Perfect Perennials for Companion Planting

Finding beautiful flowers to plant in your garden is relatively easy, but deciding what to pair together can be a bit of an added challenge. Every gardener likely has somewhat different goals when it comes to style, color preferences, and the like. Also, considering the varying light requirements and bloom times, selecting flowers to pair together turns into a bit of an art form! 

But, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite companion planting perennials to make the process a little bit easier for you. Read on to learn which plants to add to your garden as companions, as well as some particularly lovely combinations. 

Your garden is the perfect place to play and experiment – so have some fun with it! 

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are kind of like those staple items you keep in your closet that you can create any kind of outfit around. They make an excellent companion to many perennials, adding interest in the form of height and texture where needed. Miscanthus sinensis, for example, has beautiful fountain-like clumps of silvery and creamy white variegation that can bring a sort of light romanticism to just about any garden. 

Or, you can opt for the long-lasting Pennisetum Red Head. Its red-hued, bottle-brush plumes pair well with Miss Feya, a stunningly striking rose lily. As the two bloom around the same time, they make for wonderful companions when planting a perennial garden.  

Oxalis

Have you ever heard of the term ‘shoes and socks’ in the gardening world? We place smaller plants in front of and around taller, leggier plants to protect their stems. Oxalis, which are lovely ‘temperennials’ (plants that are perennial in warmer zones), are among the more popular ‘shoes and socks.’ Oxalis triangularis, which have fantastic dark purple foliage, pair beautifully with a variety of ferns. 

The Japanese Painted Fern, for instance, makes a lovely companion to Oxalis triangularis in a perennial garden as they both have a little bit of purple in them, which creates an exciting color echo (where plants of a similar color are planted near one another). As relatively shade-tolerant plants, Oxalis also pairs quite flawlessly with Caladiums, providing more of a color contrast than a color echo. 

Allium

If you happened to plant Bearded Irises in your garden last fall and you’re looking for their ideal partner, look no further than the globe-like blooms of the auspicious Allium. This compact plant, which has a similar bloom time to Bearded Irises, can add a really fun element to your perennial garden, again offering the opportunity for some interesting color echoes. 

Allium also pairs quite nicely with Peonies, which are also a fall-planted bloom, but if you have them in your garden already, then you’re off to the races! 

Colocasia

Colocasia is truly incredible. They are like giant pieces of living art in the garden, and when you contrast them with a different kind of foliage, they really shine. These beauties, which fall into the Elephant Ear family, have stunning, larger-than-life leaves that pair well with both feathery grasses and more linear perennials like Gladiolus. 

Their leaves vary a fair bit in color and appearance, and we are especially partial to the darker varieties like Kona Coffee or Black Ruffles. Pair them together with Calla Lilies, Dahlias, or Zantedeschias, and you will find yourself with an unforgettable color combination in your garden. 

Gladiolus

These upright flowers are well known as cut flowers, but they are quite charming permanent additions to the garden as well. They are one of the few perennials that come in literally every color you can think of under the rainbow (even blue!), so they offer many opportunities to create color contrasts when companion planting in your garden. Or, if it’s not a contrast that you’re after, but rather hope to bring a bit more of a linear look to your garden, Gladiolus is a wonderful option.  

Zantedeschia

We already noted Zantedeschia as a potential partner to Colocasia, but they really deserve a shout-out of their very own. More commonly known as Calla Lilies, these trumpet-like blooms couple with just about everything! They bring a certain kind of sophistication to the garden, and their long-lasting blooms make them a great pair with so many different types of perennials. We often pair Zantedeschia Picasso with some Achillea, which we offer as a perennial. The final touch often involves overseeding with Delphinium or Larkspur, but these two are not currently in our catalogue.  

Liatris

If you are looking for a killer combo to attract pollinators, look no further than Liatris and Lilies! As a companion, planting Liatris alongside your Lilies will offer a lovely linear effect to your perennial garden. And, together with lilies, you’ll have no trouble attracting all kinds of different pollinators. 

Verbena Bonariensis

Verbena Lollipop is another excellent pollinator. They attract butterflies like nobody’s business! Their lilac-hued flowers rest delicately atop straight, square stems, making them a great companion plant. The cool purple and mauve tones of this North American native pollinator also combine beautifully with a variety of different perennials, like Dahlias, for example. 

Companion planting in your garden can, at times, present as a unique challenge. But, as you start to explore different concepts like color contrasts, color echoes, and pairing together plants that will bring various heights and textures, it can be like solving a really interesting puzzle. And really, your garden is the perfect place to play and experiment – so have some fun with it!