There's certainly an art to combining annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines, and more to create a gorgeous and harmonious garden. Not only do you need to consider contrasting and complementary colors, season of bloom, and flower shape, but also care needs of your plant selections.
However, not all herbs play well together. Specifically, you should not plant spearmint near other mints, chamomile, rosemary, or parsley. The scents of these herbs are incompatible, and mint plants will become more vigorous if planted nearby. If you're looking to add mint to your garden, spearmint is a great option.
If you plant flowers too close together, the plants get stressed and are prone to diseases, Kole says. If air can't properly circulate and the plants can't dry out between waterings, fungus sets in. Roots can rot. And once plants are weakened from stress, insects move in.
Flower Spacing Guide for Perennials
Although it will take more time to fill the space, sticking with proper spacing will mean you won't have to divide your perennials so soon after planting. Here are general guidelines for spacing perennials: Small perennials – 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm.)
With companion planting, your chances of better harvests are almost guaranteed. Don't skip this planting step if you want to have some nice long, crispy fries. Avoid planting your potatoes with Brassicas, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, squash, asparagus, sunflowers and fennel.
Petunias do need a decent amount of water, so don't pair them with any cacti, but try to avoid plants that need continuously moist soil. Choosing plants that complement your petunias will provide season-long enjoyment.
Zinnia flowers will also attract beneficial bugs that will keep its companions safe from pests and ensure enough pollinators for a high yield. Of course, not all plants can grow well with zinnias, and some of the ones you should avoid are plants that love drier soils, such as thyme, lavender, and rosemary.
The 3 complementary color pairs shown here are violet and yellow, red and green, and orange and blue. Here are some photos that illustrate the use of complementary colors in the landscape. The color duos below are orange and blue, violet and bright yellow, and violet and light yellow.
Companion plants for this garden favorite are almost too many to list, but a few ready and reliable choices include zinnias, globe thistle, sedum, perennial hibiscus, echinacea, joe-pye weed, and ornamental grasses. The yellow and golden colors look nice near shrubs with darker foliage, like smokebush and elderberry.
The Three Sisters is an ancient companion planting method that originated with Native American tribes, who planted corn, beans, and squash together for mutual benefit.
For many Native American communities, three seeds - corn, beans, and squash represent the most important crops. When planted together, the Three Sisters, work together to help one another thrive and survive.
Petunias. Another beautiful addition to your garden, petunias have a lovely purple hue that adds a burst of color while helping to repel some of the pests that want a bite of your vegetables. Petunias can help to repel tomato hornworms, aphids, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and asparagus beetles.
Geraniums and petunias are one of my favorite combos. It's simple, but gives a great splash of color in this low rectangular pot that sits on my patio. First, decide how the plants will be arranged. It's easiest to remove some of the soil first.
If you think you're shy, you should meet the plant known to botanists as Mimosa pudica! Also known as a touch-me-not, shame plant, or humble plant, M. pudica reacts rapidly to external stimuli – such as being touched, changes in heat, or changes in light intensity.
The hardiest of flowers can be planted as soon as the soil in your garden can be worked, even if it's several weeks before the last frost of the season. For half-hardy flowers, hold off until a couple weeks before the final frost, and for tender flowers, plant when there's no chance of frost for the rest of the season.
You could, but given that many flowers of a season (especially among perennials) often harmonize, and the fact that annuals are more likely to be planted with thoughts of a color scheme (but not always!) their indiscretions… or rather those of the gardener are short-lived.
The main rule of successful cohabitation of different plants in one pot is that you can plant them together only if they have similar subsistence requirements. Pay attention to lighting, watering, temperature, ground mixture, and growth factors; they must be similar.