Favorite Plant Combinations to Inspire

In a 180 degree turn from yesterday’s post, today I wanted to look at some of the favorite combinations I’ve seen featured in the magazine over the years. These are pulled from various articles and planting plans from our features. One of the coolest benefits of Fine Gardening is that we create these planting plans from the real gardens we visit. It’s amazing to see how professional and expert designers lay out gardens and view the finished product – it makes building garden beds a lot easier when you can get a sense for how it will look when its done.

While I haven’t followed any of these plans verbatim, they are a treasure trove for inspiration. If you look, you may see some of the color and texture combos here reflected as attempts to recreate the same in my garden from the post yesterday. It’s also kind of fun to see the difference a professional garden’s hand (and a professional photographer) makes in the presentation of these plant combinations. I linked out the articles these originate from in case you’d like to see other angles and get more information.

Plant ID’s for Above

1. ‘Jacob Cline’ bee balm (Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’, Zones 4–8)
2. Meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebruneanum, Zones 4–7)
3. Queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra, Zones 3–8)
4. Persicaria (Persicaria cv., Zones 4–7)

From Peak Season Combos, which is a collection of great combinations of plants from all over. The two photos I feature from this article (this one and the above) were both taken by Marianne Majerus. 

1. Salvia (Salvia cv., Zones 4–9)
2. ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’, Zones 4–9)
3. Drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon, Zones 4–8)
4. Rose (Rosa cv., Zones 4–9)

From 3 Planting Plans from a Mature Garden, this garden was designed by Scott Endres, a horticulturist and designer based in Minneapolis, photos are by Tracy Walsh.

1. ‘Summer Beauty’ allium (Allium tanguticum ‘Summer Beauty’, Zones 4–8)
2. Dalmatian iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’, Zones 4–9)
3. Russian sage (Salvia yangii, Zones 4–9)
4. ‘Profusion Orange’ zinnia (Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’, annual)
5. ‘Talent Orange’ gazania (Gazania rigens ‘Talent Orange’, Zones 9–11)
6. Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis, Zones 3–9)
7. Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens, Zones 4–9)
8. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Zones 5–9)
9. ‘Ballerina Purple’ datura (Datura metel ‘Ballerina Purple’, Zones 9–11)
10. ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Mountain’, Zones 5–9)
11. Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa, Zones 3–7)

From Kristen Caldwell, a shot from Create Outdoor Rooms That Feel Open, Inviting, and Perfectly Secluded, photograph by Jude Parkinson-Morgan. See more planting plans from this garden here.

1. ‘Blue Glow’ agave (Agave ‘Blue Glow’, Zones 8-11)
2. Safari Sunset Conebush (Leucadendron ‘Safari Sunset’, Zones 8-11)
3. Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ (‘Color Guard’ yucca, Zones 4-10)
4. ‘Quadricolor’ agave (Agave lophantha ‘Quadricolor’, Zones 8-11)
5. Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis, Zones 7-11)
6. Carolina cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana, Zones 7–10)
7. Hardy yellow ice plant (Delosperma nubiginum, Zones 4-9)

From John Magee’s Sophisticated Pollinator Garden – photograph by Diana Koehm, Fine Gardening associate editor. See additional plant combinations from this garden here.

1. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis, Zones 5–11)
2. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum, Zones 3–8)
3. ‘Heavy Metal’ switch grass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’, Zones 5–9)
4. Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum, Zones 5–9)

So we have much to learn from folks who have gone before us, and I never cease to be amazed by the gardens and gardeners that we find and feature in the magazine. You could give three gardeners the same 20 plants and they would all do something different with them. It makes me feel that a garden is a very personal thing. When you add in each locales special combination of soil, climate, and wildlife pressures; no two gardens could ever be the same. And that’s what makes it so nice to see into your corner of the world, too. Tomorrow, I intend to showcase some of my favorite summer gardens from GPOD-submitted gardens, so stay tuned!

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