Heather Rayhorn

Statesman Journal

Friends of Bush Gardens’ spring plant sale: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 21; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 22

Where: Salem’s Riverfront Pavilion and North Meadow at the north end of the park

What good gardeners know is how to pair up plants that best complement each other.

It’s no easy task, but it can be fun, and it is a testament to a gardener’s artistic ability.

Gretchen Carnaby of Friends of Bush Gardens preaches the appeal of plant combinations, not just for matching up the needs of the plants (cold tolerance, light and water requirements), but also the visual appeal.

She points to the euphorbias now in bloom at the gardens. Their thick, lime-green arms reach toward blossoming pink crab apple trees and the neighboring bright-burgundy barberry plants. The contrasting colors play off each other well while the pink in the crabapples are repeated in the barberry. She also suggests pink tulips or pansies below a crab apple.

“At the foot of the tree, you have the lovely grounding effect,” she said.

In winter at the gardens, the red blooms of ‘Diane’ witch hazel blossom near the bare, red, young twigs of a maple tree.

“You want a lovely rhythm through the garden so your eyes move pleasingly through it,” she said.

The color of one flower can match or contrast a color in another’s bloom, foliage or branches. Texture also is important.

“Many plants have a blooming period, but it’s the foliage that you see longer than the bloom,” Carnaby said.

When everything is the same, it can be boring, but the feathery foliage of one plant paired with big, smooth leaves such as that of a hosta gives what Carnaby calls a wonderful contrast.

10 plant combos

Extended bloom

Plant combination: Martagon lily ‘Claude Shride’ and Primula sieboldii ‘Mariko’ from Wild Ginger Farm

Features: The underutilized Japanese primrose ‘Mariko’ is an early season bloomer that forms clumps of bright-green crinkled leaves with clusters of white, pink and lavender flowers. These are followed by the 4-foot tall ‘Claude Shride’ lily in midseason, displaying dozens of mahogany-red flowers with bright-orange pollen.

Why good together: This combination is more about succession, giving continuous bloom over a longer period of time.

Where to plant: Both the lily and the primrose prefer moist, well-drained soil in partial shade.

A study in contrasts

Plant combination: Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ and Carex elata ‘Bowles Golden’ from Dancing Oaks

Why good together: This combination for a sunny location is all about extreme contrasts, between both the color and the texture of the foliage.

Features: The deep, reddish-black pineapple lily ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ reaches a height of 2½ feet, and its strappy foliage is fabulous paired with the fine-textured golden carex. The carex can reach a height of 20 inches and cascades over the ground, moving with the breeze.

Where to plant: For best color, both of these plants need regular water and at least six hours of bright sun, preferably not in the late afternoon.

More contrasting

Plant combination: Rodgersia ‘Rotlaub,’ Hakonechloa macre ‘Aureola’ and Athyrium ‘Ghost’ from Dancing Oaks

Why good together: This wonderful combination displays lots of color and textural differences in the foliage.

Features: This glowing combination plays the bold reptilianlike foliage of ‘Rotlaub’ off of the flowing soft texture of the Golden Japanese forest grass ‘Aureola.’ For a dash of silver, add the Japanese painted fern ‘Ghost.’

Where to plant: All three plants require partial shade and average moisture.

Shady cohorts

Plant combination: Carex ‘Bowles Golden’ and Polystichum polyblepharum (tassel fern) from Out in the Garden Nursery

Why good together: These two play well together and complement each other’s color and texture while brightening up a shady spot.

Features: ‘Bowles Golden’ grows 15 to 18 inches tall and wide while the tassel fern grows 24 to 30 inches tall and wide with fabulous foliage texture. Both are semi-evergreen, depending on location and severity of the winter but are hardy to the region. For an extra bit of pizazz, add a Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’ to add additional color and texture contrast. Or to calm it down a bit, try a dwarf Aruncus, such as ‘Horatio’ with its fine, fine texture.

Where to plant: Both plants do great in morning sun and afternoon shade with average moisture.

Opposites attract

Plant combination: Dicentra spectabilit ‘Valentine’ (bleeding heart), Astilbe ‘Rock n Roll’ and most any hosta from Garden Thyme Nursery.

Why good together: These three display wonderful textural contrasts, plus they overlap in the garden for an extended period of interest.

Features: The bleeding heart’s red and white flowers are the first to appear in early spring on a plant arching to a height of 26 to 28 inches. As it starts to fade, the hosta begins to unfurl its broad, smooth leaves and get to size. The astilbe ‘Rock n Roll’ is a late-spring-to-summer bloomer with bronze-green foliage and pure white blossoms. It can reach a height of 18 to 20 inches and does not like to dry out completely, like most astilbes.

Where to plant: All three plants like moist, rich soil and will grow well in partial shade. Bleeding hearts seem to prefer morning vs. afternoon sun here in the valley.

Tree sampling

Plant combination: Chamaecyparis obtuse Habari (conifer in foreground), Acer palmatum ‘Royle’ (red) and Acer palmatum ‘Emerald Lace’ (background) from Arbutus Garden Arts.

Why good together: The lacy texture of Japanese maples is a wonderful foil for the solid, dense texture of the conifer.

Features: Wonderful summer colors of the Japanese maples combine beautifully with the texture of the evergreen Chamaecyparis, which creates interest in the winter garden. Choose from so many sizes and textures of both maples and conifers.

Where to plant: Give this combinations at least a half day of sun and open exposure. Once the conifers and maples are established, the plants should be relatively drought tolerant.

Matching maples to conifers

Plant combination: Japanese maples Acer ‘Royle’ (red), Acer ‘Emerald Lace’ (green left), Acer ‘Umegae’ (amber upper) and Acer ‘Crimson Carole’ (upper right) combined with the golden weeping conifer, Cupressus macrocarpa Saligna aurea from Arbutus Garden Arts.

Why good together: Japanese maples, with their lacy forms and colors in summer, combine beautifully with conifers, which hold their color and texture year-round. The conifers will eventually be the overstory and winter focus when the maples are bare.

Features: Our favorite canopy and mid-story trees and shrubs are Japanese maples and conifers, thanks to their range of shade tolerance, size, form, seasonal color and texture. The combinations are endless. Then add groundcover plants, such as epimediums, and ephemerals, including trillium, species peonies, Hepatica and every woodland bulb you can imagine.

Where to plant: Begin with a blank slate in full sun and apply average water for first few years. Once trees and shrubs are established, the planting will be relatively drought-tolerant. Create a woodland!

Drought-tolerant buddies

Plant combination: White bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ and checkered fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris from White Oak Farm.

Why good together: This spring combination displays the arching stems of the white bleeding heart framing the delicate, nodding purple blooms of the checkered fritillary.

Features: ‘Alba’ grows 26 to 28 inches and displays delicate arching stems dripping with small, white, heart-shaped flowers. One to three showy, 2-inch bells top each 1-foot stem of the fritillary, and the blossoms are checkered and veined with purple.

Where to plant: Both plants are at home in morning sun, dappled light or shade. Surprisingly, both are drought tolerant and can be grown with no supplemental water if an earlier dormancy for the bleeding heart is acceptable. An average water regime will extend the blooming season for the bleeding heart.

Lovin’ lavender

Plant combination: Lavender ‘Opal Rain’ with annuals and perennials from Van Hevelingen Herb Nursery.

Why good together: In a wild, cottage-style garden, lavender plays a key role in anchoring the plantings and in helping to create an old-fashioned feeling. Plus, the evergreen, gray-green foliage helps anchor the garden in winter.

Features: Lavandula augustifolia ‘Opal Rain’ is a sensational lavender with a sweet fragrance. This plant forms a compact mound of gray-green foliage with sturdy 10- to 12-inch flower stems. The large pale pink calyces (‘flowers’) darken with age. Its culinary uses include flavoring sugar or adding to desserts and jams.

Where to plant: Lavenders demand full sun (at least a strong half day) and good drainage. They hate to be planted in heavy soils, especially during our cool, wet winters.

Pollinator pairing

Plant combination: Catmint and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ with our native columbine, Aquilegia formosa.

Why good together: The profuse flower sprays of the catmint are a wonderful foil for the more delicate columbine flowering stems. Both plants attract many pollinators, especially bees and hummingbirds. Any variety of catmint will do, but the taller the better.

Features: This catmint grows to 30 inches tall by 4 feet in width — it’s a monster — and displays fabulous arching stems covered in blue flowers. Our native columbine can grow up to 4 feet tall in partial shade but normally tops out at about 3 feet and displays nodding blooms of yellow and orange.

Where to plant: Nepetas require full sun to bloom well and good drainage. Both require fairly good drainage.