Companion planting involves strategically placing different plant species near each other to create a mutually beneficial environment. This practice can enhance a garden’s overall health and visual appeal. Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ is a versatile, low-maintenance plant known for its striking ornamental qualities, making it an excellent candidate for various landscape designs.
Understanding Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’
Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ is an evergreen, grass-like perennial forming a low, mounding clump. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. The foliage displays a distinctive silver-blue or grey-green color with cream-white variegated margins, offering a fine texture that remains attractive year-round. It is drought tolerant once established and thrives in full sun to partial shade. It is also adaptable to various well-drained soil types, including sandy, loamy, and clay.
Principles of Companion Planting
Selecting companion plants for Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ involves shared environmental needs. Compatible plants thrive in similar sun exposure, soil conditions, and drought tolerance. This ensures appropriate care without over or under-watering.
Beyond shared needs, aesthetic considerations are important for harmonious garden design. Contrasting textures, complementary colors, or varied forms enhance visual interest. Companion planting also offers functional benefits, such as promoting biodiversity by attracting beneficial insects, suppressing weeds by providing ground cover, and creating continuous garden interest throughout the seasons.
Selecting Companion Plants
Many plants serve as excellent companions for Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ due to similar environmental preferences and complementary aesthetics.
Contrasting Textures and Forms
For contrasting textures and forms, consider Design-A-Line™ Cordyline, which offers a bolder, upright structure against Lomandra’s arching foliage. Silvery-green foliage shrubs like Little Ollie dwarf olive or blue-leafed Clarity Blue™ Dianella can echo Lomandra’s subtle coloring while adding different leaf shapes.
Flowering Perennials
Drought-tolerant flowering perennials are suitable choices. Love and Wishes™ Salvia or Saucy™ Wine Salvia provide vibrant magenta blooms that stand out against the variegated Lomandra. Crazy Pink™ Echinacea offers a different flower form and attracts pollinators, adding ecological value. For a softer look, purple veronica flowers can be integrated between the Lomandra blades.
Groundcovers
Groundcovers like Chrysocephalum apiculatum (yellow buttons) can create a sprawling carpet of cheerful blooms around the base of the taller Lomandra, helping to suppress weeds and conserve soil moisture. Scaevola (fan flowers) with their trailing habit can also serve as a striking foreground plant. Westringia (native rosemary) offers robust, rosemary-like foliage and subtle flowers, complementing Lomandra’s form.
Succulents and Grasses
Succulents and other grasses can also create striking pairings. A lime green potted pomegranate or ‘Everillo’ Carex can provide a bright, contrasting color and texture. For a more cohesive grass-like appearance, Dianella species (flax lilies) resemble Lomandra but offer different berry and flower characteristics. These diverse options allow for varied garden styles while maintaining compatibility.
Designing with Companion Plants
Integrating Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’ with its companions involves thoughtful design to create a cohesive and visually appealing garden. Layering plants by height, from foreground to background, helps establish depth and visual flow. Taller plants can form the rear, with Lomandra in the middle layer, and lower-growing companions or groundcovers in the front.
Repetition of plant types, colors, or textures throughout the design creates unity and rhythm. Considering seasonal interest ensures the garden remains attractive year-round, with different plants providing highlights at various times. By strategically placing chosen companion plants, their forms, colors, and textures can enhance the unique features of Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’, creating a balanced and dynamic landscape.