Classic plant combinations

A successful garden comes from choosing plants that work well together.

Ideas for plant combinations are presented here, from garden designers from the past and present.

They range from maples and bamboos of Chinese gardens to contemporary designs such as beth Chatto's groupings of hostas and heucheras.

They include traditional cottage gardens of foxgloves and oriental poppies and well-known pairings devised by designers like Gertrude Jekyll and artists such as Claude Monet.

The text gives a history of the pairing and how it was used, with advice for different areas of the garden such as borders, walls and containers.