Are you looking for a way to introduce some drama into your landscape? Give your garden mass appeal when you grow your favorite plants in groups. When you focus on grouping your plants, or planting in mass, you can increase the visual drama and reduce maintenance in your landscape. 
Mass planting is a method of filling in your garden with groupings of one or more kinds of plants. This is often done to reduce maintenance by minimizing weed growth or to create visual drama by drawing the eye to that space. Staggering or grouping plants together as opposed to lining them in rows is much more visually appealing and it helps to add quick color to empty areas.
How to Plan:
As with any gardening endeavor, mass planting requires planning.
- Vary the structure and texture – Make sure you consider the size, structure, and texture, of each plant type. If you mix things up with blooms, foliage, and texture you’ll create incredible contrast.
- Throw in some self sowers – Annuals will add an element of surprise! They can be easily controlled by hand pulling. Let them come up in your mass planting here and there and simply remove them where you don’t want them or when they become unattractive.
- Plan for a well placed break – Locating an architectural element like a small tree or a couple of shrubs between the masses or even in the middle of a single mass will act as a break for the eyes. It visually breaks up a mass or acts as a transition between two masses.
- Utilize the idea of Mix and Mass – Mixing smaller plants groupings (3-5 plants) within a larger mass (5 or more plants) works against monotony. Choose plants with a staggered bloom time and colors that work well together.
How to Plant:
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- Figure out the size of your planting area in square feet (multiply its length by its width).
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- Estimate the number of plants you’ll need.
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- Place each plant in their places beforehand to get a sense of how it’ll look.
- Once you find a pattern that matches your desired effect, plant them in the ground and water well.
What to Plant:
Nearly any plant can be used for mass planting schemes. Anything from small shrubs and ornamental grasses to mass planting annuals and perennials will create a show stopping scheme. Here are a few of our favorite plants that will create a dramatic effect in your landscape.
Now that we’ve provided the inspiration and how to, go and create the dramatic garden landscape of your dreams. Still have questions? Let our experts help!
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You’ve invested a lot of time, money, and energy in your garden, and the result is a gorgeous landscape you’re extremely proud of! Yet, you and your neighbors aren’t the only ones admiring your hard work; nighttime marauders are treating your prized plants like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Sound familiar? Time to flip the script on these devastating deer!
Well, there is a solution: Wayside’s deer-resistant plants and all-natural deterrents discourage grazing, with unpleasant tastes, smells or textures, leaving your garden intact and thriving despite after-hour visits from unwanted guests. The key is to keep changing your approach so the deer don’t get used to whatever technique you’re using at the time.
Here are some of our best tips for keeping deer out of your garden.
1. Grow Deer-Resistant Plants.
Basically, make your neighbor’s garden slightly more appealing than your own. Plant strongly perfumed flowers and strongly fragrant trees, things deer will find repulsive. If you’re careful, you can even sneak some of your favorite deer prone plants into the mix as long as you weave plenty of the undesirable plants with them to hide their tasty scent. You can find plenty of great options right here.
2. Use Repellents
Besides using physical fencing, scent is another effective barrier between these skittish creatures. We highly suggest using powerful yet natural chemical deterrents which will keep nosy nibblers at bay. Aside from these effective formulas there are some other tried and true remedies for deer. For example, many local gardeners scatter their hair and their pets sheddings in the soil or among the foliage of their most vulnerable plants to add the scent of human and predators to deter Bambi and company
3. Build a Fence (or Grow One!)
Deer can jump really high, but don’t make it easy for them. 6 feet is a deterrent, and 8 feet is a solution. You can also grow your own organic fence using tall landscaping trees like Thuja or big prickly bushes like holly also make a great deterrent.
4. Lights, Alarms, and Sprinklers
If you want to explore more high tech solutions we suggest investing in some gadgets that could make your life a lot easier. Motion sensors sprinklers, flashing light and loud sounds are all things that will disturb even the most bold deer. Use deer’s natural startle instinct against them and let your garden grow in peace.
5. Own a Dog.
Talking with the master gardeners and horticulturists on staff, the consensus is that a dog is the best deer repellent you can buy, especially if it is a big dog that mostly stays outside. But even the scent of a little dog in your yard will keep away most grazers.
There is no surefire way to keep deer away, they are resilient survivalists. However, using these tips will definitely help keep them out of your beloved garden!
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Flowering vines can be a stunning way to add visual interest to both your garden and home. Many vines attract hummingbirds and butterflies and can be fragrant and colorful. Too often we think of our gardens as a horizontal landscape when the possibilities for vertical gardening are just as important. Here are four amazing climbing vines to bring vertical interest to your garden!
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Planting isn’t just for springtime! Did you know that fall is one of the best times to plant for many plants? For many perennials, bulbs, trees, and shrubs fall planting gives them an early edge to thrive in the garden.
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