Last week was all about using the rule of three to plant your dish gardens. But that rule can be broken-you were thinking about doing that all along, right?-so here are some examples to to help you flaunt the rule.

Two plants can work well together, but choosing different shapes still holds true, as you can see with this agave and astrophytum.

This cereus forbesii monstrose and aloe haworthioides work well together, again, because of the contrasting shapes in the plants.

If you have enough plants and a large enough pot, you can group as many as you want in the same pot, but still be aware of odd numbers and different shapes. As to trinkets, I have found that combining rock, wood, and a trinket of some kind add to the interest of the overall look of the garden.

But there is nothing wrong with having a single specimen all by itself, like this melocactus dwarf Turk’s cap.

Not a dish garden, but both types of plantings add variety to a collection.

So, what are you waiting for? Get busy planting.