Pro tips to create unique plant combinations
Lisa Graff, owner of Lux Perennials Nursery in Oregon, added borders to her front yard several years ago so she could experiment with different plant combinations. She’s come up with a formula to ensure each border has plenty of variety and interest but is still harmonious. Here’s a look at her design technique.
1. Choose big round flowers
Starting with flower shape, Lisa looks for a few plants with big round blooms, such as peony (Paeonia spp. and hybrids), allium (Allium hybrid) or bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), to create a pool of color in the border.
2. Contrast with spires
Combine the round flowers with spire-shaped blooms like the anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) and salvia (Salvia guaranitica) above, to create a visual tension that’s always interesting.
3. Plant in sweeps
Groups of the same plant boost the impact in a border and ensure it’s cohesive. Plus it can make some flowers, such as this slender persicaria (Persicaria spp. and hybrids), easier to see than if there were just one or two.
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Colorful late-season plant combinations from Lisa’s garden
Warm up a cool season with shades of pink
Lisa loves the changing blooms of ‘Pinky Winky’ panicle hydrangea that start out white and end the season this dusky shade of pink. ‘Dragonberry’ dahlia picks up the pink tones of the hydrangea blooms for a warm contrast that’s cooled off by the purple geranium below.
A) Dahlia (Dahlia ‘Hollyhill Black Beauty’)
Tuber; 6-in. double burgundy blooms from midsummer to frost; full sun to part shade; 48 to 54 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
B) Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinky Winky’)
Shrub; white to pink pyramidal blooms from summer to fall; full sun to part shade; 6 to 8 ft. tall, 7 to 9 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8
C) Dahlia (Dahlia ‘Dragonberry’)
Tuber; 5-in. fuchsia blooms from midsummer to frost;
full sun to part shade; 48 to 54 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
D) Perennial geranium (Geranium Rozanne)
Perennial; blue-purple flowers from late spring to fall;
full sun to part shade; 12 to 20 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
Show off dahlia blooms with contrasting foliage
Combining strong colors and bold textures is a sure way Lisa has found to get head-turning combos. Castor bean’s large burgundy palm-shaped leaves stand out among the surrounding green foliage and make the beautiful coral blooms of ‘Intrigue’ dahlia really pop. For dahlias, her husband, Brad, welds circular plant supports — sold at their nursery and used in their own garden — to keep the heavy blooms upright.
A) Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Perennial; dusty mauve flowers in midsummer to fall; full sun to part shade; 4 to 7 ft. tall, 2 to 4 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
B) Castor bean (Ricinus communis ‘New Zealand Purple’)
Tender perennial; small cup-shaped yellow-green flowers produce red-brown seed pods, all parts are poisonous; full sun; 6 to 10 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 12
C) Dahlia (Dahlia ‘Intrigue’)
Tuber; 4-in. double coral blooms in summer to frost; full sun to part shade; 36 to 48 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
Boost fall color with long-blooming plant combinations
To help the pink in ‘Firetail’ persicaria really come through, Lisa added burgundy ‘Garnet Red’ amaranth, then softened the dramatic pair with the dome-shaped blooms of ‘Bowles Mauve’ wallflower. It’s one of the longest-flowering varieties, with clusters of lightly scented 1-inch blooms from spring until late fall. Cut back spent stems to encourage more blooms and keep plants tidy.
The amaranth is an annual but reseeds freely, and Lisa often has small drifts develop in some parts of the border. You can cut this grain’s young stems to add to salads or harvest the seeds to toast and eat them. ‘Firetail’ has pencil-thin 4- to 6-inch-long spikes covered in tiny individual flowers that butterflies often visit. Later birds will feed on the seeds. Plants may reseed where they’re happy but won’t come true.
A) Persicaria (Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’)
Perennial; raspberry-pink blooms from summer to frost; full sun to part shade; 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7
B) Wallflower (Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’)
Perennial; fragrant lavender-mauve flowers from spring to frost; full sun to part shade; 2 to 4 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10
C) Amaranth (Amaranthus ‘Garnet Red’)
Annual; deep burgundy spikes from summer to frost; part to full shade; 6 to 8 ft. tall, 12 to 14 in. wide
