A great way to plant a steep bank is to incorporate it into the landscape. The colorful ‘Bright Edge’ yucca provides texture against the evergreens, blending with the blues of the ‘Grey Owl’ juniper, ‘Golden Mop’ chamaecyparis and Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’. (Picture provided by Nancy Martemucci, garden owner and BB Barns customer.)
As gardeners, we love our plant combinations. Words like color, texture, variation, repetition, symmetry, and balance are the language of gardeners. We study plant combinations while shamelessly stealing ideas. It’s all part of the fun. We have the entire store to mix and match with, which by the way, is why our containers and landscape always looks so good. We can try different combinations until we’re satisfied. Most folks don’t get a playground full of plants to design with, so some inspiration is needed. Click through the pictures below for ideas for your combinations. Remember to work with what you have, not fret over what you don’t!
Click on each picture and scroll through. The information for the groupings will pop up at the bottom of the picture.
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Blue spruce with witch hazel tree in fall.
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Dwarf globe blue spruce, grey owl juniper, thunderhead pine, gold mop chameacyparis, with bright edge yucca. (Nancy Martemucci garden, Fairview. Martemucci’s picture.)
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Peach drift roses with ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum.
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‘Viridis’ Japanese maple with hostas and ferns in containers. (Jan Cantrell garden, Biltmore Forest.)
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Orange daylily combines with blue hydrangea for great combination. (Debbie Neese garden, Biltmore Lake.)
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Pink azalea, pink peony, lamb’s ear and split rail fence.
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‘Heavy Metal’ panicum grass with winterberry holly.
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Mix of heurchera.
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‘Rabatz’ rhododendron pops against a green forest.
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‘Sweet Kate’ spiderwort is the combination with the chartreuse leaves and purple/blue blooms.
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‘Little Diablo’ ninebark combines with the trim on the shed. Plants aren’t always part of the combination.
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Turk’s cap lilies and black eyed Susan make a great summer pair.
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Red dahlias and gold coleus with red flecks are stunning together. (Barney Bryant garden, South Asheville.)
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Container with million bells, Swedish ivy, and dracena. (Barney Bryant garden, South Asheville.)
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‘Sundown’ coneflower with ‘Autumn Moon’ Japanese maple.
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‘Jethro Tull’ coreopsis with the leaves of ‘Queen Victoria’ lobelia.
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‘Jack Frost’ brunnera with Oxalis ‘Cottage Pink.’
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‘Gold Rush’ dawn redwood chartreuse leaves is a statement color in the garden. It blends well with burgundy and purple.
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Birdbath with groundcover Chinese evergreen. Japanese pieris ‘Prelude’ forms a hedge around the back. (Jan Cantrell garden, Biltmore Forest)
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Japanese painted fern against the exfloliating bark of a paperbark maple. (Jan Cantrell garden, Biltmore Forest.)
Written by Cinthia Milner, OSA, Garden Coach and blog writer.
BB Barns serves all of Western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, and Tennessee.
