GETTING plants into the right place and snuggled in with the right partners can be a slow process. A useful dodge is to cut a flower or even a stem and carry it around the garden, sticking it in beside a possible neighbour and gauging the effect. That way decisions can be made while plants are in flower, rather than waiting till later and possibly getting things wrong.
Seemingly idle interludes spent staring and re-arranging matters in the mind are an essential part of gardening and just as vital as time spent in hard labour. Often the seeming drudgery of digging, preparing ground, etc. will be an easier task than making decisions about arranging and placing plants.
Some gardeners find it useful to set out patterns and combinations on a plant, measuring and drawing things while carefully closeted indoors. Most of us are not like that, and matters are usually better attended to outside with an intimacy and immediacy that enables us to know plants and their habits and requirements much better.