Planting Combination # 1

A colourful cottage garden mix to emulate in your own garden

This week I start my series on planting combinations from gardens I have admired, photographed and learnt from over the years. What I have come to understand is that there is much more nuance to this skill than just plonking a load of plants together that you have seen and liked. First, you need to think about where you are putting them. How much sun or shade is there throughout the day? What’s the soil like? Is the site sheltered or exposed? Next, you need to start researching the plants that will thrive in these specific conditions. Finally you need to think about the specific placing of the plants and how they are going to interact with each other. What is their height and spread likely to be? How quickly will they grow? Is their habit light and delicate or robust and blocky? Tall and transparent or low and sprawling? Are they likely to sucker or self seed? And last but not least, what is coming before and after the combination you are aiming for.