What Plant Where? Beautiful Plant Combinations
Discover Stunning Plant Combinations
Do you ever wonder what plants look good together? Below are pictures of some of my favorite plant combinations along with some general guidelines that I follow when designing a garden. Keep in mind that planting similar plants together which require similar water needs makes it easier to maintain a landscape.
Color Harmony in Plant Combinations
Sometimes red and pink colors always complement each other. Introducing yellow flowering plants provide a high color contrast that brings out the red and pink colors. Above is a golf course landscape that I planted with Valentine shrub (Eremophila ‘Valentine’), Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) and desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) against the backdrop of foothill palo verde trees.
Parry’s agave (Agave parryi) with purple trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis)
Succulent and Perennial Pairings
Also, succulents paired with perennials almost always complement each other with their contrasting shades of green and textures. Other recommended succulent and perennial pairings include desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) alongside black dalea (Dalea frutescens), prickly pear species with penstemon or try octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana) with purple or white trailing lantana.
Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii ‘Red’)
Emphasizing Colors with a White Flower Contrast
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
I use plants with white flowers as a backdrop for plants with red, pink and purple flowers; I like the way the white flowers emphasize the other colors.
Using the Color Wheel for Plant Combinations
‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae) & Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Most of the time the pairing of purple flowering plants with those that have orange flowers always looks great. When deciding what colors look good when paired together, it helps to look at a color wheel. In general, the colors that are opposite each other look great when paired together because their colors contrast so well. Other orange, purple plant combinations to try are cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) with (Leucophyllum species), or Mexican honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) with purple lantana.
The Power of Yellow Flowering Plants
Angelita daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis) and parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi)
Also, I believe that any garden looks better with some yellow flowering plants. As I mentioned earlier, the color yellow makes the other plants look better, (think of the color wheel). I have had clients that have said they do not like yellow until I show them how much better their other plants look when we introduce just a few yellow flowering plants to their landscape and they quickly change their mind.
Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans)
Large Shrub Plant Combinations
Bougainvillea ‘Barbara Karst’
I often recommend the following for those who are looking for large shrub combinations. Okay, I realize that many people either love or hate bougainvillea. Personally, I love them. I have two bougainvillea and since I don’t have a swimming pool, so I am not bothered by their litter. Their beautiful and vibrant colors are amazing.
Timing Matters in Plant Pairings
I pair my bougainvillea with yellow bell shrubs. Their colors contrast nicely, and they screen out the back wall of my garden. I give them plenty of room to grow, and they produce beautiful flowers spring through fall. If you do have a swimming pool and don’t like bougainvillea, how about trying orange jubilee (Tecoma hybrid ‘Orange Jubilee’) and Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) together?
Weber’s agave (Agave weberi) and purple trailing lantana
I have just one more tip – if you want to pair flowering plants together to enjoy the contrasting colors, make sure that they bloom at the same time of year. It is so easy to visit the plant nursery and see the pretty photos of flowers on the different plants and pick what ones you think will look great together only to discover later that one flower in the fall while the other blooms in spring and so you never see their flowers at the same time.
So, visit your local nursery and try some of the suggested plant combinations or see what beautiful plant pairings you come up with for your garden.
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
I sure wish I had known about you when I lived in Arizona. LOL You make such beautiful landscapes! Great advice on color combinations, I can definitely use that advice here in the North.
Wonderful & informative post…rich with creativity and great advice! Thanks for sharing. I can't grow many of these; however, the color combination suggestions will work in any garden!
Noelle,
I am glad you said that about the color yellow, I never thought of it before as a color to bring out other colors and complement them.
The heat of the desert seems to bring out the beauty of these plants you selected. No wonder my parents go to AZ every winter!
Rosey
Are those little sage bushes moving? I think I see feet under one of them!
: ) Great pictures.
Great tips as always! Another array of stunning plant combos!Beautiful!! Everytime I saw one I liked..then another and another!! Fabulous job!
Your post has me yearning to visit Arizona…
thanks! Alice
Great post. You've given me some ideas to try out.
This is a helpful explanation for why some combos are just really striking. I often find that white is remarkable for drawing out the other colors (including the foliage). And of course your explanation also explains why I like the red flowers and green foliage combinations so much (like cardinal flowers or roses for example). I too like the Bougainvilleas. So much so that I take four of them into the basement every winter in pots since they don't overwinter here.
Lovely, all of it. I saw three plants, no, four that I grow:
Lantana montevidensis, melampodium, Red BOP which I call Pride of Barbados, Tecoma stans (these last two I plant together).
The tip about bloom times is right on. I would guess that next to failing to allow for growth, that is the most common garden mistake. It is the one at which I work hardest.
Perhaps I should try a few more yellows then in my garden.
Noelle,
I love your blog. Even though I'm on the Gulf Coast, I'm a big fan of desert gardens. You have wonderful suggestions here.
Best wishes,
This was such an informative post! I was reading more about using the color wheel and how certain colors compliment others. I love purple and orange together. The other good point is when you see flowers in pictures blooming together it doesn't mean they'll bloom at the same time where you live.
I love seeing all those plants that just won't make it over the winter here. The Ocotopus Agave is really neat.
At the flower shop, we recommend chartreuse (or yellow) as one of those colours that intensifies what it is placed next to. And one of my favourite combos is red and pink, truly gorgeous. A great post.
I have been battling the leaves raining down in the pool for the past few days. I love the contrast of the agave against the other fine foliage plants.
Hi Noelle,
I love the color choices and how you seem to pick drought tolerant plants … as well as others that may need more TLC. Very striking first image! Soon I too will be longing to be in one of your gardens. Carol
I love the combination of orange and purple. Color combinations are so much fun to work with in the garden.
Thank you all for your comments! Isn't it nice that even if you cannot grow the same type of plants where you live, the basic design principles are the same 🙂
Everything looks great! Amazing how different colors bring out the best in their opposites. I usually just mish mash flowers together but I always admire thought out color schemes.
I'm startled and impressed by how soft and restful the landscape is in the top photos, despite there being very few plants.
It is a timely post.
Yesterday, the International Olympic Committee said golf could count at an Olympic sport. This was greeted by some with mixed feelings because, in a lot of places, golf is a very unecological sport because of the care given to fairways. Perhaps golf doesn't need as much grass as some of us tend to think.
Incidentally, I find white a funny 'colour'. It doesn't show up in shady spots anywhere near as well as yellow.
Oh, and say the very words 'orange and purple' in the same breath and I can feel the corners of my lips turn up in a smile.
Lucy
Thanks for interesting thoughtful post. I used to be very conseervative and only have pastel colours, now I love and use orange but haven't quite graduated to the bravery of using yellow. I grow santolina and usually remove their yellow flowers and just keep them for their grey leaves, but maybe just this once I will (try to) leave them on. Cheers, catmint
Great post. I need to add more yellow to my gardens. I just love your work and your photography.
FlowerLady
Its my first visit here and I like your blog very much.
Its a great informative post and I agree on you that yellow brings good to other plants.
Great article, love the photos. The gardens are so neat and tidy which adds greatly to the plants you use. Some Australian gardeners try and make their gardens look like the Australian bush with leaf litter and fallen bark but I really like the clean lines of these gardens which is enhanced by the use of the gravel and stones. I always think of the plants being the "stars" of the show and that's what you've done here.
I like yellow flowers, but the only thing I don't like about them, is that they are difficult to photograph to put on my blog. LOL
Your landscape is awesome, and a contrast to mine. Thanks for your comment on my before and after photos. I wasn't as organized about it as I had first planned to be. I couldn't get to all the buds in the snow.
Oh after looking at all your beautiful flowers and reading the ideas on what plants go together- I can't wait till next season to be able to try.
vickie
Great post! I am always looking for plants that look good together. Your post is very informative! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful landscapes and pictures of them. I need a garden coach. I've been thinking about what I want for years but just can't seem to get there. ;-(
What great plant pairings. I look forward to seeing more of your postings.
Oh goody, following your blog is going to tell me what some of the flowers are that I saw in your lovely state! I've already learned several. When I get around to posting my photos, please feel free to tell me what they are! Sedona was fabulous, we had a great time. But Arizona is so much more empty than Ohio that I often felt like I was on the moon.
Great post! We can, and do grow every plant you mentioned, with the exception of that octopus agave! I need one of those! We are collectors….
Do the yellow bells grow as natives there? They are not native in my neighborhood, but grow very well here, a staple in my garden.
What a wonderful post. I love the colour combinations. I had kept yellow with white, and away from pinks, purples and blues, but combined them this year and loved the result. They really do enhance eachother beautifully. I don't know if I'm brave enough to try red, we'll see next year. The Agave is stunning. 🙂 Rebecca