Have you ever stood in a garden centre, overwhelmed by the choice of hundreds of different plants, all with unfamiliar Latin names and difficult-to-understand growing instructions? How do you choose plants that work together, not only in terms of colour and texture but, most importantly, in the same growing conditions?
Award-winning garden designer Jamie Butterworth is here to help you make the right choices and create long-lasting displays.
He has worked alongside Monty Don on the BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, proving that practical planting and beautiful design can go hand in hand.
Whatever the size of your outdoor space or level of experience, his simple plant “recipes” take the overwhelm out of garden planning. Each combination has been tried and tested to ensure the plants look good together and thrive in the same conditions.
Below, he shares three expert planting combinations for damp soil, shady spots and dry areas – so you can plant with confidence.
1. For a damp spot with moist soul
Peak interest: Mid-summer to early autumn
Time to plant: Spring
The plants:
- Yarrow (Achillea ‘Terracotta’)
- Wand loosestrife (Lythrum virgatum ‘Dropmore Purple’)
Why it works
This is a simple but impactful combination of just two perennials, bold and bright with intense colours that complement one another well. They remind me of Fruit Salad chews, in those iconic yellow and pink sweet wrappers, taking me back to happy childhood memories.
The electric orange-yellow of the achillea provides a brilliant contrast against the deep and intense purple flowers of the lythrum. The flat, plate-like flower heads of the achillea float above fine silver-grey foliage, adding textural contrast. The spires of magenta-coloured lythrum flowers flare up through the planting. Until early summer, they are just a mass of green foliage — then, seemingly overnight, they open into the most eye-catching colour.
Both plants are adored by pollinators, making this a superb combination for attracting more bees and butterflies.
How to plant
Don’t worry too much about precise placement — my only advice is that more is more with plants this good.
- In larger spaces, arrange them in big drifts for maximum impact.
- Alternatively, grow them in pots to restrict the roots and keep plants more compact.
Top tip
Either cut the plants back when harsh frosts deprive them of their bright colours, or leave the structural stems standing until late winter, just before they reshoot.
2. For a sheltered shady nook
Peak interest: Spring and autumn
Time to plant: Spring or autumn
The plants:
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida f. rubra)
- Ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium)
- White ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium var. hederifolium f. albiflorum)
- Palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis)
Why it works
It’s all about the cornus here. A beautiful small tree that adds instant structure and character, with multi-season interest, this is one of my all-time favourites.
In late spring, it produces an abundance of white “flowers” (actually bracts – modified leaves that resemble petals) that can last up to a month. In autumn, it transforms again: foliage turns ruby red and bright red berries replace the blooms.
The frothy understorey comprises carex and cyclamen. The cyclamen flower in autumn – I’ve mixed pinks and whites freely, adding a splash of colour just as most plants begin to wind down. The carex acts as a green foil, its semi-evergreen foliage forming a soft carpet beneath the tree.
How to plant
- Make the cornus the focal point – buy the largest specimen you can afford for instant impact.
- Underplant with carex and cyclamen in drifts.
- Use roughly two-thirds carex to one-third cyclamen, placing cyclamen toward the front.
Top tip
Cyclamens add autumn excitement, but you can swap or supplement with other seasonal stars. Spring bulbs such as daffodils ‘Thalia’ and ‘Pheasant’s Eye’ make joyful additions, while summer erigeron can soften the understorey. Get creative and plant what you love.
3. For drier areas with good drainage
Peak interest: Late summer and early autumn
Time to plant: Spring or autumn
The plants:
- Purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea ‘Moorhexe’)
- Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’)
- Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba ‘Globus’)
Why it works
Who says bright colours are just for summer? These plants provide the garden equivalent of an after-party, keeping the energy alive into shorter, colder days.
A dwarf ginkgo provides the structure. In autumn, its foliage transforms from fresh green to luminous yellow, before falling like confetti to carpet the ground.
Rudbeckia is one of my go-to plants – reliable, long-flowering and low-maintenance, it produces bright yellow daisy-like flowers for months.
Molinia provides texture and contrast, acting as a soft foil to the bold yellows. In autumn, it deepens to chestnut brown, adding another layer of seasonal drama.
How to plant
- Begin with the ginkgo as your anchor.
- Plant rudbeckia in groups of three, five or seven.
- Drift molinia through the scheme to weave it all together.
Top tip
In late winter, cut rudbeckia and molinia back to ground level. Leave the ginkgo alone – it needs only occasional light pruning to maintain shape.
Extracted from What Grows Together by Jamie Butterworth (Dorling Kindersley Limited). © Jamie Butterworth 2025
