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​Succession Planting for Year-round Pleasure

Hi Reader,

This week I'm sharing plant recommendations from Christopher Lloyd's book Succession Planting for Year-round Pleasure.

In the book, Christopher Lloyd shares important hints about designing a garden for year-round interest. There's no way to cover every plant combination that he describes, but I've included four combinations below that we can use in our Midwest gardens.

I hope you enjoy these plant combinations.

Perennials & Bulbs
Sharing the Same Space

Christopher Lloyd's main lesson is about allowing plants to share the same space. We need to understand how plants behave throughout the entire growing season so we can pair them properly.

Lloyd provides the plant combinations he used at Great Dixter and many of these plants will grow in our Midwest gardens.

In the book, he encourages us to find companion plants that can grow together well throughout the entire growing season.

First by combining spring-blooming bulbs, spring-flowering woodland plants and perennials. These plants are further enhanced by adding bedding plants, self-sowers, and climbers.

The only way to master succession planting is to learn about plants, think about how they'll look during the growing season, and pair together plants that make good neighbors.

Easy to write. Hard to master. Luckily, Christopher Lloyd gives plenty of plant combinations to try.

Plant Combinations From the Book

Succession Planting for Year-round Pleasure is filled with lots of plant combinations. It's impossible to list them all, but I focused on plants we can grow in our Midwest gardens.

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Using Bulbs in Our Mixed Borders

Let's start with Lloyd's recommendations for the best type of bulbs to include in a mixed border. He acknowledges the difficulty of digging into existing bulbs when adding new plants.

To avoid this, he used specific plant combinations that allowed the 'later' plants to protect the space occupied by bulbs or he marked bulb locations using bamboo sticks.

Narrow-Leaved Daffodils

Christopher Lloyd made a point to recommend using 'narrow-leaved' daffodils within the border rather than broad-leaved varieties.

He said that broad-leaved daffodils look more unsightly once the flowers die back. Using daffodils with narrow leaves allows us to hide dying foliage more discreetly.
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The varieties of daffodil with narrow leaves are Cyclamineus Narcissi and Triandrus narcissi. You can find a large selection of both varieties on the John Scheeper website. I am keeping these daffodils in mind for what to buy this autumn.**

**Note: The bulbs are currently out of stock because it is spring, but they should be available in the autumn.

John Scheeper's selection of Cyclamineus Narcissi
​John Scheeper's selection of Triandrus Narcissi​
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​Cyclamineus Narcissus ‘Dove Wings’

Christopher Lloyd mentions 'Dove Wings' several times in his book. This daffodil has a wonderful nodding character and is 15 inches tall.

Unfortunately, I was unable to located a U.S.-based source. Here is a photo so you can see what it looks like. Such an adorable daffodil!

Cyclamineus Narcissus 'Jetfire'

You can purchase this cute 10 inches tall daffodil online at the Dutch Grown website.

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Cyclamineus Narcissus 'Tête-à-Tête'

This cute little 10 inches tall daffodil is available for purchase online at a number of sources. I have this on my wish-list for the autumn.
​Bluestone Perennials​
​K. van Bourgondien​
​White Flower Farm​

Cyclamineus Narcissus 'February Gold'

I found a couple online sources selling this 14 inches tall daffodil with delicate petals.
​Dutch Grown
​​John Scheepers​

Plant Combinations Mentioned in the Book That Are Worth Growing

Plant Combination 1

Hemerocallis 'Marian Vaughn'
Cyclamineus Narcissus 'Dove Wings'
Narrow leaved Tulipa linifolia
Interplanted with phlox paniculata

I wasn't able to locate a U.S.-based source for daylily 'Marian Vaughn'. I found an image of the day lily on the Shoot Gardening website where it is described as a 3 feet tall plant with light yellow blooms.

This combination will work with any narrow-leaved daffodil. I think Cyclamineus Narcissus 'Jetfire' would be a fun one to try.

Tulipa linifolia is a narrow-leaved tulip with a bright red flower. I located a source for this tulip on the John Scheeper's website. It's a 6 inches tall tulip circa 1884 that naturalizes.

Phlox paniculata is a fall-blooming phlox. One of my favorite varieties is 'David' with its clear, white blooms. 'David' is available for purchase at a number of online nurseries including Eden Brothers.

Plant Combination 2

Eranthis hyemalis (Winter aconites)
Hostas

Christopher Lloyd said that the combination of Winter aconites and hosta makes the perfect combination. Once the aconites are done blooming, the hosta form a protective umbrella around the bulbs so you don't accidentally disturb them.

Lloyd's mentioned that his favorite hosta was 'Krossa Regal'. This is a 24-28 inches tall hosta with blue upright foliage. A gorgeous hosta indeed!

You can purchase 'Krossa Regal' from White Flower Farm. Winter aconites are available from many sources including Hudson Valley Seed Company.

Plant Combination 3

Allium christophii
Darwin tulip 'Apeldoorn'
Japanese anemones*

*Note: Japanese anemones can be aggressive growers in the border.

I grow this beautiful allium in my garden inside a bed of corydalis lutea. This is a short allium with huge flower heads. You can purchase allium christophii from a number of online sources including Bluestone Perennials.

The tulip 'Apeldoorn' is a brightly colored yellow and red tulip that reaches 22 inches tall. This tulip blooms in mid spring and can be purchased from the Breck's website.

Christopher Lloyd mentions a few different varieties of Japanese anemones in his book including the beautiful white-blooming heirloom Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' and pink-blooming 'September Charm'. Both are available for purchase from White Flower Farm.

Plant Combination 4

Iris reticulata
Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
Euphorbia schillingii
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

After reseaching iris reticulata, I'm wondering why I never added this to my garden. They come in a wide range of colors including an incredibly clear blue called 'Alida'. I found a source for Iris reticulata 'Alida' on the Breck's website.

Geranium 'Ann Folkard' is a plant I see pictured in every old English gardening book. It's easy to see why. The deep magenta blooms with the dark centers make for a striking color combination. I found a few sources for this plant including Blue Stone Perennials.

I managed to find Euphorbia schillingii for sale on the Dancing Oaks Nursery and Garden website. I've never purchased plants from this site, but it one of the only U.S.-based sources I found. This euphobia is 2.5 to 3 feet tall with a 1-2 feet spread. It appears to be readily available in the UK.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' is native to North America and is a wonderful plant for the garden. It needs support during the growing season to avoid the blooms from flopping onto the ground. I have several Annabelles growing in my garden and I love them.

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Other Plants to Add for Continuous Interest in Your Garden

Christopher Lloyd mentions that the addition of bedding plants, self-seeders, and climbing plants helps add further interest to our borders. The book goes into great detail about Lloyd's favorite plants and includes tons of beautiful photographs.

I found so many inspiring plant combinations in this book. I'm certain I will reference this book often as I refine my garden design.

Thank You for Being Here

It's clear that the best way to learn about plants is through hands-on experience. Our gardens are such a blessing.

Happy Gardening,
Sue

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