Beginner Gardening: Plants in context, 1 by bev_w

bev_w wrote:
Hi all,

Does anyone besides me wish there were more photos of gardens in their "context"-- the surrounding plants, structures, vistas? With people in the picture so you can see the scale and size of the plants? There are so many close-up photos of exquisite flowers as objets d'art. What I'm interested in how the plants all work together-- different heights, colour, shapes, textures.

Here's my specific question. What should I put in front of a row of Amaranthus Tricolor (Josephs Coat)? Although my garden is "funky cottage eclectic" in style, I don't want pure chaos. The point of the Amaranthus is to hide a wooden fence. The plants will be viewed from a fairly close distance. The bed is about 8 feet wide and five feet deep. It gets full sun from noon onwards. I use soaker hoses, so water needs are not a big issue. We're in USDA zone 5b. With the three colors happening at the back, I want something in the middle to complement the color and texture of the amaranthus, and still leave room for some shorter plants at the front.

For the last two years I've grown Nicotiana Sylvestris (6 feet, white flowers, gorgeous fragrance), with pink cleome and verbena bonariensis (mixed) in front, with a front row of white ageratum and allysum. I'm tired of the Nici, and I want something that won't compete with the fragrance of the Mignonettes I'm doing for the first time this year.

My initial thoughts are to repeat the yellow of the Amaranthus, with a plant that has more delicate foliage and flowers.

Any ideas?

The photo shows last year's bed. The Cleome got pretty tall...