Odd Plantings in Your Garden

by KYW's Phran Novelli
That's odd.  Why do people say to plant things in threes?  Or fives?  Not two by two – or four by four?   It's a design guideline that translates well to gardening and other things.

There's something about the look you get when you work in odd numbers that's much more pleasing to the eye.  When you plant even numbers of things, you tend to want to line them up or make them come out…uh, even, which doesn't look natural.  The only place even numbers really work is when you put the same thing on either side of a doorway or a driveway entrance.  Otherwise, even numbers of plants often look stilted or overly formal – rather than relaxing.

By arranging plants or shrubs or bulbs in 3's or 5's or 7's or 9's, you create comfortably-casual groups of greenery and blooms – that you can complement with other odd groups of companion plants around them.  And over time, oddly enough, it'll look like they grew there naturally.

(Photo: by Phran Novelli)