One that just happened last year was:
Left: Original Knockout rose
Middle: May night Salvia
Right: Coreopsis (bright rose center with white outer band of petals) Can't think of the name...
I loved the different foliage forms and the bright red/pink of the rose illuminated the bluish/purple of the salvia. The coreopsis wove through the salvia and made a very pretty combo. Looking forward to seeing this combo mature this year !

Theresa,

I've seen this combination all over Houston, and its really striking: Knockout Rose ( It's a deep pink color...sorry, I'm not sure which variety) + Plumbago + Esperanza. The combination of pink, blue and yellow is so pretty!

I also love purple in combination with green. Here is one of my favorites: Velvet plant, Purple Heart and Marg. Sweet Potato Vine. I do a variation of this comb. each year on my patio:

{{gwi:642748}}

Marilyn

Great ideas and beautiful pot Marilyn. I especially love the idea of Plumbago growing up through my many roses that really need accenting right now. Plumbago does wonderful here and is readily available. I will definitely be using that one! I do also like salvia with roses. I just ordered a bunch of salvias through the co-up for just that purpose. I will have to try to find some nice coreopsis now.
Thanks guys. Keep the ideas coming!
Theresa

I started my cottage bed using milkweed for the monarchs then decided to add pinks(pentas,daisies ,zinnias) and lavenders(verbena,mona lavender),then decided to add some blues (larkspur and lobelia)purple sage,pink and blue delphiniums,and then some ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well I am still adding.If I find a color offensive Ill move it to another bed.If the butterflies are happy I'm happy!{{gwi:642749}}
{{gwi:642750}}

I posted mine in the gallery as I had quite a few photos and didn't want to "bog down" the OP's thread for dial-up users. The link is below:

Here is a link that might be useful: 10 photos of plant combinations

My favorite combos will work in north Florida. I never run out of favorites. The link will show you some of what I grow. I've found that many Texas favs will work here, but not all.

Right now I'm working on a coastal southeastern version of Gottagarden's spectacular Red Border: lots of moving about of lycoris and daylilies, dozens of little pots of seedlings, daily plan changes, all fun.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: My Fav Combos

Glad to have you back Theresa!
I don't know what I might have that's growing in your southern garden. But I love to see geranium 'Rozanne' with just about anything and she has a very long bloom time.

Lovely photos all!

Nell, I was looking forward to seeing yours too,
but somehow your link takes me to a Google page creator. Help please! :-)

PattiOh

Oh, Dear. Google pages are a beta site and when they work, they're wonderful and when they don't, they're a pain.

If this doesn't work, I'll load them all into photobucket or someplace.

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite Combos

Beautiful combos, Nell. I see you love purple, too. :-)

The Nicotiana, and petunia bed is particularly beautiful. In fact, you have given me the inspiration to give that a try.

Marilyn

Marilyn, you need to know that the petunias are 'Laura Bush' or did I already say that?

The TAMU web sites have really been helpful with my gardening. If it's a Texas Superstar, usually it will be a star here, too.

Having a Texas mentor helps, too. ; )

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU: 'Laura Bush' petunia

I felt like sharing, so I posted some pics in jkoms thread in the gallery. I try new things every year, and tend to find at least one great new combo each season. Planters and window boxes are especially good for this. Right now I am anxious to see how all the changes I made last fall will turn out. I think I made some pretty good decisions, so we'll see.

Thanks, Nell. Very pretty pairings!
Your Strobilanthes,'Black Magic','Sammy Russell' combo is so striking!
I love it.

MrMorton I'm on my way to the gallery!
PattiOh

You all are the greatest! Very enabling :)
Theresa

Theresa,

After viewing all these wonderful combinations both here and in the gallery I think I have developed "flower fever". Of course the only known cure is a trip to your favorite local nursery!

Nell,

Oh, I love that TAMU site, too. If it's tagged a Texas Superstar you know that plant is almost indestructible. lol

I've attached another website that hot weather gardeners might enjoy.

Happy Gardening,
Marilyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants for Texas

Some of my favs:
Westerland and pansies growing around and up the {{gwi:642734}}.

Daybreaker and delphs in front of the {{gwi:642736}}.

Sycamore tree and {{gwi:609513}} clematis, plus a picket fence lined with assorted roses.

A porch swing with comfy floral pillows and a {{gwi:642740}} who loves to snuggles. ; )

Diana

angelcub your garden makes me swoon :-)

Well, I bought the Fine Gardening "plant Combinations" issue yesterday and it is by far the best magazine I have ever bought. It explains the combining of colors and the color wheel in a way that finally makes sense to me. I feel that I can go out and "rearrange" now. I will probably be doing so all season as different things are blooming.
Theresa

I just bought "The Encyclopedia of Planting Combinations" by Tony Lord (a $60 book, found at a local used book store for $10.50 !) What a great resource !! It goes through many shrubs, small trees, perennials and annuals and shows pics and details what plant combos would look best for either harmonizing or contrasting colors. I will be using it to fill in the holes my 2 yr old beds and to add a design element ot my "hot" bed out front. I can't wait until things are up and growing so I can get to work on the fine tuning... If you can find this book used at a reasonable price, BUY IT !

I also bought "Plant Combinations" from Fine Gardening. I loved it so much, I gave a good friend a copy, too.

I've just planted the following combinations, so we'll have to wait and see how they turn out, but I love it when I put the photos together:

Group 1 -- magenta (main color):
Penstemon Garnet
Coreopsis 'Heavens Gate'
Rose Campion
Agastache 'Red Fortune'
Hypericum 'Albury Purple'

Group 2 -- butterfly garden (right side):
Rudbeckia fulgida v. sulvantii 'Goldstrum'
Aster frikartii 'Moench'
Echinacea purpurea Big Sky 'Sunset'
Veronica 'Royal Candles'
Hypericum x hidcote

Group 3 -- butterfly garden (left side):
Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Asclepias 'Hello Yellow'
Ascelepias tuberosa

Middle of the butterfly garden:

Bronze fennel
Miscanthus sinensis v. condensatus 'Cosmopolitan'
Vitex

Those sound like beautiful combos. I will definitely be looking for that book. I'm going to have alot of fun this summer playing with different combinations. For so long I was just trying to fill up my space and now I get to rearrange it all! lol!
Theresa

Angelcub, my favorite life combos is kitties and anything. :-) My favorite garden combos are {{gwi:59546}} (especially 'Palace' Purple' and 'Gold Standard'), Astilbe and Hosta (see previous link), and {{gwi:642742}}.

Juliaw your hydrangea are to die for! What a gorgeous blue! I have alkaline soil, so all I see is pink, I'm jealous! In your last photo, I like the way the heuchera picks up the tones of the astilbe plumes, very nice.

Thanks gottagarden! It's kind of funny, actually -- I have 3 identical hydrangeas in a row that span the space of about 12 feet. One is close to the deck, the one at the other end is in the needle-dropping radius of a pine tree. The one next to the foundation for the deck is white(ish) with shades of palest pink; the one in between is a light blue, and the one growing in pine needle litter is a deep gentian blue. Same species, separated by feet! I've found a lot of buried concrete chunks around the foundation and deck area in the past, so I suspect that the pinkish hydrangea closest to the house is planted over top of some very alkaline construction debris.

All your pictures are awesome! Thanks for the inspiration.
At the earliest opportunity, I'm going to the nearest nursery to find some of these plants to try together in my garden.

bloominganne

I always like to plant roses and lavender near each other. A fine gentleman once told me that the woody lavender plants help protect some of the tender canes of certain roses. I love the aromas of different rose scents and lavender. Then I have come to love to plant Silver King Artemisia around pink, rose and lilac lillies and Echenicia (sp?) or Blue and White clematis climbing around roses or beside/behind lillies or iris.

I am trying to find a few new combos, tried English wood hyacinths mixed with the darkness of elephant ear last year, moved the hyacinths near some tall irises and medium height daylillies with dianthus (pinks and rosey) in front--we'll see when they all show up (which is starting to happen)...

Here is a link that might be useful:

Here's one pic of Silver King Artemesia mixed with pinks, etc. I have one pic (can't seem to upload it) of 2 lovely daylillies (one pink, one rose) lower than the artemesia in front of same.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:642746}}

Dusty miller is one of my least favorite plants on its own, but a friend of mine has it growing/intertwining with some of her lush ferns... and it's to die for. Looks like a magical little faerieland. I've got it growing with some asparagus fern and some lavender-- am liking it a lot. I have to break off at least one or two branches each week to keep it from taking over, but it never seems to mind.

Nancy