Serendipity

Some plant combinations we work hard to create, others appear by themselves often producing a better effect than the result of much thought and effort on our part. Here are some examples of combinations that are mostly the result of serendipity.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and violas

Bloodroot do selfseed a fair bit and unfortunately do not bloom for a very long time. However the foliage is attractive. They happen to bloom at exactly the same time as these little violas. I planted the violas, but the bloodroot joined them on their own accord, the result being much nicer than what I had planned.

Boodrood and climbing rose (John Cabot)

Bloodroot also chose to grow at the base of this rose bush. When the white flowers are open, they take the eyes off the naked canes, and later on, when the bloodroot foliage expands and shades the ground, it keep the rose roots cool.

In this instance, I planted all these myself but without realizing how much of a flow of the same lilac hue they would produce, spreading as it does from the fading thyme on the ground, up to the Erigeron (cultivar unknown) and, at the top, to the Salvia turkestanica.

Achillea "the pearl" acts as a contrast.

Iris sintensisii is happiest left to its own growing in grass. Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) a European plant brought to North America as forage, is in bloom at the same time and produces a happy contrast. You can get more information on this iris by checking my previous post An Iris Grass Cannot Crowd out.

Many of these serendipitous plantings are the result of putting a plant or a bulb in a place where you have forgotten that something else was growing. In the case above, I put in Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea' in a spot where colchicum bulbs were already planted. I like the result. If you did not know better, you might think you were looking at the foliage and the flower of the same plant! The picture below provides another example of the same thing.

Some primulas were planted over hyacinth bulbs.  Although the result is not as successful as in the previous combination, I have kept them together until I come up with something better. Perhaps I could find a daffodil that would bloom at the same time as this particular primula.

In this case, some creeping speedwell (probably Veronica umbrosa 'Georgia Blue') has appeared on its own in the middle of a clump of Iberis sempervirens. The photo is not very successful, but still it gives a good impression of the attractive contrast the combination produces.

The combination above is entirely the work of nature as the picture was taken along a road side. Cypripedium parviflorum is growing through a clump of  false Solomon Seal (Maianthemum stellatum).

To end with, a clump of forget-me-nots that have decided to embrace some Tulipa Saxatilis. The myosotis work beautifully as a jewel case, setting out the contrasting pink and yellow.