Good Little Companions

A garden filled with entirely small plants only works in a small space--though even there a specimen to provide a focal point is a mark of good design.  

 In a larger garden, only large plants also leave a void.  Small plants provide detail and punctuation for the sharp-eyed.   They act as fillers and edgers to complete a space.  They add contrast of color and texture.  Probably most importantly, they provide the gardener cheap thrills--small price, small effort to plant, or to remove if they fail.  Good little companions.  
In the appropriate climate succulents make excellent little companions, if snails and slugs are not a problem.  Their tendency to offset make them an endless source of free new plants

Dramatic foliage color draws attention to smaller plants that might be lost if the foliage was plain green. 

 I prefer companions that last at least a few years.  The Liatris came back from last year, and the Pentas came though the winter. 

 Roses need companion plants to hide their typically unattractive bases of bare wood. 

 Daylilys do a good job of that.

 Daylilys and Geranium 'Rozanne' are my favorite rose companions.

 Daylilys need foliage grooming and removal of spent flowers, so they are not for everyone, but to me they are worth it. 

 The newer series of dwarf Lantana have proven to be excellent small splashes of color that have no trouble with summer heat.  Meant as summer container annuals for colder climates, here they live for years and bloom almost year-round.  A hard cut-back in early spring keeps them looking good. 

 This sterile Euphorbia has been a winner, too.  White flowers are bright enough to draw attention even though the plant is small. 

 I first planted Trachelium caeruleum several years ago as a small accent plant, but this year it has grown much larger than expected.  One plant is nearing six feet tall and four feet wide, engulfing rather than accenting its companion rose.  That's gardening--expect the unexpected. 

 These type of summer-annuals-in-colder-climates tend to grow larger here then what is written on the tag.  This "dwarf" Gaura is a good example.  10-12" claimed on the tag, nearly 5' in this garden. 

 Mediterranean plants are also invaluable in this Mediterranean climate.  The genus Lotus offers L. hirsutus (Dorycnium hirsutum) L. berthelotii hybrids, and L. jacobaeus.
Lotus hirsutus:

 I succumbed to a six-pack of Eustoma (Lisianthus) again this year for an empty spot.  My mistake in the past couple of years was planting scattering the six-pack to different spots.  I think a group of them planted together will be more successful.    

 Sometimes small plants prove to be too small.  The desert Phacelia never got more than a few inches tall and wide, though those blue flowers are striking.  The two hardware-store-specials, heat-loving  Catharanthus roseus, common name Vinca Rosea, will grow once truly warm weather arrives.  Hopefully.

 Also proving too small is the silver-foliaged Chrysocephalum apiculatum;  the more common version sold in 4" pots got larger faster and delivered a blanket of yellow flowers until after about 18 months it bloomed itself to death and needed replacement.  

  Sorry, your little friend left. 

 This spot looked bare last year, so I moved two of the Agave parrasanas and added small bloom machines dwarf Lantana, 'Vermillions' Cuphea, Verbena 'de la Mina', and one of the 'Skyscraper' series Salvias.
Temporary protection for the Cuphea and Salvia, until the coyotes clear out most of the spring's rabbits. 

 Ultimately the black-foliage Lagerstroemia, this Leucospermum 'Scarlet Ribbon', and an adjacent Leucadendron will grow large and fill the space, so the small bloom machines are intended as temporary fillers until the shrubs mature. 

 Sometimes the companions make good companions for each other.

 Orlaya echos the much larger flower heads of Hydrangea 'Shooting Stars'

 Its life now complete, this volunteer companion Lobelia was companion to nothing but itself, but its beauty was memorable. 
May 25th:

 June 1st.  Enjoy them while there are here.

 There's nothing like good companions in life, and that goes for non-plants, too. 

 Wooo-wooooooooooo!

 Ooooh...

 Wooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

 I hope your life is filled with good little companions of all sorts.  Enjoy them while they are here.