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HomeTopics...Gardening TipsCompanion Planting
Companion Planting for Lush GardensThe next time you're walking in a forest or any area where the vegetation is particularly dense, notice how plants grow together in bunches of different species. You won't often see an entire plot of land covered by a single type of tree, bush or plant.
These groupings have evolved over long periods of time. Plants benefit one another by providing shade or special nutrients. Naturally, they'll thrive in one another's company and the benefits often go both ways.
Companion Plants Growing in HarmonyYou can apply the same natural selection to your garden. Successful gardeners use a method called companion planting, selecting plants that are known to benefit each other in some way.
Gardening with companion plants enables gardeners to make maximum use of the sun, the soil, the soil's moisture and other critical factors to ensure that all plants or crops thrive.
Some plants, for instance, have a beneficial effect on the garden because of their scent, which can attract or repel certain kinds of insects, or because of their particular root formations: some are close to the surface, others wend deep underground. Some plants grow tall and thrive in a lot of sunlight. Others can squat beneath them and be very happy because they thrive in shade.
SymbiosisCompanion planting is all about symbiosis—a natural condition whereby different elements benefit from each other's presence. Knowledge of companion planting allows gardeners to select the optimal combination of plants for the garden.
Here are a few examples of how companion planting can work to your benefit:
Combination Planting: Opposites AttractCompanion planting, in some cases, is the art of matching plants that seem to have contrasting requirements. For instance, you might combine slow growers with fast growers, heavy feeders with light feeders and sun lovers with shade lovers. In many cases in nature, opposites do indeed attract. Nature has evolved a complex system of species that exist in harmony—to the benefit of all. That's the basis of companion planting. And it can be a big boon to your gardening efforts!
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