Favorite Combinations

I have a few plant combinations that have stolen my heart this year. They are all different, new to me, and some even accidental. Love it when that happens.

Here is the first combination I'm loving. This is Malva 'Mystic Merlin' with hardy geranium 'Orion.' This one was accidental, as "orion" stretched much further than I expected. Did you realize 'Orion' has a 72" wingspan? That's not a typo- this hardy geranium gets up to 72" wide! Love these two together.

Along the path between my garage and home I placed an arbor planted with 'New Dawn' roses. I'm well aware they may not live forever in my zone 4 garden, but this year they put out enough blooms to be hard working annual-and they cost only $3-4 a few years ago. A few wayward branches decided to flee the constraints of the arbor and lean toward a trellis I have planted with 'Rooguchi' clematis, which was spectacular in and of itself, but when I saw the pale pink blossoms of 'New Dawn' with this pinkish feathery grass (here from the owner of our home, sana label) I swooned.

On a completely hotter note, my containers on the back porch delighted me this week also. I planted this curly plummy coleus beside a purple heart on purpose. Later, I was at a plant sale where a local technical college teacher was getting rid of the last of the fundraiser plants. I was sold on this golden leaved plant he described as a water lover-name escapes me. The pot I picked up had a tiny loose seedling stuck to it. We joked it was a freebie, and when I got home I stuck it in the dirt around the purple heart- half not expecting it to thrive... here we are a month later, and the golden lime from the unnamed water loving plant is brining out the lime stems of the coleus. Kismet.

Back out in front I have another happy accident. I dug out and planted this whole huge border along the driveway in about 2 days. Barefoot, shovel weilding, hot, exhausted from the move, but determined to get my plants out of their containers and into solid ground. I planted the golden smoke bush intentionally, but this perennial in front was a tiny sprig of leaves that was supposed to be bellflower. I knew a few weeks later it was a wayward Rudbeckia, a seedling of a clearance find that travelled way across the yard somehow. I didn't expect to love it with the golden smokebush! But, I do! Bonus, the fanatastic hot hues of 'Morden Fireglow' rose pop right up in between them.

When I placed my order for 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' clematis I planned on putting it in the same hole as 'Avante Garde,' inspired by a wonderful clematis garden I found online. When I planted them both on this arbor I also decided to put 'Carmencita' in the same area, and I love how it turned out. 'Avante Garde' is not pictured here, it is too low still to mingle with the blooms of 'Comtesse De Bouchaud' and 'Carmencita,' but they turned out to be a match made in heaven.

Along the front driveway border I have a bounty of low growing perennials below the spikey roses, lilies, and echinacea. I love how the 'moonbean' coreopsis looks close to lamb's ear.

And finally, my favorite odd combination as of late is this 'Wasabi' coleus with a lysimachia that matches it hot lime hues, and raises it with golden yellow flowers. I rarely do tone on tone combinations, but I'm loving this one. The blue pot makes it!

Happy gardening!