Plant Combos!

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Over at David Perry's blog he is talking about 'Dance Partners' in the garden.  These plant combinations are what we often seek to create as gardeners.  Sometimes nature just provides a helping hand as she weaves her magic throughout the garden.  The above picture is an example of nature's work with Polemonium 'Stairway to Heaven' woven around a volunteer ajuga flower spike.  The ajuga finds refuge among the variegated leaves creating this painting. This Hosta 'Great Expectations' may finally be living up to its' name after its' fifth or sixth season in this garden.  It is purposefully underplanted with Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'.   In the same garden, the entry garden, these Viridiflora tulips 'Artist' were planted next to the Hosta 'Krossa Regal variegata' so that the hosta foliage would hide the spent tulip foliage.  The undulating shape of the 'Artist's color streaks mirror the edge  of the hosta.  That little feature was unexpected but pleasing to my eye.  I have shown this combination before but as it dances its' way toward maturity it becomes more interesting. This is Spirea 'Magic Carpet', Sedum 'Angelina' and Sedum seiboldii.  This combination is Phlox stolonifera with Hosta 'Francis Williams' whose yellow edge is just beginning to show.  The purple of the Phlox seems intensified to me by the soft color of the hosta.   There are some combinations which the camera cannot translate from the satisfaction of the eye.   It is probably my lack of expertise with the lens but this Phlox divaricata in soft blue is exactly mirrored by the Camassia cusickii which is surrounded by a skirt of Iris cristata.  The iris cristata also mirrors these colors.   Here is another shot with the  phlox in focus.

And this shot shows the iris at the base of the camassia along with a purple leaf heuchera for contrast.  The reality is more pleasing than the photos. They are only about three feet apart but I cannot get them all in focus in the same shot.  The natural lawn needs mowing at this point and isn't it amazing how the lens seems to magnify the contrasting textures of grass and violet foliage?  I am looking forward to the continuing waltz of the season with flowers and without.  Sometimes it is just the varying tapestry of foliage which keeps the notes ringing and the dance continuing.