Using Trios for Perennial Groupings

Three plants make special corners and borders to produce eye-pleasing harmony.

Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
Item # 31655 		Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
Jupiter’s Beard

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
Alyssum montanum 'Mountain Gold'
Item # 16328 		Alyssum montanum 'Mountain Gold'
Creeping Basket-of-Gold

each $4.99
3 to 6 $4.79
7 or more $4.59
Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues'
Item # 88475 		Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues'
Little Bluestem Grass

each $5.99
3 to 6 $5.79
7 or more $5.59
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Item # 80703 		Pulsatilla vulgaris
European Pasque Flower

each $5.99
3 to 6 $5.79
7 or more $5.59

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For spectacular blooming moments in your garden consider the rule of trio plantings. Three plants make special corners and borders to produce eye-pleasing harmony. Choose three plants that bloom during a particular season; then select one of each height—tall, medium and short.

Things to consider when choosing plants and site placement:

  • complimentary or contrasting colors
  • matching water and light needs
  • soil requirements

Below are examples to get you started. Plants are listed from tall to short. All are xeric with the exception of the early spring trio which likes just a bit more water.

Early Spring

Pulsatilla vulgaris ‘European Pasque Flower’, Alyssum montanum ‘Mountain Gold’, and Veronica liwanensis. Two purples and a gold look smashing together, and even more spectacular combined with early spring bulbs.

Late Spring

Centranthus ruber ‘Coccineus’, Salvia nemerosa ‘May Night’, and Achillea x ‘Moonshine’. Pink, purple, and lemon-yellow create a living bouquet in any perennial border.

Summer

Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’, Lavandula x ‘England’, and Penstemon pinifolius ‘Nearly Red’ make a sweet smelling combination of reds, yellow and lavender-blue with lots of finely textured foliage.

Early Fall

Salvia pitcheri ‘Grandiflora’, Solidago ‘Fireworks’, and Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ will lead the way to fall with shades of blue and yellow, highlighted with a mound of grass with blue blades changing to purple as the weather cools.

Combine all four trios and you’ll have a perennial border that blooms throughout the growing season.