Plant combinations that will make your outdoor space stand out

Planting Begonias are tender tropical plants grown as annuals or houseplants. They pair nicely with other warm-season annuals for creating colourful and long-lasting flower displays. Plant with laguna for the contrast.

Consider planting large themes of one plant in a specific colour to give the garden a planned and organised look. Using annuals as the main element in a garden allows the gardener to play with texture and colour combinations every year and deconstruct the garden at the end of the season, which is especially helpful for renters.

Caladium and ferns

Caladiums are grown for their big, bold, heart-shaped leaves presented in an amazing combination of bright colours including red, orange, pink, white, silver and green, with the markings arranged in striking patterns. For the showy caladium foliage, ferns make lovely companions. Select from several varieties of hardy ferns such as maidenhair fern, cinnamon fern, lady fern, ostrich fern, and our favorite, autumn fern. These ferns provide outstanding texture and colour.

Citrus with flowering perennials

Companion planting is an easy, organic way to improve the health of your citrus trees that need copious amounts and a steady flow of nutrients and minerals especially nitrogen to flourish properly. It is also a great way to assist with and help ensure that citrus trees produce a plentiful crop.

Citrus are grown not only for their fruits, but also for their fragrant white flowers. Citrus trees make impressive long-lived shrubs or trees for small gardens.

Citrus will pair well with marigolds and petunias are useful in driving away troublesome and unwanted insects, while sage, fennel, lemon balm, and parsley can help to draw in beneficial, predatory and pollinating insects all while also improving the soil quality.

African daisy and evergreens

The Osteospermum also known as African daisy is a tender perennial with daisy-like flowers. These sun-loving flowers will tolerate most soil types but prefer moderate fertility.

They look great growing near a low-growing, evergreen hedge as they provide a pop of colour. They will therefore pair well with yew, false cypress, and clipped juniper.

They will also add help cheer up shrubs such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, and sage. They also look great planted alongside perennials such as cranesbill, low-growing and ornamental grasses. African daisies remain fresh and maintain their bright colours and deep green foliage even during the hot season, therefore planting them with annual plants such as ageratum, dusty miller, and calendula, means they serve as a temporary filler while these plants are out of season.

Hostas and coral bells

With their interesting foliage and broad leaves hostas are some of the most popular perennials. Most importantly, their ability to grow in a variety of places makes them very popular plants for seasoned gardeners and novices alike.

Growing up to few inches to a few feet tall and wide, some varieties also feature fragrant white or lavender flowers, providing a great mix of size, colours and textures. hostas and coral bells is a common and popular combination.  They can also pair well with the evergreen lenten roses and ferns.

Petunias and salvia

The trumpet-shaped flowers, come in a variety of colours and vary in growth from neat and bushy to vigorous and trailing. These vibrant annuals are a low-maintenance, hardy option that will grow in all spaces including flower beds, hanging baskets and containers.

While petunias are certainly easy on the eyes all on their own, growing them salvia will enhance their charm. This pairing offers a stunning visual display due to all the colour and textural contrast. 

The upright spikes of salvias, along with their vibrant blooms, offer a distinct contrast to the low-growing, cascading petunias. Both salvia and petunias require minimal care and benefit from basic care such as watering once a week and fertiliser once a month.

Roses and hydrangeas

We all know roses are stunning plants that are great on their own. However, as earlier noted, even this eternal garden can benefit from having one or several companions. Online gardening blog, greatgardenplants.com, recommends adding large hydrangea shrubs to your rose garden.

“Both roses and hydrangeas also thrive in full-sun environments and benefit from some afternoon shade, especially in hot and dry climates. The gorgeous multi-layered petal blooms from roses paired with the vivid flower spikes of lavender are a pairing perfect for a cut-flower garden. Both thrive in dry soils, but keep in mind that newly planted lavender may need a little more water until they are established,’’ the portal states.

The gorgeous multi-layered petal blooms from roses paired with the vivid flower spikes of lavender are a pairing perfect for a cut-flower garden. Both thrive in dry soils, but keep in mind that newly planted lavender may need a little more water until they are established.

Succulents and lavender

The fleshy, evergreen succulents are of many different types and come from many parts of the world. They, however, share a common trait of being able to withstand long periods without water. Succulents are popular for their foliage rather than their flowers.

 Succulents can be paired with perennials for their contrasting shades of green and textures.  Common perennial and succulent pairings include desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) alongside black dalea (Dalea frutescens), prickly pear species with penstemon or try octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana) with purple or white trailing lantana.

 They also pair well with the aromatic scent lavender whose gray-green foliage and spikes or purple flower will bring colour and texture to your garden.