A Look At My Favorite Flower Combinations to Brighten Your Garden

Do you have any favorite flower combinations?  I most definitely do and just like mixing fabrics I love to play with color, texture and "pattern".  Here's a few examples from around my garden.

This grass I love, believe its called Blue Lymgrass.  I planted two pots of it a couple years ago, it is invasive but easily controlled by pulling (if you keep on top of it).   I have taken starts of it and it is now all over my yard.  It looks good with anything that isn't blue.  Here I have it with a lilac bush.   I love the purple with the blue when the lilac is blooming.  The long stalks of the grass and the small leaves of the bush complement each other nicely (in a similar way that a large stripe looks good with a small floral print when dealing with fabrics).   It looks really good with black-eyed susans or other such flowers with the bold yellows/oranges.

This is a small portion of my island in the driveway.  I love the bold green of the weeping spruce with the light and bright lamb's ear and a backdrop of bold purples.  Purples, blues, bold lime greens, they always add a little punch.

Variegated Liriope is one of my favorite "ground covers".  I use it all over the place in the front of borders.  Here it is planted with a knockout rose, the rose has a slightest reddish/purple leaf which I love against the bold stripe of the liriope, and then it gets that beautiful purple bloom.  Love them!

Are you sensing a pattern yet? I love grasses, they add so much interest and texture, and purples with lime greens, so striking.   This is a plum bush with lime mop-head evergreens in front with a rose bush behind, even farther back is a really thin leaved grass and a huge bed full of purple coneflowers. This is my favorite area of the yard. Right now the coneflowers are just seed heads and the finches are everywhere.

The bush in the background in a ninebark and again, liriopes in front, great contrast.

I love the big leaves and bold, large flowers next to the thin bladed grass.  The orange just pops, this flower would be great with the blue lymgrass from the first picture.

This is probably my favorite grass (Miscanthus Variegatus).  It has a larger blade with striping, I have them all over the place.  They hold up well to the wind/rain and tend to stay upright better than the taller, zebra grass (I also have a ton of it). Again, the bold, bright striping looks great with the darker leaves and bold color of the knockout roses.  I always try to plant them together.  If you don't have knockout roses and your zone allows, they are so easy.  They need no extra care and when they grow too large I simply hack them off near the ground and they just keep coming back for more.   They really are amazing and quite hardy.

A knockout rose, I know, you're shocked!  The other bush is a privet, it is also a lovely bush.   It grows into a nice shape and has beautiful lime green leaves.   Looks great next to anything and really brightens things up.

So, what's your go-to flower combinations?