostas, such as the Guacamole variety. Meanwhile, blue hostas can create an edgy look.

Generally, established coral bells do not need regular watering or maintenance. Simply cut the flowers to redirect the plant’s energy to the foliage.

6. Carex Evergold

Leaving the spring flowers and pastel-colored leaves behind, let’s take a look at the ever-golden carex or Japanese sedge.

Evergold carex is a hardy perennial herb in zones 5 to 9. What makes it unique is that its leaves have dark green edges and thin silvery-white stripes. These leaves spread all over to form a 24-inch-wide, fountain-shaped tuft.

Imagine the breeze moving those blades near a solid green hosta!

Although this sedge is ornamental, it still has the trouble-free advantage of simple grasses. Soak unestablished plants constantly, keep them out of bright sunlight, and you’re good to go.

7. spider

Do you want a companion that is both grassy and flowering? Let’s introduce the spider.

It is a perennial with strappy leaves (3 feet long!) and small violet-blue wildflowers that open and close throughout the day.

You will start planting spider in spring. Opt for well-drained, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil because you will be watering it at least once a week.

As long as it receives a couple of hours of light each day, the plant will thrive and flower throughout the spring and summer.

8. Hardy Geranium

Caring for the hardy summer-blooming geranium is so easy that a beginner can do it without much help.

Plant it so that the crown is a little above ground level, use well-drained soil, keep it slightly dry, and continue with your other garden tasks. Once summer arrives, you’ll see flowers appearing in a dense carpet of foliage about 36 inches tall and 1 to 3 feet wide.

What colors will those flowers be? Well, there are about 300 varieties of hardy geraniums. So you can find it in white, sky blue, purple and magenta, to name a few. Our favorite hosta companion to the geranium species is the soft pink sanguineum.

9. wolf grass

The fast-growing perennial wolfgrass is a suitable companion for ‘Golden Tiara’ and ‘Sum and Substance’ varieties.

Because? Well, the color scheme of the wolfgrass balances the gold and yellow tones of the hostas. For one thing, the grass has dark green leaves. Plus, every spring, complete the avant-garde look with violet-blue flowers.

Although it is not a high floor. It averages 6 to 9 inches. However, it tolerates shade and slightly acidic soil well.

Just keep in mind that it is an aggressive spreader that should be kept off the lawn.

10. Mondo Herb

So, wolfgrass offers a combination of dark colors that contrast with light-colored hostas. That’s good to hear, but if you want to take things to the next level, consider mondo herb.

Technically, mondo grass is a 12-inch evergreen groundcover. However, the “green” is more of a violet-black. From a distance, it actually looks like a dense black mass sitting on the ground.

The icing on the cake? They would be the soft pink summer flowers.

Mondo grass doesn’t mind partial shade or acidic soil. It is hardy in zones 6 to 10, but grows slowly.

11. Foam flower

Despite its small size, foam flower can add textural interest to almost all hostas. It’s shiny, marbled, spiky and airy all at the same time. However, it never looks “too busy” from a distance.

It’s not the least maintenance mulch, but it’s not difficult to figure out either. You will plant it in neutral to acidic, humus-rich soil, protect it from intense sunlight, and give it plenty of water during the summer.

Even after the spring flowers fade, the variegated foliage will keep the plant attractive. Additionally, it gets along well with other hosta companions, such as coral bells and Solomon’s seal.

12. Baptism

If you have blue hostas, use a ‘Lemon Meringue’ baptisia to add some contrast, not only because of the complementary colors but also because the lupine-like flowers keep the geometry and texture interesting.

The plant requires little maintenance, is hardy in zones 4 to 8 and drought tolerant. So once you establish it in partial shade, you can leave it that way and enjoy the flowers in April and May.

With minimal intervention, the plant can grow between 2 and 3 feet. However, the establishment phase can last around 3 years.

13. Spotted dead nettles

Another companion of blue hostas is the spotted henbit or dead nettle. It is a shade-loving vine with silvery foliage and blooms from late spring to early summer.

Unlike baptisias, spotted henbits are quite short and rarely grow more than a foot tall. The “creeping” aspect has to do with the plant’s potential for propagation.

Although the pink varieties are quite a sight, the white ones won’t steal the spotlight from the blue hostas.

As a ground cover for a shady garden, dead nettles hardly need watering.

14. Lady’s mantle

If your hostas already have a colorful companion, you can finish the look with something simple but with enough character to stand out.

We think this description fits the lady’s mantle like a glove!

Lady’s mantle plants have two notable characteristics: dark foliage with scalloped edges and yellow-green summer flowers. These flowers are more soft and downy than showy.

In terms of hardiness, the plant does well in zones 3b to 8b, but prefers more water and shade in warmer zones.

15. The seal of Solomon

You don’t always need showy flowers to add a special touch to a hosta bed; Foliage will work, but it should be eye-catching foliage. What better example than the variegated Solomon’s seal plant?

Solomon’s seal is a woodland perennial that does best in zone 4, but still survives in zones 3 through 9 and grows 1 to 2 feet tall.

It has spring flowers that come in pink, green and white. However, the fuss here has to do with the variegated leaves that appear to be tipped with cream.

Ultimately, you should have no problem growing Solomon’s seal under the same conditions as most hosta varieties.