I’ve realised that I don’t understand the planting in odd numbers concept

[PlanetSaturn]

Does it mean plant in groups of 3 or 5 etc., or plant the same plant in 3 places round the garden? If the first, don’t they just all clump in together so who would know if it’s a clump made up of an odd number of plants?

Plant in groups, but with sufficient space so that they don't 'clump'. Plant labels should tell you the height and width a plant will grow, although sometimes plants don't do what they are told.

theres 2 different things. One is to plant a group to avoid ‘bittiness’, and generally many people find odd number groups more aesthetically pleasing. But it’s a guideline not a rule!
and it depends on the plant and the size of your garden- one can be plenty.

The other thing is repeats in different places may look good- but again it’s not a rule.
personally I like variety and don’t have room for lots of repeats of everything I want.

Yes, I can easily end up with a bit of this, a bit of that - partly because I buy one plant to see if it thrives in my garden. I like this look - pic will load in a bit - but I don’t see how anyone would know if there are 2,3 or 8 plants in the ‘drift’. Hence my confusion at the perceived wisdom of planting in odd numbers.

Planting in odd numbers is aesthetically more pleasing but once you get into double figures, who is going to be counting?

Groups of 3 and 5 are also used a lot in flower arranging.

The number at which a few becomes a clump is 7 for me... I plant 3, 5, 7 or any number above together ☺️

Yes, I find it odd if we are talking clump size. Surely what matters here is the size of the plant, the immediate space and the size of the garden in general. A big space needs bigger lumps of stuff.

I can see the odd number logic making more sense in terms of repeating things around the garden. It does give the eye a sort of path and places to rest. But also no one's going to plant three of certain things; it just doesn't make sense.

I am totally guilty of shoving random small plants in and hoping they'll magically fill a space though!

Thinking about it today, the odd number idea probably works well when planting out many annuals but many perennials will form a clump from one plant soon enough for most normal gardens.

During the week, I filled out a big bed with perennials (and some shrubs). I tried groups of 3 by and large so let’s see. Once they’ve filled out a bit next year, I can always move some. I find it easier filling a gap than starting from scratch - I don’t think I’m very good at visualising heights, textures, fullness etc. when it’s a blank canvas.