Garden Edit - Hosta Replacement Project and Stumpery Reset - May 2024

I'm racing the Cicada clock on a few projects;  the pizza oven foundation.  And...some of my proposed 2024 Garden Edits.  I wrote a post about a number of 'garden edits' that I want to make and started with the Hakonechloa Macra grasses (the green ones) around the tree swing.  And, this past weekend, I made another large 'garden edit'.    My mantra for 2024 is 'editing' what I have - and that means a focus on planting in mass (larger quantities of the same varieties) that meet three criteria:

1. They work in our yard. Meaning...they thrive, not just survive.
2. Are appealing (to me). Foliage and Texture are key.
3. Have some four-season appeal. I don't want my garden to be 'empty' in Winter.

This edit is on the southside.  And this bed - and in particular - the border/edge of the bed have been a hodge-podge.  Mostly hostas to fill-up space.  And, while I put up a few stumps in my new "stumpery", I didn't plant anything in there just yet.    I've divided hostas over the years and just used them to fill the available beds. 

Below shows the 'before' view.  The Coral Bells on the left are staying (for now), but the ten hostas that are sitting in the first few rows of this border are on their way out.  There are also a few small Autumn Ferns in here that I planted last Fall and I'm not sure how well those will do, but they'll get moved back a row (closer to the Stumpery). 

I began by creating a new 'edge' on the bed by extending this bed out about five inches.  Below, you can see the new edge cut line that I created:

I removed a trench of turf and then went back in and cleaned all the grass and weeds out of the edge.  I'll go back and fine-tune this curve once everything is done.  See below for that 'trench':

Those Autumn Ferns that I mentioned earlier are showing some early fronds (see below for all three in this little section, but there were five overall). 

Below are the other two - a little bit further behind.  These *might* not be back?

Below is the edge trench cleaned out.  I removed all of the loose dirt and then put the turf down (upside-down) to fill in some low spots by my new garden shed.

I wanted to transplant the All Gold Grasses over to the front of this border before they grew too much this season.  From September 2023 - here below is what the All Gold Hakonechloa Forest Grasses looked like - these are all NOW in the shadow of the pizza oven.

And, here, below is the post excavation view.  A few remnants are left behind.

There were three in this bed already - one 'good one', two tiny ones (one that is coming back and the other not-so-much).  After transplanting the balance of them and dividing some of them, I now have twelve All Golds along the border.  See below for a few photos:

Here, below, is the longer-view showing this new border of All Gold Japanese Forest Grasses:

Below - if you look closely - you can see some of the Autumn Ferns in the second row:

Here's a couple of annotated photos showing the All Golds and Autumn Ferns and the three Crested Surf Ferns.   All Gold Grasses in green circles - in particular the two TINY ones.  Autumn Ferns in orange circles.  And in the bottom photo, the Crested Surf Japanese Painted Ferns are in purple circles.

I'm clearly leaning INTO these forest grasses.  And Autumn Ferns.  The rest of the list that I'm going to use repetitively?  

• Japanese Forest Grasses
• Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grasses
• Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip'
• Fanal Astible
• Summer Beauty (and Serendipity) Ornamental Allium
• Blue Fescue Ornamental Grasses
• Angelina Sedum
• Carex (Montana and Bromoides)
• Autumn Ferns

What am I done with/over?

• Heucheras/coral bells
• Hostas
• Ostrich Ferns