Hello Lisa.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics. A small matrix emergency two weeks ago made me think, that maybe you'd be interested in this planting concept, so let's discuss that a bit.

MY MATRIX EMERGENCY.

Though we purchased our house two years ago, we are finally installing the front garden. It was super exciting to have a new retaining wall, walk and stairs installed (by Plant Life Designs) a few weeks ago and now we've dived into the planting installation.

I had a wish list of plants, so scoured the local botanic garden plant sales to find most of them, but realized after the hunt, that I was missing an important link: a matrix plant. The sales provided a lovely mishmash of blooming perennials, but I needed a lot of the same plant to unify an entire bed. 

I had two beds that needed cohesiveness. Both were mostly sun and one needed a grass less than 18", while the other needed something shorter at about 12" (I wanted the blooming plants to be taller than the grasses). I also needed a lot of both. Who could potentially save me in this situation? Kelly Norris, of course. Luckily, he lives in the same city, has tons of the right plants and understands when I have a matrix emergency. He saved me once again with (18) Sporobolus heterolepis 'Tara' and (100) Carex albicans. Yay! I'll be sharing more images of these on Instagram soon. ♥︎

The stunning planting above was created by Austin Eischeid. Learn more here.

MATRIX PLANTINGS.

I like to consider matrix plantings from three perspectives:

1. Aesthetically as a way to unify a planting. By using a continuous ground-cover (of sorts) this pulls a collection of different plants into one cohesive planting. Grasses (sun) and sedges (shade) make great matrix plantings because they look great most of the time, so as your other plants take turn blooming, you can always count on the matrix to keep the visual aspects consistent. Keep your matrix lower than your primary plants (the blooming ones), so they are more of a backdrop. 

2. Functionally a matrix planting also serves as a way to keep weeds down. Plant this layer tight so it outcompetes the plants you don't want. If you don't plant something, nature will. Consider planting more than one matrix plant to fill in additional gaps. For instance, maybe you can mix Carex and Tiarella as a matrix in your shade garden. 

3. Ecologically matrix plantings can become a diverse designed plant community. If you choose plants that work well together and with your site your overall planting will be easier to manage.

The beautiful planting above was created by Kelly Norris. Learn more here.

MATRIX PLANTING INSPIRATION.

Below are some of my favorite books that include the concept of matrix plantings. These explore not only the aesthetic and functional aspects, but also the ecological.

New Naturalism by Kelly Norris

Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West

The Know-Maintenance Perennial Garden by Roy Diblik 

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Two of my favorite designers on Instagram that showcase amazing matrix plantings (plus they identify plants being used!):

Austin Eischeid 

Kelly Norris

This is a lovely remnant prairie. Note how nature is a major inspiration for matrix plantings. Photo by Kelly Norris. Learn more here.

LET'S DO THIS!

Have you explored the idea of a matrix planting in your garden? Try this: if you have spaces between your current plantings, try filling the gaps with grasses (or sedges if it's shady) throughout the entire bed to unify it. Use grasses that are slightly shorter than your other plants and don't be afraid to tuck them in tight. You'll make such an impact with this garden refresh.

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If you know someone that needs design inspiration, please feel free to share this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe right here. I also keep a VAULT of past issues in this secret location.

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Thanks for letting me visit you this week! I look forward to seeing you soon.

Happy planting,

Lisa 

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