If you think one blue daze plant is pretty, wait till you see 30.
Ever see a massive bed of pink muhly grass? You don’t have to stop and think about this one. If you’ve seen it, you remember.
It’s called 'mass planting,' and it’s a supersized way to create an impressive impact in your Orlando landscaping.
Let’s learn more about mass planting in Central Florida, including:
- First, What Is Mass Planting Design?
- Why is Mass Planting Beneficial?
- How to Design a Massed Planting
- Which Plants are Best-suited for Mass Planting in Central Florida?
- Best Perennials for Mass Planting in Central Florida
- Best Shrubs for Mass Planting
- Mass Planting with Ornamental Grasses
What is mass planting, and why do it? Mass planting simply fills a landscape space with large numbers of the same plant.
It’s impressive. Mass planting design is easier to maintain than caring for a bed of eight different plants. A dense mass of plants leaves less room for pesky weeds to sneak in.
Let's learn more.
First, What Is Mass Planting Design?
Mass planting simply fills a landscape space with large numbers of the same plant for impact and drama.
Instead of three blue daze, you plant 30. Two ornamental grasses? Nope. Try 25.
It’s an easy way to make an impressive landscape statement.
If a plant is bright, beautiful or intriguing, mass planting design multiplies the impact.
How many do you need for a mass? It sounds like a math or physics question, but it’s not complicated.
Seven is a good minimum start — a sort of mini mass — but the more plants you add, the bigger the impact.
Why is Mass Planting Design Beneficial?
There are many reasons to consider planting in masses as a replacement for sparsely-filled mulch beds.
Stunning Visual Impact
Mass planting creates a huge visual statement, automatically drawing attention to the bold landscaping move. An impressive mass of plants is automatically more appealing than a skimpy row.
Easier Maintenance
Taking care of a big group of the same type of plant is easier than meeting the needs of several different plants. They all need the same attention, from water to fertilizer to cutting back or pruning.
Fewer Weeds
A dense mass of plants leaves less room for pesky weeds to sneak in.
Mass Plantings Are Kind to Wildlife
Depending on the plants, a group of beneficial plants can provide a habitat and food for wildlife, from berries to seed heads to safe shelter.
How to Mass Plant: Follow These Tips
Planting in masses allows you to add dynamic color and texture to planting beds without sweating the calculus of finding the right mix of perennials and shrubs.
After all, not all plants play well together, and companion planting can be difficult. Massed planting fills large voids in the landscape without concern about competing plant types.
Choose the Right Plants
A whole bunch of dead plants isn’t the look you’re going for, so choose plants that thrive here in the Orlando climate and will be happy in your property's soil and light conditions. (More on this in a minute.)
Get the Spacing Right
Spacing is important in mass planting design, too. Plant closely together for a dense, impressive display.
Which Plants are Best-suited for Mass Planting in Central Florida?
A surprising number, from perennials to ornamental grasses to groundcovers to annuals and shrubs.
Choose plants for their bright color, intriguing texture, or how they add graceful movement to the landscape.
Here are a few sure bets:
Best Perennials for Mass Planting in Central Florida
Perennials offer a wide variety of color and texture in plants that return yearly. They make for a great, high-impact, low-maintenance option that often benefits wildlife and local ecology.
Choose from some of our favorites:
Bulbine
Bulbine grows over time to form a clump up to four feet wide, a great trait for mass planting design. Depending on the variety, it repeatedly blooms with cheerful yellow or orange flowers.
Asiatic Jasmine
Any plant as stunning as Asiatic jasmine deserves to be planted in multiples. Look for the variegated variety, with new leaves that emerge pink, then turn variegated white and emerald green. As a bonus, fragrant, tubular yellow flowers bloom prolifically in the Florida heat.
Blue Daze
The abundant flowers of this tropical groundcover are brilliant blue and funnel-shaped. You’ll want a bunch of them. Heat-loving and drought-tolerant, it grows to about 12 inches and can spread up to three feet, making it among the best perennials for mass planting that wows.
Gold Mound Duranta
Bright yellow foliage times 20 equals stunning landscaping. And, the more sun it gets, the brighter the foliage becomes.
Best Shrubs for Mass Planting
Low-maintenance, many shrubs can fill a space with fewer total plants and long-lived effect.
‘Blue Pacific’ Juniper
A plant doesn’t have to be bright or colorful for mass planting impact. Great texture works, too. This ground-hugging evergreen with dense green foliage is feathery, with sharp-tipped soft needles. It spreads quickly, which is great for mass planting design.
Loropetalum
Also called Chinese Fringe Flower for its delicate clusters of lightly scented blooms, this compact shrub sports colorful foliage that looks great year-round. Many varieties have deep purple or burgundy leaves, spectacular for mass planting.
Ixora
A Florida favorite, this sun-loving shrub offers clusters of tubular flowers in bright red, orange, yellow, pink, or white. Those spectacular flowers are even more impressive the more you plant, making it among the best shrubs for mass planting in Central Florida.
Schefflera ‘Trinette’
Need a mass planting shrub for shade? This showy shrub is a great choice. Its stunning green and yellow leaves brighten up darker areas.
Mass Planting with Ornamental Grasses
With their graceful form and impressive frilly seed heads, ornamental grasses are natural for mass planting. A mass of softly billowing grasses is great for softening the hard lines of buildings or hardscapes.
Want a show stopper? Plant a mass of pink muhly grass. That’s right, it’s pink. Pink muhly grass boasts giant puffs of cotton candy pink plumes, so the more you plant, the more awesome the display. It grows 3 feet high and 3 feet wide, so the massing potential is huge.
Ready to Impress with Mass Planting Design? Trust Ground Source
When a plant knocks your socks off, why settle for one? Go big and plant 40.
We’re happy to help with your massive mission of mass planting and plant design in Central Florida, which makes your landscaping impossible to ignore.
We’re landscaping experts, but our skills don’t stop there. We’re with you every step of the way as you plan your perfect outdoor space. Sod, irrigation, landscape design: let us transform your landscape into a place you want to spend every spare minute.
Are you ready to enjoy the vibrant, impressive landscape you've always wanted? Request a quote today! We’ll help you review your options and then transform your property.
