Question
I live in Minnesota.

I have a row of 7 hostas growing along the sidewalk and are doing great. I have some coral bells I would like to plant in front of the hostas.  How many plants should I plant and how should they be arrange? Straight row or how? Should I use all the same hostas? This is all I would be planting as grass will come up to it. room I have for planting as grass comes up to.  It is a semi shade area.

Answer
Pat, Although it is the height of the busy season for landscape designers, David F. Delardi, CLA ASLA, known for his elegant solutions in residential and commercial projects in New Jersey, describes his approach.

He says: "Hosta and Heuchera do go well but not in a line.  

"I would recomend a grouping of the Heuchera as an accent to the bed. An informal approach works well.

"Keep the Heuchera in the foreground at the start of the walkway with more Hostas behind and next to the Heuchera as if to surround it in a very non symetrical way. The Hostas will continue up the path.

"A larger Hosta variety, with a blueish tint, around the Heuchera would work well."

Vilardi notes, however, that much of your design depends, as pointed out earlier, on existing architecture -- what your house and surrounding buildings look like.

"If the linear design is what is appropriate in comparison to the rest of the yard, then I would place the heuchera in groups of 3 at each end of the Hostas -- as long as the Hostas are larger than the Heuchera."  The Hostas serve as a visual anchor to the airy, delicate lines of the Coral Bells.  

"Also," he continues, consider a setup where you "transplant and stagger the Hostas to give a more full appearance.  The Hosta grouping should be longer than the Heuchera ones."  

It is a tough call without a visual referance, Pat, but following basic design rules, this is how a professional would handle your yard.

I will let you know if I hear different opinions.  David Delardi's approach, however, is highly respected in this field.