New Zealand Flax, Mexican Feather Grass, and a lime green succulent (euphorbia?)
Some people see a picture of a plant grouping, and decide "That's what I want!", but that has never worked for me. Whenever I enter a garden center, mind made up and plant list in hand, I always come away disappointed. Either they don't have any of the plants I want, or they do, but they're not really suited to my particular site and conditions.
Red-Veined Sorrel
I find I have much better luck when I let the plants do the talking. If I go in with a fairly open mind, knowing just where I plan to use them and what the conditions are there, and having a good basic knowledge of which plants like what (read labels, and ask for help if you don't know!), well then, magic happens!
Purple Heart and the mystery succulent
I was in a garden center the other day, when I happened upon that tall, spikey New Zealand Flax, with its streaks of purple and green. I tried growing it in my beds back in Dallas, but it would never come back. However, it would make a gorgeous "thriller" for my largest container, and since I change my pots out twice a year, I figured it was worth a try. I placed it in my cart, and continued to wander, eyes and ears open.
Verbena
From that point on, plants began calling to me -- some practically leaping into my hands! I'd see how they looked together, there in the cart, playing with different combinations, rearranging them according to ultimate height and habit, trying out different textures, one against the other, until finally I had a group that drove me Color-Mad! Then I went home.
Gazania
The most important tip I can pass along to you is this: do not make flowers your focus. Blooms come and go, and when they go, the plants they are on can look pretty poopy. If you concentrate on form and texture instead, your pots will look good all of the time! I knew I'd done a good job as soon as I got them planted up. Pots never look all that great, right at first. For one thing, I had to pinch all my fuchsia-streaked petunias way back (removing all the blooms), to keep them from getting too lanky. And, though I really pack my pots with plants, there are still fillers that have yet to fill in, and spillers that have yet to spill. Despite all this, they already put a smile on my face, each time I walk by...especially the striped petals on my happy little gazanias. How could you not love those?
