What flowers to plant together to have a bright bed: the best options

There are no bad combinations of plants in nature - if two have grown them side by side, it's already a successful duo. However, if you know the properties of different species, you can create combinations in your garden that will look stylish and solve certain practical problems for you.

To find out the rules for successfully combining plants in a flowerbed, Homes and Gardens turned to professional gardeners. And they named 8 rules for the correct combination of species, as well as suggested some interesting options.

Whichever of these approaches you choose, here is a universal expert advice: start by choosing two plants that complement each other well. Then plant them in groups of three or five and observe how they grow and interact over the course of a season. The goal is for them to fill the space so that you can't see the soil underneath. This will quickly give your garden a professional look.

Plant white flowers in shady locations

We all want as much light in our gardens as possible, but lush vegetation creates a lot of shade. The solution is quite simple: plant shade-loving plants with white flowers in the least lighted areas and combine them so that they take turns blooming throughout the season. Thus, in late summer and autumn, shady areas will be well decorated with the anemone japonica "Honorine Jobert". A good choice would also be the King Solomon's-seal. Its creamy white bell-shaped flowers will create an interesting contrast with the anemones.

Combine plants that attract pollinators

If you grow any fruits on your site along with flowers, you will definitely need the help of pollinating insects. Flowers that have both a bright color and a pronounced aroma help to attract them. An example of such a tandem is lavender and speedwell. They both have blue-purple flowers, bloom for a long time and attract many insects. By the way, speedwell can also be found in other colors - red, pink and white.

Combine ornamental drought-tolerant plants

Every garden needs low-maintenance perennial foliage plants that fill in gaps and attract attention throughout the season. Ideally, you should choose drought-resistant species that will not lose their decorative effect during hot periods. For example, a good combination would be groundsel and spiny-head mat rush. The foliage of both plants has good decorative properties, and they can also be planted together in one pot. In this case, the former will grow upward, and the latter will cascade down from the edge. At the same time, both plants have similar growing conditions - they feel good both in partial shade and in full sun.

Don't forget about the classics

Of course, you can search for a good combination of plants for your garden every day and come up with new ideas. However, some pairs have long been time-tested and always work well. For example, shrub rosesand hydrangeas. Choose colors to your liking. And if you want a more daring experiment, plant Russian sage and phlox next to them and watch the explosions of color all summer long.

Combine plants with bright or fancy foliage

Sometimes all you need to be happy is a well-groomed fern bush - you can admire its lush, carved leaves endlessly. But add a few ornamental hostas around it and they will successfully set off the others with their striped or spotted leaves. Want even more splendor? Complete the pair with Japanese forest grass or combine fern with false spirea, which also has decorative leaves.

Use the color wheel

You've definitely seen this tool in the hands of stylists or interior designers. They use a color wheel to determine the best color combinations for clothes and homes. But what's stopping you from using it to design your garden? Choose the colors you like the most and find the right plants for your garden. For example, yellow achillea ochroleuca will form a beautiful contrast with something purple like sage. In addition, both plants are very hardy and don't require much maintenance.

Shape the flowerbed like a bouquet

Do you want  some interesting ideas for planning a flower bed? Take a look at a florist studio. Plants that professional florists arrange in bouquets will look just as good together in your flower bed. Moreover, it's a trend nowadays to allocate a part of the garden for growing flowers that you will cut for the house. If you want to try this approach, then pay attention to perennials that have the ability to bloom again. Examples of such plants are gerbera and buddleja. They produce many flowers from spring to late summer. The more you cut them, the more they bloom.

Plant tall pairs on alpine hill

If you want to set up an alpine hill in your garden but make it really noticeable and unusual, pay attention to plants with tall flowers, such as the sun-loving verbena and agapanthus. Due to their long stems, they won't hide the beautiful rocky soil of the hill from view. And at the same time, they will decorate such a bed with bright flowering.

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