Tell us your favorite perennial
enjoy
16 years ago
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mora
16 years agomarricgardens
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Your favorite perennial/shrub combinations
Comments (4)From a designer's perspective, the best plant combinations involve a careful balance of contrasting and complimentary features. The 'contrast' part typically involves the use of plant shapes and foliage textures while the 'complimentary' aspect generally relates to colors as well as sharing similar growing conditions. In the combination above, the bold, heavy texture of the hydrangea foliage is offset by the lacier, more delicate Actaea foliage. You also have the spreading mass of the hydrangea in contrast to the more upright, clumping form of the Actaea. The grass (Carex) adds still another form and textural contrast, while the smaller, rounder and spreading form of the heuchera or epimedium provides yet another textural effect. The hosta in tj's example does the same. Much of the complimentary effect comes into play with the colors involved.......the deep maroon of the Actaea foliage compliments the deep green of the hydrangea and will accent the hydrangea as begins to turn into its fall colors. The heuchera picks up both of these colors, as does the painted fern or the epimedium as it puts out its new spring growth. And of course, all these plants enjoy similar growing conditions as well. Because flowers are such a transitory aspect of a garden design, I tend to place less emphasis on combining specific flower types than I do on the foliage, but the above plants do offer a very nice combined flowering effect as well - the shape of the hydrangea blossoms is somewhat repeated in the spikes of the Actaea, plus the coloring of the coloring of the hydrangea flowers as they age will pick up the pinkish tones of the Actaea as well. And the heuchera or epimedium will offer an early and very delicate flower effect, repeated later by the hostas. IMO, the best combinations involve at least three different plants and often, more. Less than that and you do not achieve enough contrast and compliment to make the combination really effective....See MoreYour favorite perennial/shrub combinations
Comments (8)Going through your list, I really love caryopteris, I grow it with rudbeckia and coreopsis verticillata and ornamental grasses. I treat it as a sub-shrub sort of like lavender. It stays in the background until it blooms in late summer/early fall. Then it takes center stage. I have 'Longwood Blue'. It hasn't gotten tall for me (it's listed at 4 feet) because I prune about a third to a half off each spring. Kerria japonica is a love/hate shrub for me. I planted it because I had an impossibly shady dry site that needed something. I eventually moved it out to a place under trees by the driveway in rock and gravel. It explodes with color in the spring which is why I keep it. I guess I should give it more respect given its ability to flower in almost full shade. It lives comfortably at the end of a Viburnum border. Any blue flowering spring bulb like grape hyacinth, crocus or Phlox diveracata would complement it. I have both roses you mentioned, Julia Child and Ebb Tide. Rose combinations are almost a separate topic but any of the perennial geraniums in blue tones for Julia work well ('Rozanne' comes to mind) along with lower growing Veronicas like 'Goodness Grows' and Salvias like 'Caradonna' and catmints like 'Blue Wonder'. For Ebb Tide Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' or any dwarf coreopsis would work well. Perhaps a daylily like Stella d'Oro or Happy Returns. Mine were planted in a new bed last season and so far I only have some dwarf coreopsis and salvias but hope to add more perennials this spring. Buddleia is another love/hate shrub for me, I have 'Black Knight' which gets huge so it is sits in a corner of two fence lines. Actually the rugosa rose 'Hansa' is next to it so they fight it out. The purple and magenta combination is kind of cool though. Cameron's photo is stunning, there are so many new dwarf varieties that would be worth trying. Calycanthus florida is one of my favorite shade shrubs. I have 'Athens' by the front door with Autumn fern, Lady fern, asian ginger, Loropetalum, Sarcococca, Cornus alba, Phlox divaricata, and various hostas. If you need more information or inspiration I suggest checking your library for the following books which have been helpful to me: "The Well-Designed Mixed Garden" by Tracy DiSabato-Aust "Rose Companions" by Stephen Scanniello "Perennial Combinations" by C. Colston Burrell...See MoreYour favorite perennial combinations?
Comments (20)proudgrma, love your opening combo. Very soothing. wonberherwits, the lavender and catmint combo is gorgeous. proudgrma, the garden with the annuals and perennials is my "anything goes" garden' I never put the annuals in the same place, I always try a new plant or two (I just planted cuphea this evening for the first time) and if there's an inch of room, I shove in something else! My other gardens are a bit more orderly. sinai, the monarda/echinacea combo was a very happy accident. When I bought Raspberry wine, no local nurserys were carrying it, so I bought it on the internet solely based on the photo. It's turned out to be a fantastic plant and I love the color. This year I'm planting Gaura "Siskiyou pink" and Dianthus "artic fire" in front of the coneflower. I'm hoping all four plants together make a great combo....See MoreYour Favorite Long Blooming Perennials?
Comments (24)OK, I'll give them additional thought. :) the screaming acid chartreuse doesn't bother me. It is the alien form. I have seen them in California gardens looking wonderful but not here. I grew up in Arizona and now that I am in Portland, I like my garden to look like Portland if that makes sense? I LOVE Arizona and would move back in a heartbeat if DH would go but he won't. I LOVE the desert. LOVE tropical/arid plants but think they look funny here out in the landscape for the most part. I think Euphorbias and most succulents look better in gardens South or at least with houses whose architecture is better suited. I've seen some gorgeous stucco cottages with tons of tropical/succulent plants in the PNW that are awesome but my house just doesn't. I did get a small greenhouse for my birthday and am going to fill it with tropical plants so I can go out and putter or sit when it rains here. I'm totally full up on trees, I actually have too many but can't bear to edit, yet. I've got a Prunus x bleiriana that has been nothing but diseased and infested and ice damaged since day one. It was a present from my DH the first birthday after we bought this house (which had no trees at all, or shrubs other than Laurel for that matter) and the first tree we planted. I'm darn near full up on shrubs and subshrubs too. I've ripped out several this year to make way for new favorites. :) I can always squeeze in one more dwarf conifer or Rhodie...or heather or Daphne....:)...See Morehalaeva
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