Grow a Lush Shade Garden With Hostas

Jumbo hostas easily anchor a planting bed, though they do require fertilizer to reach maximum size. At 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall, the dinner-plate-size foliage of 'Empress Wu' is striking for the ribbing on its dark green leaves, which can grow up to 16 inches across, and its pale purple flowers in early summer.

Shown: Planted on a slope—here, above a curved retaining wall—hostas' fibrous, spreading roots hold the soil so that it doesn't wash away when it rains.