Starter Bed Plans
Proven companion beds, already laid out - tallest at the back, everything spaced to fit. Filter to what you want to grow, then open a plan in the Bed Designer and adjust it for your garden.
Salsa Garden
Good matchTomatoes, jalapeños, basil and cilantro in one bed - everything for the bowl, with marigolds and nasturtiums tucked in to keep pests off.
6 × 3 ft17 plantsTomatoJalapeñoBasilCilantroMarigoldNasturtiumThe Witch's GardenKitchen Herb & Tomato Bed
Good matchA compact cook's bed: tomato with its two best herb partners, edged with calendula and borage to draw pollinators and keep hornworms off.
4.5 × 3 ft14 plantsTomatoBasilParsleyCalendulaBorageThe Witch's GardenSpring Greens Patch
Good matchCool-season greens, turnips and strawberries that share soil and schedule - sown early, picked before summer heat, with calendula and borage standing guard.
6 × 3 ft30 plantsSpinachTurnipsMâcheStrawberryCalendulaBorageThe Witch's Garden Free accountAll-Summer Cutting Bed
ThrivingZinnias, cosmos, dahlias and sunflowers for a vase every week from midsummer to frost.
6 × 4.5 ft17 plantsZinniaCosmosDahliaSunflowerBasilCutting Garden / Flower FarmerShade Border
Good matchA quiet woodland-edge bed - hellebores and bleeding hearts open the year, hosta and native astilbe carry the shade through summer, rhododendron and foxglove add structure.
12 × 9 ft26 plantsHelleboreBleeding HeartAstilbe BiternataHosta SieboldianaRhododendronSiberian BuglossFoxgloveWoodland / Shade Garden Free accountSuccession Vegetable Bed
Good matchA high-density mix of quick roots, cut-and-come-again greens and scallions - resow the harvested rows from spring through fall for a continuous crop. Nasturtiums along the edge trap aphids before they reach the greens.
6 × 3 ft55 plantsRadiant Radish MixCarrotBrilliant Beet BlendMetta Lettuce MixSpinachArugulaBunching Onion / ScallionNasturtiumThe Witch's Garden Free accountThree-Season Succession Garden
Good matchSuccession sow from late winter through first frost and you'll be set for the season. Garden digest plan will remind you when to resow.
9 × 6 ft110 plantsRadiant Radish MixGarden PeaMetta Lettuce MixCarrotBrilliant Beet BlendSpinachBlack Turtle BeanTomatoSummer SquashBasilArugulaTurnipsMâcheMarigoldCalendulaNasturtiumParsleyThe Witch's Garden Free accountFour-Season Native Border
Good matchVernal witch hazel opens the year with fragrant winter blooms, amsonia carries it into spring, bee balm and coneflower carry a long pollinator summer, and garden phlox into New England aster close it out - an all-native bed with something in bloom every season, not just spring through fall. Enter your zip and any role with a local native swaps in automatically.
12 × 9 ft23 plantsVernal Witch HazelAmsoniaBee BalmConeflowerGarden PhloxNew England AsterAll nativeNative Maximalist Free accountXeriscape Low-Water Bed
ThrivingA structural low-water bed - agave, prickly pear and yucca that shrug off drought once established. This mix spans several dry-climate natives.
9 × 9 ft5 plantsAgave AmericanaEastern Prickly PearAdam's NeedleSoapweed YuccaRed YuccaXeriscape / Low-Water Garden Free accountBlueberry and Acidic Lovers
Good matchBlueberry anchored by every true acid-obligate companion in the catalog - sweet fern, winterberry, azalea, and rhododendron - sharing one amended, low-pH bed instead of five separate ones.
12 × 9 ft4 plantsHighbush BlueberrySweet FernWinterberryAzaleaRhododendronWoodland / Shade Garden Free accountSoft and Airy
ThrivingFull sun, moist soil. Airy grasses, soft pink blooms and elegant vertical accents.
9 × 6 ft14 plantsPurple Moor GrassGreat BurnetCulver's RootAstrantiaScandinavian · Cottage / English Garden Free accountSun and Drought
ThrivingFull sun, dry well-drained soil. Silvery foliage, soft blue flowers and delicate white accents.
9 × 6 ft20 plantsRussian SageLamb's EarYarrowBlue Sea HollyXeriscape / Low-Water Garden · Mediterranean / Tuscan Free accountBeautiful Dry Shade
ThrivingPartial shade, dry soil. Delicate flowers, contrasting foliage and woodland textures.
9 × 6 ft24 plantsBicolor BarrenwortBigroot GeraniumAutumn FernHardy CyclamenWoodland / Shade Garden Free accountLush and Moist Shade
Good matchPartial shade, moist soil. Lush green foliage, graceful ferns and delicate creamy-white flowers.
9 × 6 ft14 plantsRoyal FernJapanese PrimroseElderleaf RodgersiaJapanese Forest GrassWoodland / Shade Garden Free accountElegant Clay Garden
Good matchPartial shade, moist clay soil. Creamy-white blooms, soft pink flowers and delicate golden grasses.
9 × 6 ft11 plantsSmooth HydrangeaJapanese AnemoneCommon BistortTufted HairgrassEast Coast Chic Free accountExposed and Acidic
Good matchFull sun, acidic well-drained soil, windy site. Silver-grey foliage, purple heathers and compact evergreen structure.
9 × 6 ft17 plantsScotch HeatherBell HeatherSheep FescueMugo PineScandinavian Free accountCoastal and Windswept
ThrivingFull sun, sandy well-drained soil. Soft flowers, sea-green foliage and sculptural silver-blue accents.
9 × 6 ft24 plantsSea ThriftSea HollyRock SamphireSea CampionScandinavian · Xeriscape / Low-Water Garden Free accountChalky and Fragrant
ThrivingFull sun, chalky well-drained soil. Creamy blooms, golden accents and aromatic foliage.
9 × 6 ft19 plantsTurkish SageGolden MargueriteSantolinaCreeping ThymeMediterranean / Tuscan Free accountMosquito & Pest Repellent Garden
Good matchScent-based deterrents planted together - lemon thyme, lemongrass, lemon verbena and marigold pack the citronellal and limonene compounds that confuse mosquitoes and garden pests, with chocolate mint filling in low.
6 × 4.5 ft13 plantsLemon ThymeChocolate MintLemon VerbenaLemongrassMarigoldThe Witch's Garden Free accountCommon milkweed, butterfly weed, swamp milkweed and goldenrod - a milkweed guild for monarchs that doubles as early-stage defense against the spotted lanternfly, whose nymphs die at high rates after feeding on milkweed's cardiac glycosides. Enter your zip and the milkweed species swap to your state's own native.
7.5 × 4.5 ft11 plantsCommon MilkweedButterfly WeedSwamp MilkweedGoldenrodAll nativeNative Minimalist Free accountMediterranean Gravel Garden
ThrivingAn olive tree anchoring silver-and-purple drifts of lavender, Russian sage and Verbena 'Bampton', with yarrow, 'T Rex' sedum and Mexican feather grass filling in low and airy - the dry-garden look of gravel paths and sculptural evergreens, all on lean, well-drained soil.
12 × 9 ft28 plantsOliveEnglish LavenderRussian SageVerbena 'Bampton'YarrowStonecrop 'T Rex'Mexican Feather GrassMediterranean / Tuscan Free accountSilver Mound Gravel Drift
ThrivingRepeating mounds of santolina and bush germander with Mexican feather grass threaded through, topped by a haze of tall Verbena bonariensis - the low, silver-and-purple drift-planting look and feel.
9 × 4.5 ft10 plantsSantolinaBush GermanderMexican Feather GrassVerbenaMediterranean / Tuscan Free accountTulipa acuminata's twisted red-and-yellow flame petals rising through a haze of fine-textured Mexican feather grass - a species-tulip drift with none of the stiffness of a hybrid tulip bed.
4.5 × 3 ft6 plantsFire Flame TulipMexican Feather GrassEast Coast Chic Free accountUpright salvia spikes and airy gaura and verbena weaving through mounds of coast rosemary and drifts of Mexican feather grass, with Japanese silver grass anchoring the back of the bed for late-summer plumes.
12 × 6 ft16 plantsAutumn SageCoast RosemaryMexican Feather GrassVerbenaWhirling ButterfliesScarlet GauraJapanese Silver GrassMediterranean / Tuscan Free accountA flowering prairie crabapple underplanted with Apricot Beauty tulips and a haze of forget-me-nots - the classic spring-ephemeral look, blooming together for a few weeks before the tulip foliage dies back and the tree's own canopy takes over the show.
9 × 9 ft16 plantsPrairie CrabappleApricot Beauty TulipForget-Me-NotCottage / English Garden Free accountPurple Matrix Planting
Good matchA naturalistic late-summer matrix in purple: see-through Verbena bonariensis and Eryngium 'Psychic Purple' rising through Calamagrostis brachytricha, Lobelia 'Hadspen Purple' and trailing Diascia personata filling in.
9 × 6 ft16 plantsHadspen Purple LobeliaTwinspurVerbenaPsychic Purple Sea HollyKorean feather reed grassEast Coast Chic Free accountBurnet and Aster Border
ThrivingDark burnet spikes rising through a haze of lilac aster, with hellebore and winter aconite opening the year and amsonia, geranium and meadow rue carrying spring and summer. Part sun, steady moisture, something in bloom nearly every week.
9 × 7.5 ft34 plantsGreat BurnetNew England AsterHelleboreWinter AconiteGreek AnemoneAmsoniaHeartleaf BergeniaHimalayan CranesbillYunnan Meadow RueSpotted Joe Pye WeedKorean feather reed grassNative Maximalist Free accountZen Gravel Garden
Good matchStillness over spectacle: a clipped mugo pine, a mat of creeping juniper, thyme and Irish moss underfoot, and one soft tuft of sheep fescue. Evergreen, low-water and calm all year.
9 × 6 ft24 plantsMugo PineCreeping JuniperCreeping ThymeIrish MossSheep FescueJapanese Zen Free accountFormal Boxwood & Lavender Bed
Good matchClipped boxwood for structure, silver santolina and lavender for a tidy edge, white pinks underneath and globes of Persian onion to finish it. Formal and evergreen, nothing out of place.
6 × 6 ft17 plantsBoxwood 'Winter Gem'SantolinaEnglish LavenderPinks 'Itsaul White'Persian OnionOrdered & Pristine Free accountHardy Jungle Bed
Good matchA jungle that survives winter: hardy banana at the back, dinner-plate hibiscus, leopard plant and rodgersia for big leaves, hostas and painted fern to layer under them, and wild ginger on the ground. Lush, layered and tough.
12 × 9 ft21 plantsHardy BananaHardy HibiscusLeopard PlantRodger's FlowerHosta SieboldianaHosta 'Clifford's Forest Fire'Japanese Painted FernWild GingerTropical / Jungle Free accountDelphiniums, Poppies Border
Good matchDelphiniums, Poppies.
9 × 6 ft16 plantsDelphiniumBreadseed PoppyCottage / English Garden Free accountDaffodils, Tulipa, Crocuses, Grape Hyacinths, Hyacinthus, Snowdrops.
9 × 6 ft36 plantsDaffodilApricot Beauty TulipCrocusGrape HyacinthHyacinthSnowdropCottage / English Garden Free accountRoses, Lavenders, Irises & More Border
Good matchRoses, Lavenders, Irises, Peonies, Salvias, Nepeta.
9 × 6 ft13 plantsFrench LavenderBearded IrisPeonyCommon SageCatnipCottage / English Garden Free accountConeflowers, Bee Balms, Hyssops, Phlox.
9 × 6 ft24 plantsPurple ConeflowerBee BalmAgastacheWoodland PhloxAll nativeNative Maximalist Free accountBluestars, Asters, Sweetspire, Mountain Mints, Wild Geraniums.
9 × 6 ft18 plantsAmsoniaCalico AsterVirginia SweetspireClustered Mountain MintCarolina GeraniumAll nativeNative Maximalist Free accountBoneset, Joe Pye Weed, Buttonbush, Lobelias, Ironweeds, Rose Mallows.
9 × 6 ft12 plantsBonesetJoe Pye WeedButtonbushCardinal FlowerBaldwin's IronweedRose MallowAll nativeNative Maximalist Free accountCalifornia Poppies, Penstemons, Buckwheats, Coyote Mints, Yarrows.
9 × 6 ft25 plantsCalifornia PoppyBeardlip PenstemonCalifornia BuckwheatMountain Coyote MintYarrowAll nativeXeriscape / Low-Water Garden Free accountCalifornia Lilacs, Manzanitas, Toyon, Monkeyflowers.
9 × 6 ft2 plantsBuckbrushBigberry ManzanitaSticky MonkeyflowerAll nativeXeriscape / Low-Water Garden Free accountDesert Marigolds, Globemallows, Chuparosas, Brittlebushes.
9 × 6 ft11 plantsDesert MarigoldDesert GlobemallowChuparosaBrittlebushAll nativeXeriscape / Low-Water Garden Free accountSpurges, Needlegrasses, Olives.
9 × 6 ft17 plantsDonkey Tail SpurgeMexican Feather GrassOliveMediterranean / Tuscan Free accountWhirling Butterflies, Needlegrasses, Yarrows.
9 × 6 ft21 plantsScarlet GauraMexican Feather GrassFernleaf YarrowChaos Gardener Free account
The Bed Designer is a drag-and-drop tool built for desktop - open a plan on a laptop or larger screen to plant it.