I have some small garden areas and am trying to figure out different
ways of planting traditional borders using victorian and arts and
crafts period styles as guides in terms of what to plant. In one area,
I've got Gertrude Jekyll style drifts in specific color schemes, in
another I've got all kinds of colors planted and different plants are
more spread out willy nilly in a more natural arrangement. I'm still
not satisfied with the looks I'm getting, both still look kind of
random, not organized (the drift garden) or kind of spindly and messy
(cottage style garden). It may just be that some of the perennials
haven't had time to mature but I'm looking to improve things.

I'm curious about what other people have tried with planting
arrangements, are there books or magazines that you've used for ideas
about planting combos? Any tips for combinations or arrangments that
you've found successful?