The Hosta Companion Plant That Boosts Soil And Creates A Lush Look

Hostas are a common plant for gardeners of all experience levels to add to their landscape. They're easy to grow and maintain and they make the perfect lush filler plant for areas that don't get much sunlight. Not only are they a popular and versatile plant with graceful blooms, but they're also allergy friendly. While hostas have a lot going for them, there's a companion plant that can add to a shade garden's luscious look and provide soil benefits as well: ferns. Ferns and hostas go together like peanut butter and jelly — they thrive with the same requirements and they complement each other well.

There are many companion plants to grow with hostas to add year-round color, but ferns add a touch of feathery green that can make your landscape feel like a forest floor. The natural habitat of a fern is, after all, the shaded floor of many forest landscapes. That's also why they make a great companion for the hosta. These plants are the perfect combo for a shady edge of your lawn, lining a walkway, or under the eaves of a northern-facing roof edge. The fern provides a natural mulch when its fronds begin to decay, and this helps create a more nutrient-dense soil for the hosta to thrive in. That is just one of the many benefits of these companion plants.

While there are many garden mistakes to avoid making when using ferns as ground cover, using them as companion plants for your hostas is not one of them. Ferns, with their feathery fronds, provide a lovely contrast to the hostas' paddle-shaped leaves, creating visual interest wherever they are planted. They are also both extremely easy to grow and maintain. 

There are some stunning cultivar combos that will brighten up your shady spaces. The 'Burgundy Lace' Japanese painted fern pairs beautifully with the blue 'Empress Wu' hosta, while the native hard fern (Blechnum spicant) offers a lovely contrast when planted with a variegated hosta like 'Patriot'. For a bold color combination, consider planting a cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) with a 'Sum and Substance' hosta. Of course, you can always mix and match different varieties and colors to create a unique look and beneficial pairing.

To successfully companion plant hostas and ferns in the garden, you need to choose the right location. Both plants do well in shady spots that get a few hours of morning sun, depending on the variety, and will thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 9. The soil needs to stay moist but well-draining; you don't want them to be water-logged. When buying your hostas or ferns to plant together in your garden, be sure to check the labels to make sure there is overlap in their growing zones and specific growing needs.