Creating a cohesive garden is a snap when you know what to pair with what! But sometimes it can be tricky to decide which plants to put in your cart when shopping. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! To make things as easy as possible, we’ve created Best Buds.
Best Buds are perfect companion plants, shrubs, or trees that complement each other beautifully in the landscape. Think of it like a buddy system for gardening! The Best Buds concept provides you with an easy path to add stunning year-round interest, texture, and color in your landscape. Whether you’re building a foundation planting, a cottage border, or a welcoming entryway, these plant pairings will help you design the garden of your dreams.
To help get you started, and inspired, we asked some of our gardening besties for their favorite Best Buds pairings. Check out these plant combinations and why they love them!
“I’m always thinking about not just how things look together, but how they engage all the senses. More specifically, how a garden engages a child. If there’s a plant with interesting texture, my girls as well as my neighbor’s children needed to touch it. From the textural appeal of the willow, the fragrance of the rose, and the sound of pollinators in the roses. I know first-hand the impact these experiences have on children. Plants have so much to teach us and this combination does just that!”
“I like to pair colors and textures in the landscape. In this combination, Fireside® Ninebark gets slightly taller and provides a gorgeous contrast to the deep green foliage from FlowerFull®. Plus, Fireside® provides winter interest with its exfoliating bark that pairs wonderfully with the spent flower blooms of FlowerFull®. This is the perfect yin and yang combo for some visual appeal and interest in the landscape.”
“When working with a plant like Crimson Fire™ Fringe Flower, I like to pair it with something bold and bright. That’s where Eternal Sunshine™ Abelia comes in to play! The bronze color of the new growth on Eternal Sunshine™ stands out brilliantly against the burgundy hues of Crimson Fire™.”
“Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea brings those rich, dark, almost black leaves and lush mophead blooms, while Limoncello™ Barberry shows off bright chartreuse foliage with splashes of rosy pink. When you plant them together, it’s like putting a little black dress next to a neon statement necklace or purse. They both look better because of contrast. The dark hydrangea foliage makes the golden lime color from the barberry glow even brighter. The barberry’s fine, airy leaves play against the hydrangea’s bold, rounded blooms for a layered, designer look. As an added bonus, barberry is drought tolerant and deer-resistant, while Eclipse® is disease resistant. So, you get beauty without babying them.”
Looking for even more plant combination inspiration? Check out the following Best Bud plant pairings for cool and warm climates.
The vibrant colors of the foliage and blooms on Eclipse® (Zone 5-9) are showcased beautifully in a foundation planting as shown above. By adding in the pops of color from Cobalt-n-Gold™ (Zones 4-7) and Little Spark® (Zones 3-8) and the border they provide, the bed comes to life. Add in texture and even more color with dwarf fountain grass (Zones 4-11) and Biokovo Geranium (Zones 4-8).
Little Hottie® (Zones 3-8) works hand in hand with Spicy Devil® (Zones 3-7) to create a gorgeous low hedge to border a fence line. Round out the vignette with Pop Star® Reblooming Hydrangea (Zones 4-9) and Kashmir Rose (Zones 4-9) for an interesting visual display of mixed colors, textures, and foliage.
This pairing is an excellent for creating a cottage garden or a border. The finely textured blue-silver foliage and yellow flowers of Cobalt-n-Gold™ (Zones 4-7) complement the wider silver leaf of Iceberg Alley® Sageleaf Willow (Zones 2-6). Finally, Bubblegum Pink™ Phlox (Zones 3-8) adds a fabulous accent color to this wholly native species cottage garden planting.
This design showcases how you can mix and match shrubs and still create a beautiful and cohesive landscape design. The darker colors of Crimson Fire® (Zones 7-9) offset the bright blooms of Little Hottie® (Zones 3-8) and Sweet Tea™ Gardenia (Zones 7-9), and Vanilla Brandy™ (Zones 6-9) ties it all together to line this entryway.
This entry way is a stunning example of how the vibrant foliage and blooms on Eclipse® (Zones 5-9) can tie together even the simplest of designs. We love this design for its symmetry, use of color, and mixture in height and texture.
This is a beautiful example of how adding taller plants to a space can be a great way to tie the vignette together, while adding structure along as fence line. The mix of red, white, and blue colors in this design complement each other well and the dark foliage of Sunset Magic® (Zone 7-9) pops out to catch the eye as a focal point.
For even more garden design inspiration, check out our Rock Star Guides for Warm and Cool Climates. To shop all of these Best Buds and more, shop the First Editions® collection online and use our Find a Retailer tool to locate First Editions® at garden centers near you. Remember to tag us on social @firsteditionsshrubstrees if you plant one of these shrubs and sign up for our newsletter for monthly inspiration, tips, and more delivered right to your inbox.
