I have found the most inspiring source is to visit other gardens in your area. That way, you can see, touch, feel, etc. and observe all the variables "in action". Be sure to return later in the year to see how the combination looks in a different season.

There are a couple of good books, but I will have to check my "library" this evening! ;)

And if you like 'The Well-Tended Perennial Garden', check out the companion book, 'The Well-Designed Mixed Garden.

The most valuable lessons that I have ever learned have come from visiting other gardens, lots of gardens, and taking notes, taking photos, and visiting gardens again at different times of the year.

Reading garden books and looking at photos in books, too.

It's great for ideas, and from those ideas, more ideas come to mind. That, and time spent working in, observing, and trying out your ideas in your garden. This is what an education of a gardener is all about.

The new RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials contains a few interesting combinations, but is obviously intended primarily to be of other use.

I referenced in my October Garden posting Continuous Bloom by Pam Duthie.

I have to admit, in the end I do what makes my garden feel right for me. I believe gardening is a very personal extension of ourselves, and if it pleases you, then it's right.

your garden is the best place ...

you buy things that please you ...

then you plant them.. then you move them around ad nauseum ....

'planning' is a preface to gardening ...

just do it... live and learn.. get dirty ...

trust me.. the best plan.. lasts about one minute after you plant the garden.. then come experience.. and real gardening ....

local garden tours are also a boon to local creativity ....

good luck

ken

Combining plants is not rocket science. Some of the best combinations are accidental, while deliberate attempts fall flat.

Visiting others' gardens (including botanical gardens) and reading garden books are two standard and rich sources of ideas.

What I've never understood is why people would use detailed planting schemes diagrammed in books and articles, or even buy collections from nurseries with detailed planting instructions. Why would you want to copy over what someone else decided on?

As for the detailed layouts, that might be helpful for some, but not all. ;)

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/layouts.html?picture=border%2ejpg&garden_name=Border Garden&code=BORDER&pdf=%2fpdf%2fbordergarden%2epdf

But I use them to get ideas and use a lot of substituting. By looking at the diagrams and then at each plant used, it gives me ideas of plant shapes and foliage colors that look great together that I may not have thought of on my own. So I wouldn't ever get one and use it exactly - I want some of "me" to be in that garden, both the good me and the bad me, lol!

You could decide, for instance, that Ligularia 'Desdemona' would provide a great contrast next to Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia). However these plants need different growing conditions and it's unlikely you'll get them both to flourish in the same spot.

Knowing what your plants need is paramount when planning a perennial layout.

Hee hee, thanks for the laugh mollydog!

Tammy~Glad I could help! During a long, cold winter, the blogs help me get through it. I do make lots of plans then, but as Ken says, I move everything around once it gets planted, when I get a better idea of how things look, or maybe just a better idea period, LOL.

If you keep a webshots or photobucket or other online account (I know you do), go back to the 'details' of your pictures to see the dates when the pix were taken. From that you can move things around in your garden for your favorite looks. My old camera had a great date-stamp feature that was right on the pic, but my new one doesn't have the option, so I find the details invaluable when checking stuff like that (or nosing into gorgeous photos of other posters to see what camera & settings they used to get that great shot).
Gotta love the digital age!

Patlovesdirt, tahts a great idea. I hadnt thought of using those plans that way.

flowergirlwa8 , I found those today, and started skimming thru some. I knew I could count on GW members to come up with lots of fantastic ideas.
Tammy

Since I contend with full sun and lots of deer, I tend to look at the plant combination recipes (like the special edition mags from Fine Living) for color ideas, not plant selection.

This fall, I decided to convert a holding bed in my garden to a purple and orange garden. The orange asclepias tuberosa and some purple agastache that were in the holding bed provided the catalyst for the color scheme. I rounded up plants from other areas in my garden, so I only bought a few bulbs and flower seeds.

I take a lot of photos, so I looked through photos by bloom date and color and put them side-by-side to see if I liked them together. Then, I started rearranging the space.

Here's my "story board" that I put together before I started transplanting:

From more details

Cameron

When it comes to the arrangement though, I have to feel my way through that when planting. Glad the blog is of interest to you. It's just my experience, mostly with deer resistant gardening. There are many perennials that I would love to grow, but I have learned to accept the fact that I will always have deer here.

It was at my library. Well worth checking out.