If your bed needs a touch of glam or charm
My property was sloped enough to mow the garden before it hit the road. Like any good gardener, “Why grow grass when you can grow plants?” I thought that. In its second year, the bed I had moved to the lawn began to fill up. The plants grew larger and began to join together. That's when it became a problem.
Several plants blocked the view from the lane of oncoming traffic. People drive too fast on my road, and as much as I love my plants (and hate the extra work), I can't risk any of my loved ones getting into an accident with my 'Big Blue' sea holly (Erychium × Zabeli). 'Big Blue', zones 4–9) was too good to move. Began my search for short plants - I would consider anything under 2 feet, but 18 inches or less was what I needed. When I started collecting countless short varieties, only a few of which worked in my front bed, I started planting short plants all over my garden. I observe them in all the gardens I visit, both residential and botanical gardens. I made a mental note of how others used small plants: the roles they could play and how essential they were to completing the look of a garden, bed or vignette.
1. 'Millennium' Ornamental Allium is the last beautiful
Every time I see the ornamental lily 'Millennium', in bloom or out, I wonder why I didn't grow more of it. (The plant was registered before anyone wrote about the missing “n” in the cultivar name, so it remains.) The graceful, grassy foliage provides a nice, narrow, upright touch. By mid-summer, stems rise above the foliage bearing rosy purple golf balls. Unlike other ornamental alliums, the foliage is attractive and makes a nice bunch. Although I don't mind a few seedlings, reseeding is not an issue with this plant. Like all good plants, bees and butterflies love it, while deer and rabbits don't.
2. 'Greystone' Cheddar Pinks will not fade in summer
I've killed a lot of Diantes, and I don't think it's my fault (mostly, but not all). Some varieties do not like heat and humidity, so when summer begins, they leave. Cheddar pinks don't seem to have this problem, and 'Greystone' Cheddar Pinks are my favorite. Its pure white flowers, perched atop silvery foliage in late spring, are much sweeter than the magenta blooms of the well-known 'Feurhexe'. I gave it good drainage (yes, it helps it survive when you give it the conditions it needs) by planting it on a slight slope and surrounding its roots with sand and pea gravel which may have been my success. A simple haircut after flowering does wonders for its appearance. Other sources suggest that this time should be reduced by a third to revive the plant. I've never done this, but cutting my spent flowers is very messy, and I can inadvertently achieve this level of pruning.
3. Dwarf Eastern Penstemon adds a bit of charm to nooks and crannies
In my search for short plants, I was delighted to find a Penstemon (which many western species have failed to admire) with the right height and native to my region. Dwarf Eastern Penstemon is a low-growing beauty that produces a mound of green spear-shaped foliage up to 4 inches tall. From late spring to early summer, profuse flowering stems shoot up to two inches above the tubes that hold the leaves of white-tipped lavender flowers. The flowers last for a few weeks, then the interest of the plant disappears until autumn, when the leaves take on a burgundy color. The only care I offer is to occasionally prune off old flower stems once they start to curl around.
4. 'Dixon's Gold' is a maniflower you can trust
I admit to some prejudices when it comes to the campanula genus: either the plant is an unrepentant thug or a persnickety diva. Like all prejudices, my feelings have little to do with reality. I easily fell in love with the chartreuse foliage of 'Dixon's Gold' bellflower and planted it thinking it would be too tender to handle a New England winter. It's been years now and every spring I'm reminded of how wrong I was. I give this slowly expanding yellow partial shade and get purple star shaped flowers in early summer. The foliage loses its gold as summer sets in, but the plant remains attractive. A little research on 'Dixon's Gold' reveals that it does not like afternoon sun in the south. Some sources say zone 3 is hardier, but zone 4 is a safe bet. Referring to this species as a rock garden plant suggests that it may be the winter humidity rather than the temperature that kills it.
5. Labrador violet sets a mood—and some seedlings
In early spring, nothing catches my eye like the dusky leaves of the Labrador violet when it emerges from its cool dormancy. By mid-summer the dark color turns purple, but it still attracts attention. Purple flowers appear in late spring. I grow it in partial shade, but it is said to take full sun and full shade. You can experiment with the site using pop-up seedlings. Although weedless, Labrador Violet gives me three or four volunteers each spring and forms a nice clump. However, the one sold in the nursery trade may actually be Viola riviniana, a non-species with blue flowers, increased height and reduced hardiness (to zone 5). If any of these stick out to you, dig into the research and question your intended source.
6. The Dwarf Girl's Dress is easy and adorable
The rule of puppy-kitten-pig cuteness is that the smaller version is always more adorable than the bigger one. The dwarf's cloak follows that rule. I grow a full-sized version (Alchemilla mollis, zones 4–7) and even though I love it, it doesn't say "Awww" when I reach for my phone to take a picture. The dwarf's mantle does just that. The leaves are a bit taller and more jagged than a typical lady's mantle, but other than that, Honey, the larger version looks like it was crushed by a device Rick Moranis built in I Shrunk the Kids. Even the sprays of frothy gold flowers on the dwarf lady's mantle seem a little too big for the little plant. Part shade is best, where it will form a lush rounded mound.
7. ‘Karmina’ hardy geranium forms an easy, attractive mass
I can't think of a bed on my property without 'Carmina' Hardy Geranium. Well, no dry shady areas, but I'm going to try it there too. This easy-to-grow, beautiful plant produces an elegant mass of lobed and toothed foliage (which always reminds me of miniature, fat, Japanese maple leaves). In late spring and early summer the foliage is covered with lavender-pink flowers. The flowers are sterile, unfortunately, so the plant doesn't do much for pollination. In late summer and early fall, the aromatic leaves take on shades of yellow and red, which, again, are reminiscent of Japanese maples. I wish I could offer some maintenance advice, but I've never done any of that. I don't even clean up foliage in the spring. New growth includes dead leaves from the previous year.
8. Eastern bee balm is hard but not harsh
I'm not sure where I first heard about Eastern bee balm, but a plant that grows under 2 feet tall and can handle hot, dry locations certainly piqued my interest. After years of growing it, I wonder why more people don't do it. In early summer, short stems in a pink-white-lavender spectrum are topped with jester caps. They last for weeks, much to the delight of pollinators of all kinds who are always standing by. I've never seen or heard of it getting powdery mildew or spreading wildly throughout the bed. A week or so after it blooms, it may look as if someone has been sitting on it, but this occasional drag can be alleviated by cutting back the stems a bit.
9. 'Professor Anton Kippenberg' Auster delivers an unfailing fall
I've never really liked looking at aster stalks all season until they decide to bloom in early fall - when they fail. 'Professor Anton Kippenberg' topped a New York aster about a foot high, so I thought I'd get the flowers without looking at the stems. I was right. By the time the kids head back to school, the plant will burst into a low mound of clear blue to pale purple flowers that last until frost. If it fails, I don't really care. I cut it back in the spring and sometimes, if I'm in the mood, I pinch the stems in the hope that it will be bushy in late spring or early summer. This is an older cultivar, but worth seeking out.
10. Pecia adds beauty to the shade
In my travels, especially in the Northwest, I have come across the beautiful shade plant Besia. Elegant mounds of heart-shaped leaves, with glossy green and purple hues, always stop me in my tracks. On a visit to a wonderful nursery near my home, I saw it and immediately bought two plants. I planted them in drier shade and admired the way two less-than-common plants could enhance an area. The following spring, one plant returned, and one plant, just 3 feet away, did not. The living Besia was in an area slightly wetter than the rest, which had killed many shade plants within a few feet. Since then, I have not watered the survivor. So a moist location is best, and maintaining humidity is essential.
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