best plant pairings Archives - Lasting Landscapes by Carol

For years I have been making a photo calendar with images from my garden. I looked at all of them recently and noticed some consistent components, but also many additions and changes. The continual rebirth of the garden is something I love along with the joy that comes from taking note of every moment and every season.

My winterberry holly has brought me (and the birds) joy for years

Anemone Honorine Jobert and Aronia pair perfectly for fall interest

September is a notoriously busy month for gardeners. We dig, divide, plant, move and tidy up. This process brings us peace and fills us with anticipation for spring and the realization of our new vision.

Last fall I added some Chelone from a friend who was thinning theirs out. I love the combination of Chelone and the fall color of Viburnum nudum.

Bulbs bring recurring joy to gardeners. Colchicums peek through the foliage of other plants.

I encourage you take time during the fall season to capture some garden moments for yourself. Either take mental images or photos to record what’s happening in your landscape. Then repeat textural or color combinations that are working and address plant combinations or spacing that no longer make sense. Consider adding some plant material too. There are always new plants coming to market that have interesting colors, shapes, blooms or other desirable characteristics. I continue to remove more lawn and add more gardens. Feel free to follow in my footsteps if you like.

I added Helenium to my containers this year and will use them again next year. I adore the look. A wonderful alternative to mums.

My new Metasequoia ‘Soul Fire’ looks magnificent as a backdrop to Physocarpus ‘Summer Wine.’

A year ago I removed a large section of lawn that I tired of mowing. Now it’s filled with sun loving perennials like Molinia ‘Sky Racer’ and Scuttelaria incana.

Promise me you will take time to enjoy playing in the garden during the frenzy of the fall. Take it from me, it’s a lot more fun that cleaning windows or changing out your wardrobe for the winter months. I hope you will share your garden changes and additions with me. I’d love to hear what you are doing.

Spring is a busy time of year in the garden. Not just for gardeners, but for the plants themselves. Blooms burst and colors explode. Each day something new emerges. A fiddlehead, a bud, a new leaf. I take notice of the details and the overall scene. In particular, I observe combinations that work.

Dark colors contrasted with lighter make for an impressive display. The burgundy foliage of the Japanese Maple is stunning paired with the Phlox subulata that will eventually cascade over the stone wall.

The brilliant dark blue of Aguilegia (Columbine) stands out against the lime green foliage of an Ilex verticillata.

Iris ‘Immortality’ appears illuminated against the backdrop of Penstemon ‘Husker Red.’

Soft colors and textures look great together as well. A peach Iris balances the pubescent leaves of Lamb’s Ear (Stachys).

Garden ornaments perfectly complement plants too. An elegant stone maiden is right at home amid some Pieris japonica.

A cast sunflower leans into a nearby tree peony (Peonia suffrictosa) as if to say hello.

Different textures combine beautifully in the garden like Allium Globemaster with Comfrey Axminster’s Gold (Symphytum).

Other winning combinations include the use of a common color. The purple flowers of Epimedium ‘Making Waves’ echo the purple veining in Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’).

The Lavendar flowers of Erigeron pulchellus ‘Lynnhaven’s Carpet’ blend seamlessly with the purple blooms of Mazus reptans.

What are you noticing in the garden? I’d love to hear the winning combinations you’ve created or witnessed during this spring of quarantine.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol

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