Updated October 2026
I am a plant lover—unabashed and unapologetic. I'm also committed to my garden as an expression of my artistic vision; as a four-dimensional art form. In a small garden, those two impulses pull against each other. I grow more plants than I can keep forever, and I'm always editing.
One of the ways I bring order to my garden and avoid visual chaos is repetition, which binds potentially discordant vignettes together. Without it, my garden probably wouldn't hold together as well as it does. With it, I can pursue my plant passions without abandoning my artistic aspirations.
This is one of the reasons behind the old rule: buy plants in multiples of 3, 5, or 7. When you think about that oft-repeated recommendation in the context of repetition, it makes perfect sense.
Where I rely on this most is with the low, front-of-the-border weavers—ground covers, compact perennials, and grasses. These plants are the glue that binds the garden together. Small shrubs and narrow conifers can do the same job higher up. Size is relative: in my side garden there's room for one Calycanthus, and that's it. But there's room for a lot of compact plants, and that's how even a small garden gets real repetition.
This principle is hard to see in photographs. Our brains take in far more than the camera can convey. Repeated plants and colors are subtle cues that lead you through a garden: a heuchera in the front garden is echoed by another in the side garden, and your mind and body pick up on that recurring thread. A still photo can't capture it. A walk-through comes closer.
Plants That Bind in My Side Yard Garden
In the video, I walk the south side garden—what used to be my driveway—with an eye on the ground plane. Sometimes the binder is one plant repeated down the line, like the bronzy grass along the front. Other times it's different plants creating the same effect: pools of yellow from a golden sedum, a golden carex, a gold hosta, Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold', Lonicera nitida 'Briloni', and Ceanothus 'Diamond Heights'. Pools of blue foliage do the same job.
More Binders Without Buying More Plants
Binders are also where a plant budget stretches furthest. A good chunk of the ground covers and perennials I repeat came from dividing and transplanting what I already had, not from a nursery. Repeating a plant through division instead of buying something new each time gets you more plants and a more connected garden at the same time.
Fall is a good window for it. As a rule, spring-blooming perennials get divided in fall, and summer- and fall-bloomers get divided in spring. I aim to have the work done at least four to six weeks before the first hard freeze, and grasses generally wait until spring. Stachys byzantina 'Helene Von Stein' is one of the easiest binders I divide, with a very high success rate. Heucheras are another. Here's more of how I do it:
Qualities of a Good Binder
- Compact, tidy growth habit with a small footprint.
- Looks good over a long season.
- Often reads as neutral vs. busy or showy.
- Relatively common and easy to find at a reasonable price—or easy to divide, which costs nothing.
- Reliable and easy to grow.
- Bonus points for being flexible and adaptable in terms of cultural needs.
Below are some of my go-to plants for creating continuity and cohesion in the gardens I make with clients and here at home.
Plant Binders: My Garden Glue
Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'
Golden Variegated Sweetflag
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Groundcover
Exposure:
Afternoon Sun, Filtered Sun, Morning Sun, Open Shade
Zone:
10, 6, 7, 8, 9
Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea 'Concorde'
dwarf purpleleaf Japanese barberry
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Bergenia cordifolia 'Winter Glow'
Pigsqueak
Type:
Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
Variegated Siberian Bugloss
Type:
Perennial
Exposure:
Part Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade
Zone:
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Buxus sempervirens 'Aureovariegata'
Variegated Boxwood
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
6, 7, 8, 9
Carex testacea
Orange Sedge
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Groundcover, Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat, Morning Sun
Zone:
7, 8, 9, 10
Cryptomeria japonica 'Little Diamond'
Little Diamond Dwarf Japanese Cedar
Type:
Conifer, Shrub
Exposure:
Filtered Sun, Full Sun, Morning Sun, Open Shade, Part Shade, Part Sun
Zone:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
Elijah Blue Fescue
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Geranium 'Gerwat' Rozanne
Rozanne Hardy Geranium
Type:
Groundcover, Perennial
Exposure:
Afternoon Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun
Zone:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold'
Golden Japanese Forest Grass
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Perennial
Exposure:
Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade
Zone:
5, 6, 7, 8
Hebe pinguifolia 'Sutherlandii'
Sutherland hebe
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Afternoon Sun
Zone:
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Heuchera 'Fire Alarm'
Fire Alarm Coral Bells
Type:
Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'
Blue Mouse Ears Hosta
Type:
Perennial
Exposure:
Part Shade, Full Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPLQF' Little Quickfire™
Little Quick Fire® Panicle Hydrangea
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Filtered Sun, Full Sun, Morning Sun, Open Shade, Part Shade, Part Sun
Zone:
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Lonicera nitida 'Twiggy'
Twiggy Box Honeysuckle
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Filtered Sun, Morning Sun, Open Shade, Part Shade, Part Sun
Zone:
7, 8, 9
Molinia caerulea ssp. caerulea 'Variegata'
Variegated Purple Moor Grass
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Perennial
Exposure:
Afternoon Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun
Zone:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream'
Compact Heavenly Bamboo
Type:
Shrub
Exposure:
Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Filtered Sun, Morning Sun, Open Shade
Zone:
6, 7, 8, 9
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Burgundy Bunny'
Burgundy Bunny Fountain Grass
Type:
Grass / Grass-Like, Groundcover
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat
Zone:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Sempervivum - Mixed Varieties
Hen and Chicks
Type:
Groundcover, Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Stachys byzantina 'Helene Von Stein'
Lamb's Ears, Big Ears
Type:
Groundcover, Perennial
Exposure:
Afternoon Sun, Full Sun
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Taxus x media 'Bean Pole'
Bean Pole Yew
Type:
Conifer, Shrub
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade, Full Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue'
Georgia Blue Speedwell
Type:
Groundcover, Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Afternoon Sun, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Open Shade, Open Shade
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'
Color Guard Adam's Needle
Type:
Shrub, Perennial
Exposure:
Full Sun, Full Sun, Afternoon Sun, Reflected Heat
Zone:
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
