I’m not known for purposely putting together plant combos that could grace the back cover of Fine Gardening. (I don’t know how their editors stole that prime real estate from the ad department.)
But if you plant enough stuff and get it mixing around, you can’t help but come up with a few mixtures that don’t look too bad.
Verbascums, albutilon and more off the patio.
Clematis, goatsbeard (Aruncus) and grape vines.
Heucheras, violets, lysimachia, alchemilla.
Hosta, astilbe.
Monarda, lysimachia, volunteer grass and sumac. (Actually, I hate the color of this monarda. But it’s the one that thrives around our place.)
Napaea dioica, geranium, daylily, iris. Flowers aren’t great now. But I like the foliage combo.
Phlomis, Scotch thistle, Bottlis cobaltis, lots of other stuff.
A verbascum species I don’t remember, necteroscordum, coneflowers and more. I like ripe seedheads among other blooms at all stages. Or maybe I’m just too lazy to deadhead.
Stachy, chives, trough sedums and more.
Sorbaria and Asimina (pawpaw).
Bog garden is still a few weeks from peak. Filipendulas, malvas, veronicastrum, monarda, tradescantia, lysimachia, Verbena hastata, buttonbush, willows. Will shoot again.
Telekia — 2007 and 2008.
Banana and Jade.
Back where we started.
I have stumbled cross some of these myself, so I know what you mean. I think my hostas and astilbe look particularly striking together. And I call it serendipity myself!
Your garden look lush and healthy. I always appreciate when bloggers show more long views so we get the whole perspective. Excellent!
Robin Wedewer
Gardening Examiner
Oh and what a backdrop you have! Fine Gardening should take note!
Very nice combos! Most of my attractive groupings are definately dumb luck, but I’ll take it! 🙂 Boy, your musa basjoo is getting BIG!
Wow, thanks for that. I bet you’re compiling shots taken from the same spot at different times in the season – cool.
Thank you for a great garden tour, and you didn’t even make us pay! I would love to know more about the lovely purple plant in the photo “Stachy, chives, trough sedums and more.”
Hi different Kim: If I recall correctly, that’s Stachys monieri. Not at all like the lambsears (S. byzantium?) that everyone knows. It’s clump forming. Doesn’t seem to spread. I think it’s time that I take that clump and divide it up so that I have a patch.