Are you looking for a way to introduce some drama into your landscape? Give your garden mass appeal when you grow your favorite plants in groups. When you focus on grouping your plants, or planting in mass, you can increase the visual drama and reduce maintenance in your landscape. 
Mass planting is a method of filling in your garden with groupings of one or more kinds of plants. This is often done to reduce maintenance by minimizing weed growth or to create visual drama by drawing the eye to that space. Staggering or grouping plants together as opposed to lining them in rows is much more visually appealing and it helps to add quick color to empty areas.
How to Plan:
As with any gardening endeavor, mass planting requires planning.
- Vary the structure and texture – Make sure you consider the size, structure, and texture, of each plant type. If you mix things up with blooms, foliage, and texture you’ll create incredible contrast.
- Throw in some self sowers – Annuals will add an element of surprise! They can be easily controlled by hand pulling. Let them come up in your mass planting here and there and simply remove them where you don’t want them or when they become unattractive.
- Plan for a well placed break – Locating an architectural element like a small tree or a couple of shrubs between the masses or even in the middle of a single mass will act as a break for the eyes. It visually breaks up a mass or acts as a transition between two masses.
- Utilize the idea of Mix and Mass – Mixing smaller plants groupings (3-5 plants) within a larger mass (5 or more plants) works against monotony. Choose plants with a staggered bloom time and colors that work well together.
How to Plant:
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- Figure out the size of your planting area in square feet (multiply its length by its width).
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- Estimate the number of plants you’ll need.
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- Amend your soil (check out our organic soil amendments).
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- Place each plant in their places beforehand to get a sense of how it’ll look.
- Once you find a pattern that matches your desired effect, plant them in the ground and water well.
What to Plant:
Nearly any plant can be used for mass planting schemes. Anything from small shrubs and ornamental grasses to mass planting annuals and perennials will create a show stopping scheme. Here are a few of our favorite plants that will create a dramatic effect in your landscape.
Now that we’ve provided the inspiration and how to, go and create the dramatic garden landscape of your dreams. Still have questions? Let our experts help!