What exactly is a “mass planting?” In this method, specimens are grouped together to create fullness and depth using sweeping installations, often of the same or similar species, or a small selection of well-matched plants. This can be achieved in many ways.
Flower groupings are useful in assembling a cohesive mass planting that’s more varied. Many annual and perennial flowers make outstanding additions, especially when grouped together in a complementary manner, or with seasonal appeal in mind.
Using complementary or contrasting colors, interesting shapes, and inviting textures, an area can be densely filled for a lush, natural, yet organized appearance.
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This type of layout can be used to break up expansive areas, structured for framing and borders, or scaled down for a smaller space, depending on the aesthetics of the surrounding landscaping and structures.
Choosing flowers for this purpose can seem a little intimidating, mainly because there are so many possible options! Let’s discuss some of the best ones to include for maximum impact.
Ways to Add Flower Groupings to Mass Plantings
Rather than adding individual flowers that are widely spaced in a bed, dense clusters are placed in closer quarters.
Spacing them together in this way can smother out weeds, keep the soil below moist and cool, reduce the need for maintenance, draw the eye through the landscape, and fill in space to create visual weight.
This is also an excellent choice for hiding an ugly foundation or delineating between sections of sprawling, open acreage.
There are several ways to determine which flowers you’d like to include for mass planting.
Seasonal color and interest are popular characteristics to consider, and different species can be grown based on their blooming pattern so their colors and shapes add interest in succession throughout the year.
For a stunning sea of color to fill a hillside or a large expanse of lawn, you might choose one or two varieties to include in drifts. In this method, a large swath of plants is installed in a shape that complements and enlivens the surroundings.
Structured borders are another common layout, with one type of flower comprising the largest grouping, and other types adding pops of additional color or filling smaller gaps.
Borders such as these can be installed to frame a sidewalk, skirt a structure such as a house or barn, or even fill in areas below trees. This type of installation can also separate a patio, pool, or seating area from the lawn beyond.
You could also fill an area in with flowers of varying heights for a cascading appearance. The taller varieties are placed at the rear, with species of shorter heights added as mid- and foreground groupings.
How to Plan Flower Groupings
The first step in coordinating a layout is assessing the lay of the land. Each landscape or garden has a different set of conditions, such as shaded areas, topography where water pools or drains off, or structures that need to be taken into consideration.
Soil conditions, regional weather patterns, and annual rainfall are also important to consider.
For example, xeriscaping with drought-tolerant species is a better choice for gardens in arid climates with sandy soil, whereas tropical types are better suited to hot, humid zones.
Just as in any other type of planting, choose specimens that are suited to your regional climate, soil conditions, and the composition of your garden or yard. Matching your chosen specimens up based on their needs is the way to go, since they’ll be sharing common quarters.
Bear in mind that mass plantings generally look more balanced when an odd number of plants are used.
Even-numbered installations can sometimes appear awkward or unnatural to the eye. Instead, group specimens in quantities of three, five, seven, and so on.
The following considerations and methods of organizing your groupings can also come in handy:
By Height
As I mentioned, groupings can be arranged by height to create a cascade of blooming color and texture. Varying heights can be used to form a pattern that draws the eye or separates spaces, and fills in space to add density.
Height can also be helpful in hiding unsightly structures or creating a living screen to enclose a secret, private garden space.
Seasonal blooming patterns should also be considered for this type of layout, as staggered blooming can look strange in a cascading installation.
By Season
Take into account when the flowers will be in bloom.
If the goal is to have a lush bed of vibrant tones in the spring, with greenery remaining through other seasons, then choose flowers that bloom at the same time.
Foliage types and tones will also come into play, so the varieties you choose should be able to pull double duty if they do not die back entirely during seasons when they are not in flower.
Annuals and Perennials
Just as blooming times should be considered, it’s important to decide whether to use annuals, which will need to be replanted each year unless they self-seed, or perennials, which will return in subsequent years.
If you’d rather not have to repeat the process of planting each year, spending money on new seeds or starts each time, then perennials may be the best choice – unless you save seeds or allow the flowers to self-sow.
Low maintenance requirements are a key benefit of mass planting.
Texture and Color
Designing your layout based on the available textures and colors works best for creating drifts, or in larger settings where a variety of mass plantings can be brought together to create contrast.
When utilizing this method, complementary or contrasting colors are paired together, drawing the eye in even from a distance.
Alright – onto the best part! Get out your gardening journal, because it’s time to start planning. Let’s discuss which flowers work best for planting en masse.
21 of the Best Flowers for Mass Planting
Even though this is a substantial list, it isn’t exhaustive, and there are so many other possible choices of flora that could be included for a stunning result.
Most of these have growth habits that create a blanket of color or texture when planted together, while some produce abundant blossoms that reach toward the sky for a spectacular look with added height.
1. Astilbe
Sometimes referred to as goat’s beard, the Astilbe genus includes more than a dozen species.
Hybrid A. x arendsii is very popular in home gardens, and you may find varieties of A. chinensis, A. japonica, A. thunbergii, and A. simplicifolia to choose from as well.
These perennials grow from rhizomes, and they’ll return each year with a thick clump of leafy foliage and tall, feather-like inflorescences. Their scent is sometimes described as being fruity, yet very subtle, and they attract bees and butterflies throughout their bloom season.
The fluffy plumage produced by these species is loaded with tiny, densely packed blooms. These open gradually in succession, so the plumes last for a long time – usually for three weeks or more.
They also grow quite tall in some cases, with heights reaching one to four feet.
When they’re planted in a shady spot, they’ll produce flowers throughout spring and summer in most regions, though flowering will be reduced in full shade. Colors range from soft white to deep burgundy with deep green foliage.
As astilbe grows, it tends to spread, and plants will eventually need to be divided. It’s best to allow about 18 inches of space between them.
Astilbe Rhizomes
Several colors and types are available from Spring Hill Nursery via Home Depot, like this pack of three that includes rhizomes for varieties in red, pink, and white.
Learn more about how to grow astilbe in our guide.
2. Begonias
There are thousands of species and cultivars of begonias, and quite a few are commonly chosen as additions to the home garden in suitable climates. We’ll cover garden go-to’s that are known for their mass planting appeal here.
Most of these do not have a noticeable scent or produce much nectar, so if you’re looking for a pollinator-supporting specimen to install en masse, begonias may not be your best choice.
Wax begonias, sometimes referred to simply as bedding begonias, are popular for adding blooming color and glossy, waxy leaf textures in densely planted beds.
These have a fibrous root system and showy flowers, and hybrid cultivars of Begonia x semperflorens and B. x benariensis are commonly available in garden centers.
These are frost-tender and typically considered annuals throughout most regions that experience chilly winters, but they can survive as perennials in Zones 10 and 11.
Bedding begonias are often brightly colored in tones of pink, red, or sometimes white, with foliage that can range from green to bronze. Most reach heights of six to 18 inches and bloom between spring and fall in most zones.
Place types with bronze foliage in full sun, as they need adequate light for the most prolific bloom production, and others in partial shade.
Be sure to water them frequently to avoid allowing their substrate to dry out but make sure the excess moisture drains off well. Learn all about their care in our guide to growing wax begonias.
You can find B. x benariensis Surefire ‘Red’ is available in a four-pack of live plants from Proven Winners via Home Depot.
Surefire ‘Red’ Wax Begonia
A rose-colored cultivar is also available in the Surefire series.
Tuberous begonias are another commonly chosen type. They’re just as they sound – plants grown from tubers that will sprout each year in Zones 9 to 11. North of Zone 9, these must be lifted and stored for the winter.
B. maxima ‘Switzerland’ is a beautiful example, with large, double, red rose-like blooms and thick, glossy leaves that are nearly black. Sets of five tubers are available from Van Zyverden via Home Depot.
‘Switzerland’ Tuberous Begonia
The tuberous types may have an upright growing habit or blossoms that hang downward in a weeping presentation. The upright specimens are more suited to mass planting while the weeping specimens are best for containers or hanging baskets.
Nonstop ‘Double Yellow’ produces large, bright yellow, camellia-type double blooms atop green foliage. This specimen, as well as others in the Nonstop series, reach up to 18 inches in height with an 18- to 24-inch spread.
Nonstop ‘Double Yellow’
You can find ‘Double Yellow’ tuberous begonias available from Nature Hills Nursery in a two-pack of dormant tubers. This series also includes red, white, pink, orange, salmon, and bicolored cultivars.
3. Black-Eyed Susans
Perhaps you know Rudbeckia hirta by its common name, black-eyed Susan? These native North American wildflowers are found throughout the United States.
The most common species of Rudbeckia, the flowers of this plant are easily distinguished by their yellow petals and brown to black centers. Other species and certain cultivars may have green, red, or white petals instead.
In the wild, black-eyed Susans are often found in sunny open fields or near forest borders. As long as they’re receiving full sun and growing in moist but well-drained soil, they’re tolerant of heat, drought, and less than ideal soil composition.
For impactful, natural appeal, this is one flower that can’t be beat.
Not only can it make an instant meadow out of any large area, it also attracts pollinators of all types. Try it as a carefree border planting just beyond a forest edge or add it en masse surrounding a barn or outbuilding foundation.
Black-eyed Susan is a mounding perennial that spreads via rhizomes, returning year after year in Zones 4 to 9. Outside of these zones, they may be grown as annuals.
‘American Gold Rush’
‘American Gold Rush’ is available in #1 containers from Nature Hills Nursery.
This hybrid cultivar was the All-American Selection Winner in 2020, judged best based on its uniform three-inch golden blossoms, attractive foliage, and heat tolerance. It has a compact habit, with classic yellow petals and dark brown eyes.
4. Celosia
Celosias are part of the Amaranthaceae family – the amaranths – and it’s easy to see the resemblance. If you like astilbe but you’d prefer brighter colors and you have the appropriate growing conditions, feather or plume-type celosias are for you!
C. argentia plants need full sun and well-drained soil to thrive. These are annuals that can sometimes return as short-lived perennials or power through the whole year in warmer climates.
If you’re gardening in Zones 9 to 11, you may not need to replant every year, and it’s important to note that these plants self-seed readily. Otherwise, they can be removed from the garden at the end of the season.
And the colors – oh, the colors! Shocks of flame red, yellow-orange, and deep lavender are common among those in the First Flame series as well as others, and as a bonus, the leaves are even edible if you wish to partake.
There are dwarf varieties available that only reach about six inches in height, but the majority of these will grow to about 10 to 14 inches.
Give celosia about six to eight inches of space at planting time, unless you’re growing the larger types, which will need about 12 inches of space.
Bear in mind that they’re also heavy producers of seed, so if you don’t want them to self-sow and spread like mad, you’ll need to deadhead the spent blooms to keep a structured bed or shapely border neat and tidy.
Seeds can also be collected in lieu of allowing them to spread at will, so you can select where to scatter them instead.
‘Scarlet Plume’ is one option that you may like. This cultivar bears stunning bright red plumes that reach six to 10 inches in height, so they’re great additions to the foreground of a cascading bed.
Celosia ‘Scarlet Plume’