This visionary planting guide features an A-Z of more than 1,000 great garden plants. Each plant is photographed in glorious partnership with one, two or three ideal companions, creating more than 4,000 of the most imaginative and visually effective combinations possible. With a practical introduction, analyses of what makes a successful combination, the author goes on to show how to recreate combinations shown and invent new combinations. With chapters on bulbs, climbers, perennials, shrubs, trees, roses, and annuals, this book has become the essential reference book for all those who wish to combine plants according to colour, shape, texture, and form in every corner of their gardens.
Encyclopedia of Planting Combinations by Tony Lord (Firefly Books 2002)(635.9)is a huge book of plant combo suggestions. It's odd, though, in that the author has chosen a very eclectic (and very British) list of plants for which matches should be found. I found this book to be pretty but generally not useful for my purposes. My rating: 4.5/10, finished 5/17/2012.