When plant combinations work it is because they enhance one another. I like to think of these sometimes planned, sometimes serendipitous events as conversations between the plants involved. Repeating the same plant like Malus ‘Donald Wyman’ in my Moon garden with a second tree 70 feet away on the bank of the pond, means that after a long winter the two trees speak across the cold air one beautiful white and pink blossomed canopy to another. Then in fall when the crabapples turn bright red they bond again and your eye is naturally pulled back and forth by the dramatic fruit display.
Other combinations of plants that are dialoguing right now are the shrub Potentilla ‘Primrose beauty’ its soft yellow blooms whisper tenderly to the perennial Kirgengeshoma ‘palmate’ who’s beautiful pale yellow flowers nods in appreciation. A fluke planting, I love seeing these plants making the most of each other. The third shrub Sumac ‘Tiger eyes’ joins in on the conversation with its bright glowing chartreuse leaves.
When combinations of plants work well I make a note of it for future design projects so my clients and I can enjoy similarly harmonious discussions.
Potentilla ‘Primrose beauty’ with Kirgengeshoma palmate
Kirgengeshoma palmate in the big leaf garden with
Potentilla ‘Primrose Beauty’
Sumac ‘Tiger Eyes” joins in on the conversation.
Rooting for Ideas 
So beautiful and poetic. I love your descriptions of your garden, and the refined eye with which you are always looking. It’s almost like being there!
Julia Clay
Thanks Julia, The especially nice coming from a fellow artist.
The kirgengeshoma is amazing. I have four or five scattered about the gardens that stay much smaller. Two of them are on the side of a brook and were the only plants in that area to survive the Irene flood. My potentilla is nowhere near any of the kirgengeshoma so unfortunately they cannot communicate!
Brian
Hi Brian, It took many years for my Kirgengeshoma to reach this size. I didn’t think it would happen, but finally this year I gave it a bit more space by trimming the spirea next to it back. I had been admiring a friend’s plant where she had given it a lot of room. Sounds like with that many Kirgengeshoma planted in your garden there will be plenty of conversing between plants!
Best, Don
You have amazing plants! I have a few bushes with some berries growing on them but they are not as beautiful as yours. I hope that I will find free time between the work and the children so I could make my garden looks better than now. Regards!