Plant marriages have been chronicled by a long list of very talented landscape architects and designers. There are hundreds of books detailing tried and true combinations, the classics we all know and love, but as I wander through my Northern California garden in June I find that sometimes the unexpected results are the most rewarding.
Case(s) in point:
Here we are, week two of June. My Phlomis blooms will soon be gone and I will lose my splash of yellow. But it still stands erect and sturdy, a backbone stretched towards the sky. Below it, the Gaura lindheimeri buds are fattening up ready to burst. As if giddy with anticipation the gaura blows easily with the breeze; a contrast to the Phlomis-sentry set behind it. This scene is less about color and more about shape, movement and foliage size. Soon though, when the gaura is in full regale the element of color will return and the gaura will take center stage.
