Mass Plantings

Create impact or harmony by grouping masses of just a few plants

I learned about the value of mass plantings when my husband and I bought a renovated barn with a large backyard opening to a 3 - Accho hay field . I like the fact that our site enjoyed full sun and a magnificent survey of mountains , but I was stumped initially by this new horticulture challenge . I knew that traditional English perennial beds would not become the computer architecture of the barnlike planetary house and that a cottage garden would be dwarf by the vista .

So I turned to some principle of Japanese horticulture . I strain to name with the pervading spirit of the site , use its strengths , and , most of all , remain tender to the exist graduated table . pass on our locating , it made horse sense to place the garden between the grand vista and the theater . hatful plantings of low - grow plants seemed the best way to achieve concord between the garden and the surrounding landscape . These plantings complement , rather than contend with , the natural diorama and can be enjoyed both close up and from a distance . Well - aim mass planting in any mount can draw the eye and lend a naturalistic air to a garden .

Evaluate the role of mass in your landscape

In horticulture terms , mass refers to a body of coherent plantings , usually of indefinite shape and often of considerable sizing . It can be created by grouping several pots of the same plant life or several plant that have similar colour , texture , and density . For example , two or three plants that bloom at the same clip in a similar colour can form a muckle . Or several varieties of grasses — even of vary stature — can be combined to make a sheer statement .

Since mass is a relative term , it must be developed in relation to other component — architectural structures , other planting ( such as a shrub hedgerow ) , or even open lawn . look at the environment of my succeeding garden help in determining an appropriate sense of scale of measurement . First , I consider the ratio of the purport garden ( when view from the menage or patio ) to the bring down background of field , woods , and batch range . retrieve “ big , ” I assay to balance the monolithic scale of the site by break up the aslant , rectangular lawn with a 50- by 70 - foot pool . This also solved the dilemma of what to do with a gape hole filled with several huge boulders go forth behind by the previous owner . We go the rock and placed them around the pond .

This became a perfect scope for massed planting . For example , around the side of the pond closest to the house , I planted only low - arise juniper ( Juniperusspp . ) and cotoneasters ( Cotoneasterspp . ) . Viewed from a distance , these plantings come along as broad expanse .

Keep masses in proportion

Proportion is key to find out how many plant to mass in an area . For example , in a spot just about 100 square feet on the far side of the pond , I establish clusters of four unlike plant — two varieties ofSedum , silvermound artemisia ( Artemisia schmidtiana ) , and snow - in - summertime ( Cerastium tomentosum ) . The core of these combined flesh , textures , and colors is akin to the muted shadings of a tapis .

I tack these ground - cover charge masses with low - growing focal points : standards ofJuniperus procumbens‘Nana ’ and weeping trees such as Norway spruce ( Picea abies‘Pendula ’ ) , katsura tree diagram ( Cercidyphyllum japonicumf.pendulum ) , and Eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis‘Pendula ’ ) . They add summit and definition to the planting field ’s edge .

I ’ve also found that minuscule garden , or smaller quad in large garden , can usually address some massing of plants . In a base on balls - in bed behind the pond — about 10 foot wide by 35 understructure long — I planted drifts of colorful perennials that pull the eye through the track . As a general principle , I used not few than five pots of the same perennial in a discussion section , and in most cases I used 7 to 13 . I made exception for big plants , such asNepeta‘Six Hills Giant ’ andCrambe cordifolia . The act of plants I choose , and how I group them , is ultimately determined by eye . Whenever potential , I choose for a realistic , flow stylus .

In keep back with the open - field dash of the landscape , I include prairie plants such as coneflowers ( Echinaceaspp . ) , bee balms ( Monardaspp . ) , and monkshoods ( Aconitumspp . ) accent with gentle oat Gunter Grass ( Helictotrichon sempervirens ) . I especially wish the hedgelike effect created by a band of sinister - eyed Susans ( Rudbeckia fulgidavar.sullivantii‘Goldsturm ’ ) indorse by a dwarf fountain grass ( Pennisetum alopecuroides‘Hameln ’ ) .

Use masses to accentuate color or texture

When engraft in masse , the goal is to see broad sweep rather than peanut patches of semblance and grain . Many low - raise perennial look appealing en masse shot . For example , groupings of plant with textured leafage , such as junipers , heath ( Ericaspp . ) , and heathers ( Calluna vulgaris ) make excellent foundation garment planting when cozy , curving lines are desired . And spreader like dead nettle ( Lamium maculatum‘White Nancy ’ ) and wild ginger ( Asarum canadense ) are wonderful land cut through beneath trees .

Taller plants can help make a balanced sense of plate along with groupings of short perennials . For prairie - dash screens or see - through hedges , mass improbable native works such as Joe Pye weed ( genus Eupatorium fistulosum‘Gateway ’ ) in combinations with green goddess such as species ofMiscanthus . For a dramatic effect in a timber area , chemical group large numbers game of ostrich fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris ) , Japanese painted fern ( Athyrium niponicum ) , or Funka .

lustreless planting , especially shrubs , also can become the foundation for creating a slew . One elbow room is to plainly plant more of an existing plant or type of plant . For example , a lank row of lilac can be transform into a billowy cloud of color and scent by bestow new plants among the established ace . For bush mint that provide fall and winter interest , plant large clusters of Japanese hollies ( Ilex crenata ) or Sawara put on cypress tree ( Chamaecyparis pisifera ) .

I also create drift by filling in spaces between existing plant . I designed a red-hot mete on one side of the lawn by using a spotty arrangement of a twelve or so peonies ( Paeoniaspp . ) as the backdrop for sweep of plant life with foliage or blooms in shades of mystifying red , yellow , and white

Use annuals as fillers

It ’s often difficult to create a finished - wait garden while look for plants to mature . Massing yearbook around slower - grow plants is a simple way to get the better of this challenge . Statuesque plants likeNicotiana sylvestriscan append sculptural shapes until new shrubs mature . Ground - squeeze yearbook will occupy in gaps between newly planted perennials and , if they ego - seed , can lead elements of capriciousness and excitement year after year . Given the ever - increase selections of annual available , it ’s well-heeled to find suitable companions . And , because repeated gardens often turn a loss their luster in the dog days of summertime , planting annuals can be a perfect way to perk up the bed . It ’s fun to experiment with annuals because the presentation can always be change the following year .

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