Combination of plants: principles and examples

Combination of plants: principles and examplesThe combination of plants in the landscape design of the garden in terms of height, decorativeness and flowering time, as a rule, is not enough. Often such a flower group does not satisfy the owner of the site. And the whole point is that the principles of composition were not taken into account. Before decorating a flower bed, you need to get an idea of ​​how to correctly combine flowers so that your garden is pleasing to the eye and looks dignified, but not deliberate.

How to match flowers

Plants can be placed in a group according to the principle of contrast (diversity) or nuance (uniformity).

Combination of plants: principles and examples

Contrast is a relationship that expresses the opposite of signs: high – low (in height), wide – narrow (in the shape of a bush or leaf blade), dense – openwork (in the texture of the leaf blade), “warm” – “cold” (in color) …

Combination of plants: principles and examples

Nuance is an attitude in which the similarity is more pronounced than the difference. When choosing plants by contrast or nuance, they take into account such decorative qualities of plants as the habit of the bush, the shape, size and color of the leaf blade, the shape and color of the flower or inflorescence (these are the elements of the composition).

When choosing plants in a group, it is important to adhere to a certain number of elements in the composition, which ranges from 5 to 9 (maximum 11). The elements in the composition seem to obey the law of communicating vessels: “how much from one place has left – so much has arrived in another.” You cannot get carried away with one element to the detriment of others – all the time there must be a certain balance revolving around the numbers 5-9. If the number of elements in the composition is less than 5, it is poor. If more than 9 (11), it is oversaturated with elements and cannot please the eye.

Examples of beautiful combinations

Let us examine, for example, such a combination of plants in a flower bed as a group of Volzhanka dioecious, female cochidian, Siberian iris, Siebold’s hosts and heart-leaved bergenia. Let’s count the number of elements: according to the shape of the leaf blade – 5, according to the habit of plants – 5, according to the color of the leaf blade – 3 (Volzhanka and Kochedyzhnik are light green, iris and badan are dark green and hosta is bluish).

Combination of plants: principles and examples

If we take into account that the listed species bloom at different times and therefore it is possible to ignore the shape and color of the inflorescences, then the total number of elements in this composition is 13, which is much more than the prescribed maximum (9-11). You can’t get carried away with contrasts. In this case, the situation can be corrected by reducing the number of species or, keeping the same number of species, to introduce plants with similar elements into the composition. For example, instead of iris, you can take hybrid astilba, and instead of badan, a shorter type of hosta. In this case, the number of elements will be as follows: according to the shape of the leaf blade – 3 (Volzhanka and Astilba have a similar leaf blade shape, hosts – also), according to the color of the leaf blade – 3 (Volzhanka and Cochin – light green, astilbe and hosta – dark green, hosta Siebold – bluish), in habit – 3 (Volzhanka and Astilba – similarity, hosts and kochedyzhnik – similarity), total – 9. Thus, if the plants in a group differ greatly in the shape of the leaf blade, the number of elements should be balanced due to the similarity leaf color and plant habit. If all species in a group have variably colored leaf blades, balance the number of elements with the same leaf shape and habit, etc.

Combination of plants: principles and examples

When plants bloom at different times, without intersecting with each other. And if the group is blooming at the same time, you will also have to take into account the shape and color of flowers and inflorescences. If the plants in the group have a variety of colors (selected according to the laws of coloristics), you will have to select species with a similar inflorescence shape. Conversely, if the color of the plants is the same, for example, pinkish-red, you can strengthen the group by picking up plants with different shapes of inflorescences. Many species have inflorescences that resemble geometric shapes in appearance: balls (decorative bows, muzzle, toothed primrose), cylinders (delphiniums, lupines, liatris), cones (astilbe).

Combination of plants: principles and examples

By combining plants with the same color of flowers, but with different shapes of inflorescences, you can get an original group that is distinguished by the subtlety and grace of lines (for example, pink vertical letters of the initial caps, balls of decorative onions and flat yarrow shields). If the group is blooming at the same time, you will have to take care that after flowering it remains decorative (at least due to the shape of the leaves or bush). And again, it should be noted that such a strict arithmetic calculation does not oblige us to strictly observe the parameters. It is only important to take them into account and adhere approximately. Since plants are living beings, in addition to the already indicated elements of the composition, other factors may also be present. In particular, you can try to select an assortment for a group in this way, especially if it is blooming at the same time, so that during flowering, the number of elements is counted already taking into account the color and shape of the inflorescences (it is they who work hard at this time), and after flowering, taking into account the shape of the bush and leaf blades, since it is they who will play the first violin until the end of the growing season.

Combination of plants: principles and examples

Combinations of plants for a flower garden can also be selected according to the principle of nuance, for example, according to the uniformity of the shape of the leaf blade or habit. In this case, the number of elements in the composition must be varied by coloring the leaf blade. Let’s take a group of different kinds of hosts. The shape of the leaf blade in most species is identical, the habit of the bush is also. How do you get the required number of elements? In this case, due to the color and, possibly, the texture of the leaf blade (smooth leaves in the hosta plantain and wrinkled, rough – in the hosta Siebold).

Combination of plants: principles and examples

You can choose plants for a group, focusing on the variety of forms of leaf blades (groups of shade plants that differ in inconspicuous flowers, but have expressive leaves in shape) or the shape of a bush (spherical, columnar, oval, etc.) are especially interesting. The groups of Volzhanka, Hosta and Rogersia horse chestnut, or of Astilba, fern and bergenia are unusually good. There are only three types in each group, but they look expressive and complete.

Of course, when choosing plants for a group, you should not focus only on counting elements, otherwise you can become like a centipede, which thought about the order of movement of its forty legs and could not walk at all. It is important to adhere to the general rule, remembering the “golden mean”, relying on knowledge of the assortment, decorative qualities of plants and at the same time taking into account these very “elements”.

Combination of plants: principles and examples

An impressive composition in white-green tones from Thunberg astilba and Astrantia is large, with white inflorescences, several varieties of wavy hosta with different leaf patterns and sugar honey. This group will look especially good in a semi-shaded area where whites appear particularly striking.

Combination of plants: principles and examples

It is interesting to work hard on composing the groups ourselves, but if you don’t have the strength to wait and understand the details, you can use well-proven combinations. For example, species such as astilbe, ferns, hybrid anemone, hosta and broadleaf bellflower go well with each other. Or tall bells, purple foxglove, hybrid aquilegia and ferns (note that bells do not look good after flowering, and in aquilegia, with a lack of moisture, the leaves after flowering may disappear altogether, however, they will grow back in the second half of summer). A good group is obtained from hosta, napellus aconite, astilba, foxglove and primrose. The most beautiful combinations of flowers and other plants in landscape design are presented in the photo:

Combination of plants: principles and examples
Combination of plants: principles and examples
Combination of plants: principles and examples
Combination of plants: principles and examples

You can bookmark this page

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →