I usually just buy one especially if it happens to be pricey, plant in a little holding bed I have until big enough to divide or the plant gets big enough to not get swallowed up in my flower beds.

Annette

Some us buy one, and then take cuttings on plants that are not patented. I would rather plant in groups of 5, or 9... or 18.

I planted a flat of 18 violas in 2 groups of 3 each, a group of 5 and a group of 7. Eight is an odd number, if you plant in a group of 5 and a group of 3.

There is nothing wrong with planting two of something. Put them close enough together so they appear at a distance as one bigger plant. If you have 4 plants, plant a group of 3 and a single plant by itself over a little way.

Nell

Interesting topic Schoolhouse. I think planting in groups of three, or 'en masse' (sp?) depends on the yard and preference of the gardener.
I can see using many plants in a group for several reasons:

A) If you like 'waves of color'
B) If you have a very large garden you want to fill up quickly
C) Or if you want your gardens to be seen from far away

I don't have a very large yard, so I don't plant several plants together. That way I can have LOTS of different plants! I cannot stop myself when it comes to a new type of plant. If I have not seen it before I want to grow it. I also prefer a mixture of lots of different plants. This is also a good way to save $. If a plant does not do well I am only out the cost of one plant. And if I like that plant well enough, and want to use it in other areas of my garden, I will get more or divide the original plant.
CMK

Last year, I bought in threes. This year, I don't plan to buy any ... that could change of course. I collected seeds from things I knew would come true and took cuttings of things I was unsure of, mostly. There were some perennials I hope return, but it looks like they've died way back. The pill bugs get them before I can rescue them too often.

I tended to buy in threes in the past. One is, well, one. Two is a line (unless planted close together to create one bigger one). Three is a group.

It is preference, but you have to take into acount that sometimes "one" is a specimen plant that deserves pride of place and adding more to it makes it no longer a specimen.

I started out buying three of things because my yard, which is large, has different microclimates. The spot where things did best was where I ultimately moved the other two strugglers or survivors. Now I'm downsizing my gardens, replacing an overabundance of blooming perennials with some shrubs and conifers. It's unlikely I'll buy these things in threes - will have my specimens integrated with old favorites that I can continue to divide instead of buying new.

Token, have you tried cornmeal traps for sow bugs? I've heard the sow bugs eat the cornmeal drink water and then explode. I'm going to try this myself. Some try to say they only eat decaying matter well, someone should tell the sow bugs that live in my garden. Also some say ants do no damage HA! Besides keeping aphids as their own personal dairy herds when I grew a lot of dahlias one morning I went out to find two four foot dahlia stalks lying on the ground, on investigating the cause I found red ants in logger mode.

Annette

Annette, I have seen with my own eyes pill bugs eating live, established perennials. They took down a rudbeckia "Autumn Colors" in less than 3 days. I noticed today that Lowe's has diatomous earth. If I see them in the numbers I saw them last year after a wet spring, I'll be spreading it over the whole garden. I know they're good for decaying matter, but I will not have my seedlings chomped to bits.

There are too many plants I want and not enough room to plant to purchase things in threes :0) !

If you must buy plants, then try buying from Bluestone Perennials. They sell all their perennials in groups of 3 for a reasonable price. The plants are usually small at first, but they are healthy and all of mine grew beautifully (and I'm a novice!).

I might buy a certain number plants in groups of "3" but I almost never plant them in a grouping of 3 - with the exception of groundcover.

I tend to select a couple of "theme" plants which can be initially repeated throughout the bed to tie it together. Hence, I might purchase 3 of the same species in a couple of cases and then the remainder of plants are typically installed as single specimens and eventually allowed to seed or spread and thus forming drifts.

I just try to ensure that I've also got a complete tapestry of textures as well which are repeated even as single specimens - such as grasses, sedges, coarse, fine foliage, vertical, creeping and so on.

It looks, to my eye, more natural that way.

I'm another one who tends to buy most perennials from Bluestone, and therefore get them mostly in 3's. I do like having groups of plants, so that helps. Then if they do well, I will divide, etc. I do have a few single plants, mainly larger ones that were sold in large pots (or my mystery 3-pak, which was 3 different plants!)

I sometimes buy more than 3 - I bought a whole bunch of heuchera Plum Pudding last year, for instance. Of course, it gets awkward when you want 5 - what do you do with the 6th? ;)

I like to plant in groups of three. But, when you lose one, you end up with a pair and that just throws everything off balance for a year ! :-)

Cameron

well it all depends on what kind of plants and what effects do I wish to see. So my own rule of thumb is to buy either in 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7. I also plant things in bunches not in rows unless I'm planning a hedge.