Very new, looking for advice for pairings

[HGrep]

HI everyone!
I am extremely new to growing anything and want to do some gardening renovation in our home. We've been here a year & I have yet to touch the backyard out of apprehension

The previous owners filled every border space with the same (very plain) hosta & while they fill out nicely, I want to spice the areas up. These are all shaded areas & I wanted to add some color. I found this list (see below please) of what can work along hostas but when I went to three local nurseries (NYC) I couldn't find anything here except geraniums. Any suggestions on what I could do in this case? Should I just keep looking? Maybe order online? I'm hesitant to just add any shade loving species on my own, being new to this, I'm concerned they might not work well. For example, impatiens are pretty but would they work?? so confusing!

My other option, I guess, is to take out the majority of the hosta plants & replace but I'm afraid that is going to be quite costly. They really fill some pretty long borders.

What to add with hostas:
•astillbe, zones 4 to 8
•baptisia, zones 3 or 4 to 8
•bellflower, zones 4 or 5 to 9
•bleeding heart, hardiness varies
•dianthus, zones 4 to 8
•geranium, zones 4 or 5 to 8
•heuchera, zones 4 to 9
•lysimachia, zones 4 to 8
•pulmonaria (lungwort), zones 4 to 9
•tiarella, zones 4 to 9
•tradescantia, zones 4 to 9

I really appreciate any input, as I have been reading & researching for weeks, which is why I was so disappointed when I couldn't find anything on my list Thanks!

[applestar]

This is the time of year for plant sales by various organizations. Googling for "native plant sale NYC 2014" yielded following sample results:

Native Plant Center Events - Westchester Community College
https://www.sunywcc.edu/about/the-native ... npcevents/
Native Plant Center Events. What: 15th Annual Native Plant Sale When: Saturday , April 26, 2014, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. ... Hawthorne, NY 10532-1598 (914) 769-1300.

The Native Plant Center - Westchester Community College
https://www.sunywcc.edu/about/the-native-plant-center/
2014 Native Plant Sale ... Register for Classes through June 2014 ... Find out how you can enhance your own gardens with native plants: through Go Native U classes, and annual plant sale; by visiting our demonstration ... Valhalla, NY 10595

Wine in the Native Plant Garden | NYBG - New York Botanical Garden
https://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2014/fe ... stival.php
As you sip your wine, enjoy a tour of the Native Plant Garden given by an expert guide who will highlight the significance of the many plant species within.

Plant Sale 2014 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
https://www.bbg.org › visit › Events Calendar
Tuesday, April 29–Thursday, May 1, 2014. The annual Plant Sale at BBG. Photo by Rebecca Bullene. The special Plant Sale entrance and pickup gate is located on Flatbush Avenue ... Native plants are also featured. ... Brooklyn, NY 11225.

Spring Wine Festival in the Native Plant Garden - May 4, 2014 : NYC ...
https://www.nycgovparks.org › Things to Do › Events Calendar
Sun, May 4 - ‎Southern Blvd
This event repeats every day between 5/3/2014 and 5/4/2014. ... As you sip your wine, enjoy a tour of the Native Plant Garden given by an expert guide who will ...

A Resource for Native Plant Lovers ~ Native Plant Information Network
nativeplantwildlifegarden.com › Resources
An in-depth look at a trusted online resource for native plant lovers all across North ... New York ironweed and black-eyed Susan's at the Native Plat Center at WCC ... I think the next Train the Trainer session will be in the spring or summer 2014. ... and April 26 15th annual Native Plant Sale, this year honoring J.J. Audubon ...

. Try similar searches using keywords that are relevant to your location, etc.

If on-line is what you want I used to buy plants from White Flower Farm which I think is in Connecticut? They were a little pricey, but if the quality is still the same, they shipped very healthy good sized plants.

[HGrep]

Thank you!. I was looking very locally due to transportation issues.
I guess my real question is: should I stick with the above list & just keep searching for these particular plants?

[applestar]

It's a very nice selection. I might add some fern for different foliage texture in deeper shade than astilbe would like. By geranium I expect you do mean geranium and not polygonum with the showy flowers which need sun.

It helps to draw a map of the garden area and the beds, and sketch in the colors and shapes of clumps. You want minimum three of each plant, 5 or more is better. ...and typically, they say odd numbered groupings are better than even numbers.

If you rearrange the existing hosta in groupings instead of rows, you may find them more appealing, and they can add to the design. Certainly go look at other hosta cultivars (White Flower Farm has a nice selection and you can use that as basis even if you don't get them from there). You may also want to wait and see what kind of flowers the hostas you already have are like before ruling them out completely. Similar shape hosta foliage in splashes of different colors will add a whole another dimension to the garden design.

Also consider different heights. Maybe look for some shrubs, too.

[rainbowgardener]

I order lots of plants on-line and have not had problems with it.

I like your list and would stick with it. I can't believe you haven't found some of those locally. Are you only looking at big box stores? Find a good local nursery. But even my local big box has bleeding heart and astilbe.

Ferns are definitely nice with hostas. Impatiens are nice and will give you lots of color all season, which is not true for any of the rest, but understand that they are annuals and will have to be replanted every year. Everything else you are talking about is perennial.

[HGrep]

Oh thanks, you all are great! @rainbowgardener: I tried both big box & local nurseries. At the big box chain, they had to ask me if what I was looking for was flower or what, so I didn't feel very confident. I have a renewed excitement though now & I feel I have some extra options from you all that I think I will be able to tackle this project now!
Thanks a million

[imafan26]

To keep the costs down, I would not try to fill out the whole garden at one time. Try working a section at a time. If you choose your perennials well, you may be able to divide them later and fill more of the things out.

It is best to stick to a limited color palette, but as was suggested because there are not a lot of flowers that like to bloom in the shade, vary color, texture and shape of the leaves to add variety.