Plant Pairings That Work (and Why): Designing a Garden With Layers & Rhythm  

by Grace Whitfeld

Inspired by W. C. Egan’s “Plant Combinations” ()

Some gardens feel scattered — a little bloom here, a little bloom there — while others feel like a story unfolding. The difference often comes down to pairing: choosing plants that complement one another in timing, texture, height, and habit.

W. C. Egan, writing in 1912, had a remarkable eye for these relationships. His plant combinations weren’t just pretty; they were practical, solving real problems like fading foliage, awkward gaps, and short bloom windows. And his wisdom still holds true today.

This expanded post brings his best combinations forward — with modern clarity, gentle storytelling, and the grounded, seasonal rhythm of ranch life.

🌿 Why Plant Pairings Matter

A perennial garden is a living tapestry. When plants are paired thoughtfully, they:

• Extend the bloom season

• Hide fading or ragged foliage

• Create height and depth

• Add rhythm and repetition

• Make the garden feel intentional, not accidental

Egan understood that a garden isn’t just a collection of plants — it’s a conversation between them.

🌼 1. Peonies + Lilies or Gladiolus: A Partnership of Timing

Peonies are generous spring bloomers, but once their flowers fade, their foliage becomes a quiet green mound. Egan suggests planting Lilium superbum, late gladiolus varieties, or Hyacinth candicans between peonies ().

Why it works:

• Peonies bloom early; lilies and gladiolus bloom later

• The lilies rise above the peony foliage without crowding it

• The peony leaves hide the bare lower stems of the lilies

• The bed stays full and beautiful from May through August

This is succession planting at its best — one plant stepping back just as another steps forward.

🌸 2. Campanula carpatica + Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon): A Spring‑to‑Summer Hand‑Off

This pairing is one of Egan’s most elegant ().

• Campanula carpatica stays low and green, only 8 inches tall

• Dodecatheon media (shooting star) rises early, blooms, and disappears

Why it works:

• In spring, the shooting stars bloom above nearly invisible campanula foliage

• In summer, the campanula fills the space the shooting stars vacate

• There is no awkward gap, no bare patch, no “what happened here?” moment

It’s a perfect example of plants sharing the same square foot of soil without ever competing.

💛 3. Forsythia + Virginia Bluebells: A Spring Picture You’ll Never Forget

This combination is pure poetry.

Egan describes planting Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) under large forsythia shrubs ().

Why it works:

• Both bloom at the same time

• The bluebells’ pink buds and blue flowers glow beneath the golden forsythia

• When the bluebells die back (as they always do), the forsythia’s foliage hides the empty space

This is one of the most beautiful early‑spring pairings you can create — a fleeting moment of color harmony that feels like a gift.

🔥 4. Bleeding Heart or Poppies + Tall Asters or Rudbeckia: Hiding the Ragged Bits

Some perennials are glorious in bloom… and a mess afterward.

Egan calls out two in particular:

• Bleeding heart (Dicentra)

• Perennial poppy (Papaver orientale)

Their foliage becomes ragged, yellow, and floppy after flowering. His solution is simple and brilliant ():

• Plant tall asters or Rudbeckia triloba behind or around them

Why it works:

• The tall plants leaf out just as the bleeding heart and poppy foliage collapses

• They hide the mess completely

• They provide late‑summer and fall bloom, extending the season

This is one of the most practical pairings in the entire book — a kindness to both the plants and the gardener.

🌾 5. A Perennial Hedge of Gas Plant (Dictamnus): A Living Line of Beauty

Egan devotes special praise to Dictamnus fraxinella, the gas plant ().

Why he loves it:

• It is long‑lived — some families still enjoy plants set by great‑grandmothers

• It forms a dense, glossy, dark‑green hedge

• It blooms with tall spikes of pink or white flowers

• It stays neat and formal without pruning

He recommends planting them 12 inches apart to form a low hedge along a walk or formal line.

Because gas plant grows slowly, he suggests filling the space temporarily with:

• Low annuals

• Spring bulbs

• Sweet alyssum

This creates a full, finished look while the hedge matures.

🌱 6. Double‑Crop Beds: Getting Two Seasons Out of One Space

Egan loved combinations that allowed a single bed to bloom twice.

Examples:

• Peonies + lilies (spring + summer)

• Campanula + shooting stars (spring + summer)

• Bulbs + slow‑growing perennials (early spring + summer)

This approach:

• Maximizes small spaces

• Keeps beds interesting

• Reduces bare patches

• Creates a sense of abundance

It’s a strategy especially useful for ranch gardens where every bed needs to earn its keep.

🌿 7. Pear‑Shaped Groupings: A Natural, Flowing Look

Egan offers a design tip that feels surprisingly modern ():

• Plant groups in pear‑shaped clusters

• Let the narrow end of one group tuck behind the wide end of the next

Why it works:

• It avoids stiff, blocky arrangements

• It creates a sense of movement

• It softens the transition between colors and heights

• It mimics how plants grow in the wild

This is a subtle technique, but once you see it, you’ll never go back to straight rows.

🌼 8. Using Annuals and Bulbs as “Carpets” Between Young Perennials

Because young perennials don’t fill their space the first year, Egan suggests planting:

• Gladiolus

• Lilies

• Hyacinth candicans

• Low annuals

between them ().

This keeps the bed full while the perennials mature — a practical, beautiful way to avoid the “patchy first year” look.

🌟 The Heart of Egan’s Pairing Philosophy

At its core, Egan’s approach to plant combinations is about:

• Respecting each plant’s natural rhythm

• Using one plant’s strength to support another’s weakness

• Creating beauty that lasts beyond a single bloom

• Designing with both the eye and the season in mind

A well‑paired garden feels alive — not just in spring, but all year long.