Three of a kind

We all have a mental picture when someone mentions a small desert Island of a mound of sand with a clump of three palm trees, grouped in a triangle.  There are certain plants, that lend themselves to this exact type of planting, making a fantastic feature in a lawn. 

I have mentioned my 10 favorites below. This will hopefully provide you with some great ideas on how to create a wonderful outlook or feature in your garden.

Aralia elata or the Devil's walking stick, as it has a spiky stem.  This has quite a exotic feel with its large, divided leaves and huge white flowers.  This one is very suitable for a dry shady part of the garden.  Position it 18 inches apart in a triangle and angle them slightly away from each other.  In the winter it will just have its spiky stems as it loses its leaves to a slightly yellow autumn colour.

'Don't be shy have your say - share your views'

Register for FREE if you have not already registered and then click HERE to create a NEWTOPIC and tell us about your some of your favorites?

Betula utilis Jaquemontii which is the Himalayan Birch and is renowned for wonderful white trunks.  This one can be planted at 2 foot intervals in a triangle and needs to be somewhere where you can appreciate it in the winter months.  They are quite happy in most positions.

Buddleija alternifolia, position a couple of feet apart, in a triangle, in full sun situation and especially good in poor soil.  Good drainage is essential.  It is best to support this with canes for the first six feet of growth and then let it grow away from the cane after that and it will develop a weeping top.  The flowers are long, narrow and a bluish mauve.

Amelanchier lamarkii, also known as Snowy Mespilus, suitable for a sunny positions and is related to the rose, and therefore best positions away from other Rosaceous plants such as fruit trees.  This deciduous plant is capable of 15 feet or so and will make a wonderful mushroom effect of grouped as we are suggesting.  You can plant it in a 2 1/2 foot triangle.  This one is covered in white flowers in spring and has a wonderful red autumn colour.

Cytisus battendierii or Moroccan Broom, this one is be treated very similar to that of the Buddleija alternifolia and this Broom is semievergreen, silvery grey, green leaves and pineapple fragrant yellow flowers in early to mid summer.  Fantastic for a sunny, sheltered garden.

Ilex verticilliata, which is a deciduous holly and is naturally best planted in semishade and relishes a cluster of three, for pollination purposes.  When mature the plant is capable of 15 feet and has red berries in the autumn and winter on bare stems and white flowers in spring.

Cordyline australis or Australian cabbage.  Having worked for many years in the Midlands and lived on the south coast, it is noticeable that the further south you, the better this plant will be, and it really is a desert island look.  This requires a sunny location and good drainage.  Again, this can be planted at the couple of feet apart in a triangle.

Piptanthus nepalensis needs to be treated like the Cytisus and the Buddleja and requires a similarly sheltered sunny position.

Acer Senkaki, also known as the Coral Bark Maple and loves a position under trees in neutral to acid soil.  This will give you a radiating triangle of red trunks in the winter, a yellow autumn colour before it loses its leaves and a real focal point all year round.  They will reach 10 foot or more, given time.

Elaeagnus Quicksilver, a deciduous form capable of 8 feet or so and a very attractive silver foliage during the growing season.  This one can be planted at 15 inch intervals and tied together the first six-foot and then left to mushroom out above this point.

I hope the photographs are useful in giving you the general idea of what can be achieved using a cluster of three of the same large shrub or small tree.

If you want something different, then plant something different and have some fun doing it.  Good luck