Layering your plants provides visual stimulation in a garden.
LAYERING in your garden means you have a variety of plants staggered in heights from ground hugging plants, then a middle layer of medium heights through to taller plants either at the back or even in the middle of your garden. This planting gives depth to your garden. The best layering has repetition and unity achieved by using more than one of each plant so there is a flow through your garden. If you have a garden filled with only one plant of each, your garden is visually uncomfortable to look at. It can also be achieved by repeating a form of a plant or colour. Another way is your different layers can come into their own at different times, such as the spirea that is flowering in the background, then the white irises and the pink geranium – when the irises have finished, the penstemons will start flowering, and then the lamb’s ears, and the allium. This sort of layering gives you flowers and colour from spring though to autumn. The little pink cranesbill geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum czakor) at the front is a little gem it has flowers all though the year. It is a great filler plant and can be divided easily so you only need to buy one plant or two plants and then you can slip it every year and drift it though your garden for some repetition. The lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantine) is another great little plant as it spreads and is easily divided to give you more plants for your garden or with both these plants you can pot up and give to friends. I think one of the things I love most about these two little beauties is they are great weed suppressants and anything that helps keep weeds at bay has to be a winner.
