From 2.8k real designs
What to plant with Acer
These are what gardeners actually planted. We measured every Sow design containing Acer and ranked the plants that turn up alongside it far more often than chance would explain.
Used together in 62 designs — 8.6× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–9 with Acer; wants the same full sun; blooms late spring to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 49 designs — 5.23× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 6–10 with Acer; blooms late summer to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 45 designs — 4.84× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–7 with Acer; wants the same full sun.
Used together in 154 designs — 4.81× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–8 with Acer; blooms mid-spring to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Zones 4–8Care & prices →
Used together in 100 designs — 4.46× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 5–9 with Acer; blooms late summer to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 47 designs — 4.45× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–9 with Acer; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 79 designs — 4.38× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–8 with Acer; wants the same full sun; blooms spring to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Zones 4–8Care & prices →
Used together in 49 designs — 4.15× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–7 with Acer; wants the same full sun; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 49 designs — 4.03× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–8 with Acer; fills in front of Acer.
Zones 4–8Care & prices →
Used together in 96 designs — 3.81× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–7 with Acer; wants the same full sun.
Zones 4–7Care & prices →
Used together in 44 designs — 3.47× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–8 with Acer; wants the same full sun; blooms late spring to Acer's early spring; fills in front of Acer.
Used together in 99 designs — 3.15× more often than this plant appears in gardens generally.
Why it works: shares Zones 4–8 with Acer; wants the same full sun; fills in front of Acer.
Method: we counted every Sow design containing Acer (2.8k of them), then scored each other plant by how much more often it appears in those designs than in designs generally (lift), requiring at least 40 shared designs. Ranking by lift rather than raw count is what stops the list collapsing into “the most popular plants”.
Acer pairing questions
What should I plant with Acer?
Across 2.8k real garden designs containing Acer, the partner that shows the strongest affinity is Coral Bark Dogwood Sgt Pepper — it appears alongside Acer far more often than its overall popularity would predict. The full ranked list is above.
How was this companion list decided?
From data, not opinion. We looked at every Sow design containing Acer and measured which other plants appear with it more often than chance would explain (a lift score), requiring at least 40 shared designs so nothing here is a small-sample fluke. That is why the list reads like a coherent planting palette rather than a list of bestsellers.
Do companion plants need the same conditions as Acer?
Yes — that is the first filter. A companion has to share the hardiness range and light exposure, or one of the two will struggle. Each entry above states the zones it shares with Acer and whether it wants the same light; pairings that differ in bloom time or height are noted, because that contrast is usually the point.
Keep exploring
Try these pairings in your own yard
Snap a photo of your space and place Acer and its companions in it at true mature size — before you buy any of them.
