Planting in clumps

ShaunHubbard

I thought this article in Hakai Magazine might be of interest when planting. It’s about the benefits of planting in clumps, vs. individually or in rows, for greater stability of the plant community. This concept may be along the same lines as the cooperative system of the forest as described by Suzanne Simard in her book Finding the Mother Tree. So much to learn about!

ElizaHabegger

What a great idea. Another benefit, at least for land-based flowering plants, is that larger patches of a single species can be better for pollinators. A big patch of flowers is easier to find and more worth their while to visit than individual plants scattered across the landscape.

CyndiSmith

Thanks for posting the article. Based upon the few undisturbed prairies that I have seen and in an effort to replicate nature, it seems these clump plantings would be of single species. Or do ecologists think it best to create a clump of a diversified plantings when doing a restoration project? I have five blue eyed grass plants to add to my area. Should I plant them all in a group or spread them throughout the area?

ElizaHabegger

I’d clump ’em! It also just looks good.

wildcatkin

there is a rule from a designer of “ecological landscapes” that I had the good fortune to have classes from - he calls it the P3 rule…

at any given time only three species are blooming or otherwise dominating a planting.. it really does mimic what we often see in the “wild”. Clumps of species make this happen more often than not within a matrix of grasses, sedges or ferns. There might be up to 30 species of plants in the planting, just no more than 3 blooming full on at one time. My most amazing recent experience was at Iceberg Point one May day when it was a mass of death camas and eriophyllum - the third thing might have been purple sanicle or an allium.. both were there but not enough to make a showing.. but with care I think an awesome combo.

I am excited about the possibilities for home gardens and public spaces to explore how we might use ( a broad palette) PNW and West Coast forb, geophytes, grasses, small shrubs, ferns to show off how this might be done and attract more people to growing natives or some natives. Many many plants play well together!