While the garden sleeps I've been fueling the gardening momentum indoors by researching color and plant combinations. I've increased the size of an area I call the "Sky Garden", planted in blues, soft yellows, and white, so I've been considering plants to add. I've been enjoying snagging images from the data base and combining them to form almost a collage.






What are your favorite combos? What plant combos are you planning for spring? Snag some data base photos and paste them here to get a visual idea! (when you open a data base photo, just above the pic is ATP BB Code: followed by bracketed info- just copy the info including the brackets, and past in your post)

The plants above include some new ones I'm considering adding, and several already growing in the bed- it's a nice way to get an idea of how they will coordinate.

My pink bed has also increased dramatically in size due to the removal of a huge old Mock Orange. My intention for the bed has always been to have at least 80% pink, with a few complimentary colors and some white. As easy as that sounds, it has given me fits! So many pinks are peachy or apricot, but I'm looking for cool pinks, or "blue pinks".

Do your stems of Sarah Bernhardt fall over. our bed in front of the house has the peonies from my childhood home in WI. bought new supports last year & they were better. I would need a low growing pink which would bloom at the same time, or afterwards. Not much room in the bed & there is half day shade as the sun moves behind the house.

Yeah, Sarah kinda drives me nuts falling over- many years I have cut all the blooms and enjoyed them in the house. It just drives me nuts seeing them flop. She's in full sun and still flops. I may be a good gardener this year and cage them In fall I planted 'Pink Kisses', that has big fluffy blooms, but is short and has sturdy stems. I also have an old Japanese/Anemone flowered pink peony that I like much better. It has multiple blooms per stem, and they stand even after rain. Floppy Peonies is what lead me to start purchasing some named varieties- and only those that are said to have strong stems or require no support. Another I really want is called Pink Flying Saucers, but it has sold out the last 2 years before I got my order in. I'm also adding a couple they call red, but are hot pink to my eye- Scarlet Ohara was installed in fall.


Singles, semi-doubles, Japanese and anemone types typically are better for standing without staking.

yes, We have Do Tell (in another bed. The one in front of the house is narrow). The person who ID SB for us said it was the pink sold in the 1930s when the WI house was built.

Working on an area of the garden I call the "Sunset beds", that looks out to the western sky. It would be considered a poly-chromatic bed, full of riotous color, but all the colors are inspired by colors I see in the sunsets.

I really like the colours for your sunset bed.

What a great thread. I agree the Sunset bed is great.

Thanks! Feel free to post a combo of pics here, either of plants you already have in a bed, or plants you'd like in a bed, or a combo of both. Its a fun little visual aid that makes winter less dull

Here are a few combinations .I hope to have some new tall sedums for areas in the garden.
I also want to find the Oriental Poppy Manhattan and Plum Pudding.



sedums Rainbow Xenox








Mr Goodbud

JoAnn, I like the way you're considering touches of coral among the mauves! That last collage makes me happy as I just moved a Sedum matrona near a pink Platycodon- Even if the Sedum doesn't bloom at the same time, the rosy colored stems will look great with the balloon flower.

Anything is legit as far as I am concerned. Besides in the real world who knows what those colors really are.
Mr.Goodbud will be new, The rest of the plants are already in the Lasagna garden.