Pleasing Plant Combinations
Here are some plant combinations that are looking good in the garden. The first perennial photos are mostly in shady sections, and the last pictures are in the sunnier part shade areas.
Matteuccia struthiopteris and Pulmonaria (ostrich fern and lungwort)
The Pulmonaria flowers have weaved their way between the ostrich fern fronds. Some fern fronds in a bouquet always look good, and here the bouquet is right in the garden. This photo is from a few weeks ago.
Heuchera 'Mint Green' and Pulmonaria (coralbells and lungwort)
The Heuchera ‘Mint Frost’ (coral bells) leaves are adjacent to the bright blue Pulmonaria flowers. The Pulmonaria flowers are just ending now, and the Heuchera will be blooming soon, so the flowering times won’t overlap but green patterned leaves set off the blue flowers in this duo.
Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red' and Pulmonaria 'Samourai'
Here’s a combination of a lady fern with red stems looking extra fresh and green in front of the silver Pulmonaria. I like this pair together.
Helleborus and Brunnera 'Looking Glass'
This is a combination from a couple of weeks ago. Helleborus is the little plant that keeps on going. It was up so early in my garden, and the greenish flower bracts were still going as the blue Brunnera macrophylla bloomed.
Heuchera 'Mint Green' and Campanula cochlearifolia with ferns
Here the Heuchera are next to the blue flowers of the Campanula cochlearifolia (fairy thimble bellflower), in front of some tall ferns. There’s a bit more blue from Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian bellflower) by the birdbath.
Campanula rotundifolia and Campanula carpatica (bellflowers)
Here’s a light and airy combination of purplish blue Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) and white Campanula carpatica This couple will last in the garden for most of the summer and into fall.
Brunnera macrophylla and Campanula carpatica
These are the last few sky blue blooms of the Brunnera macrophylla with the new, dark blue flowers of Campanula carpatica (carpathian bellflower). They will only overlap for a brief time. Now, the carpathian bellflowers will carry on the blue until fall.
Iris and Campanula poscharskyana (bellflower) buds
This one of the last of the yellow Iris. At the end of the iris bloom time, it bent over enough to flower with the bluish purple buds of the Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian bellflower), which is much shorter.
The next perennial combinations are from a sunnier part shade area of the garden.
yellow Iris and Campanula glomerata
One of the last few yellow Iris is flowering with the purple Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower). I’m not keen on the habits of the C. glomerata, but the purple does look nice combined with the yellow iris, and then later with the pink peony.
Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt' bud and 'Campanula Summertime Blues'
A small pink bud of the Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is just starting to open next to the purple Campanula ‘Summertime Blues’. This should look pretty as more peony buds open, to bring lots more pink petals to the combination.
Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard) and Geranium Johnson's blue
This white and blue combination has some Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard) with some Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ that have just stared flowering. Normally, the goatsbeard would be the much taller one of this pair, but this one is a little stunted.
Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt' and Campanula glomerata
The photo above shows a pleasing group of purple and pink, Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ and Campanula glomerata. Both of this pair are drooping a little from the rain, but luckily they drooped together.
Do you have any particular combinations you’re enjoying in your garden now?
More wonderful pictures!! I’ve been thinking of adding some purple flowers to go with white and yellow, and your pictures have convinced me that it’s a lovely combination. The Pulmonaria flowers weaved into the ferns is just exquisite. :)
PS. I had actually come here today to search for ‘purple’ in your archives before heading to the garden center later today. Imagine my surprise when todays pictures came up!
lovely combinations – I really like the Iris
Rebecca, I like the purple flowers with yellow, as the combination really pops. The purple also coordinates well with pink. I’m not fond of yellow and pink together, but the tail end of the iris flowering overlaps with the beginning of the pink peony. The purple makes a nice separator between the two in the garden.
It made me smile when I saw that the Pulmonaria had grown into the ostrich fern.
Helen, that iris is very obliging, and grows just about anywhere I place it in the garden, so I have a few hundred of them. I have it as a large bank around 2 sides of my deck and 2 sides of my patio, and it looks fabulous when there are a couple hundred blooms at once. I don’t have any other yellow flowers, but this looks so cheery when there is a long mass of them.
What beautiful combinations!! I need to quickly get outdoors to spread some mulch. I mistakenly purchased cypress mulch today. Where would it look least unnatural? I suppose out in the sunny corner bed. Have a great weekend!
Shady Gardener, thanks, it was fun to walk around looking for plant combinations with pretty petals.
Good luck with your mulching, and enjoy the sunshine. In time it will weather and blend in with the garden.
The Pulmonaria flowers peeking between the ostrich fern fronds is quite sweet. :)
Lovely combinations.
The Garden Ms. S, the Pulmonaria did manage to poke their heads into many of the shots, but that’s my favourite one of them. They are faded now, so I’m glad the bellflowers are blooming to take their place.
Lovely pictures. It is nice to glance across the garden and see an attractive colour combination – especially if it wasn’t planned. Much as I love my Ostrich fern it seems intent on expanding at high speed from its original planting spot. There was me thinking how delicate it looked when I first bought it!
Easygardener, I only get the odd little fern expansion from my ostrich ferns, but the cold climate might keep them in check. I particularly like them for their taller height in the shade, and the elegant vase shape.
Lovely photos and love the peony.
Joanne, thank you, this is one of my favourite peonies, so packed with pink petals.
Ooh! What lovely pictures. I did enjoy this post!
Charlotte, thanks, there are lots of flower colours in early July, and those bellflowers sneaked into many of the photos.