Florida Landscaping 101: Mass Plantings, Max Impact

Matt Herrman, Curator of Special Collections

Move over, Pinterest!

This spring and summer, Garden horticulturists share their favorite plants and landscape design tips in a special series perfect for those who are eager to add pizzazz to their yards, and for homeowner associations looking to refresh community spaces.

These simple concepts, illustrated with photos from the Garden, are certain to inspire. With rainy season on the way, now is the perfect time to get planting. In this installment, we look at how foliage plants add depth and interest and discover how mass plantings can make big impacts in your yard.

Matt’s Favorite Design Tips

1. Use dark-colored foliage plants. You can either use several types of dark foliage plants grouped together in a bed to create a dramatic and bold look, or pair dark ones with lighter-colored foliage plants to play up the contrast between the two. This can work especially well when using dark foliage as a backdrop for chartreuse-colored plants.
2. Plant en masse. This design tip involves planting a large area with the same type of plant to create an immediate impact and draw in your eye. This can work especially well with Florida native and ornamental grasses to create a large area of soft, flowing foliage.

Matt’s Favorite Plants to Use

The purple false eranthemum (Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. Atropurpureum) is a great dark foliage plant. It features large leaves that are dark maroon—almost black—and dark pink flowers. This plant is a smaller shrub that is well adapted to our climate and can handle some drought. When planted in full to nearly full sun, the foliage will look at its best and produce bright clusters of flowers throughout the year.

Pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). Pink muhly grass is a must-have for Southwest Florida landscapes. This is a low-maintenance and drought-resistant native plant that thrives in our locale. While pink muhly grass can be planted as individual specimen plants, it makes its biggest and boldest impact when planted en masse. During the fall months, the plant has delicate pink blooms that, when planted in clusters, create a fluffy pink cloud that sways in the breeze.

Putting It All Together

Along the boardwalk across the Water Garden there are several mass plantings of Blue Flag Iris. When viewed from the Performance Lawn, these mass plantings help to “anchor” the boardwalk in place and break up linear features of the boardwalk.

There are quite a few different plants with dark foliage planted along the main path in the Lea Asia Garden. These plants help to break up and create contrast with the surrounding green foliage on the trees and shrubs.