Skip to main content

12 Colorful Plants for a Stunning Border Garden

Stunning Border Garden



When planting a mixed border garden, there are tons of wonderful plant varieties to choose from. The easiest (and often most economical) choices for planting in your border garden are hardy perennials and fast-growing annuals. The annuals and perennials in the following list make colorful border plants because they look great together. Additionally, they are low maintenance, have similar growing requirements and offer plenty of color throughout the growing season. They are the perfect addition to any garden design.


1. Angelonia



Angelonia is also known as the "summer snapdragon," although it is not related to true snapdragons. This annual plant is drought tolerant and thrives in heat, blooming all summer long. For a cool look in a warm garden, try 'Angelmist Dark Plum' (shown here) or 'Archangel Dark Purple,' two varieties with beautiful purple flowers. Grow them in drifts of multiple plants for a more stunning effect.


2. Astilbe


Astilbe (Astilbe sinensis) is a versatile and hardy perennial with ferny leaves and attractive summer flowers in shades of pink, purple and white. For example, 'Visions' (shown here) has beautiful pink flowers. If you want something in the back of your border garden, plant 'Purple Candles', whose upright bright purple flowers reach about 4 feet tall when in bloom.


3. Caladium



Caladiums offer stunning foliage that complements the colorful flowers around them. Plant caladiums outdoors in the spring after temperatures have warmed and the danger of frost has passed. In cold winter areas, you can use caladiums as annuals or transplant them into a pot in the fall and keep them as a houseplant until the following spring.


4. Creeping phlox


Spilling over rocks and forming mounds of bright purple flowers, creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) is also known as moss phlox. These easy-care perennials are perfect for the front of border gardens, with their low, creeping growth habit and bursts of flowers in late spring.


5. Dahlia



Dahlias come in countless sizes, shapes and colors, and many varieties make beautiful, colorful border plants. For example, 'Hypnotica Orange' is an eye-catching plant for the front of your border garden. Regular dead-heading and plenty of moisture will keep it looking its best throughout the growing season.


6. Lamb's Ear


Commonly called lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) because of the shape and texture of the leaves, this slow-spreading perennial adds a touch of silver to landscape border gardens. Do not water the plants once they have grown. Flower stems can be allowed to go to seed to help fill in empty spots over time.


7. Verbena



Verbena is a summer favorite with bright colors of purple, red, pink and white flowers. This plant has an excellent ability to bloom throughout the season, attracting a variety of pollinators along the way. Its low-growing stems make it a good choice for edging your border garden.


8. Purple Coneflower


Native purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) make beautiful border garden plants and are pollinator magnets. Some newer varieties, like 'Powwow Wild Berry', offer a longer bloom time, producing stocky, purple flowers all summer long. Deadhead blooms early in the season for a long period of time, then leaves on plants late in the season to provide food for birds in the fall.


9. Panicle hydrangea



Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) are easy-care shrubs that help anchor the back of a border garden. A popular variety is the 'Vanilla Strawberry' hydrangea (shown here) with white flowers that fade to pink. For smaller spaces, 'Strawberry Shake' is another option. Its white flowers slowly turn pink for a beautiful two-tone effect. Provide adequate water during the hot summer months.


10. Salvia


In general, annual and perennial salvias are drought tolerant, nearly immune to rabbits and deer, and very attractive to all types of pollinators, so they are well worth adding to the border garden. Although they come in many warm hues, many salvias are perfect for adding cool color. For example, the classic 'Victoria Blue' (shown here) and 'Saliphon Blue' mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) are easy-care options with purple and blue flowers, respectively.


11. Black-Eyed Susan



When it comes to black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), one of the most popular varieties is 'Goldsturm', thanks to its abundant yellow flowers, elegant habit and drought tolerance. Other varieties offer different colors and sizes. Flowers can be de-headed or left on plants to provide food for wild birds.


12. Stonecrop


Stonecrop (aka sedum) is another classic garden plant, especially 'Autumn Delight'. This variety is an excellent choice for adding late-season color to your border garden. Requiring only minimal care, 'Autumn Delight' produces flowers in late summer that turn bright pink to subdued bronze in fall. Leave the flower heads intact for winter interest.

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Great Designs for Container Groupings

Once your single containers are ready to merge It's hard to fail with a group of containers. Any size group, from a simple couple to large multiples, can enhance any outdoor space. Open patios and decks become softer and more intimate when you place pots around them. A straight and simple outdoor path lined with containers can become a wave of sorts—a formal one with some plants or an informal path with others. You never know what you'll come up with by placing one pot next to another or a particular plant with others. Once you start experimenting, you'll notice many places where a container is grouped. 1. Combine bright colors This collection of colorful pots introduces the viewer to the vivid color scheme in the beds behind it, mainly blue flowers. However, to maintain exclusivity, pots get exclusive rights to colors like magenta, pink and chartreuse. 2. Formal lateralization A combination of papyrus and vases always looks elegant, but when placed side by sid...
Post a Comment
Read more

Strategies for improving a small garden space

Prioritize functionality when every inch is precious When I started designing gardens 20 years ago, I was surprised to find that small spaces were more challenging to plan than large ones. In those early years, a small number of clients would come to me with detailed lists of items they must have, and I would struggle to fit everything in. Identifying specific features and details was a major breakthrough. A garden should be the final step in the process, not the first. Since then, every consultation I have with a new client begins with three questions I've nicknamed the "three W's." These prompts help my clients imagine interacting with their redesigned spaces, and while they're useful in remodeling gardens of all sizes, they're especially helpful when space is at a premium. When my husband and I recently moved into a new house with a small backyard, we had the opportunity to use the process for ourselves. Here's what we found. Three question...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 10 Early Spring Flowering Shrubs

Early Spring Flowering Shrubs Spring-blooming shrubs and bushes add color to backyards early in the season, attract pollinators and more. 1. Carnelian cherry dogwood Cornus mas, zones 4 to 8 Size: Up to 20 feet tall and wide Welcome spring with bright yellow flowers that appear earlier than those of forsythia. These spring-blooming shrubs prefer full sun or partial shade and prefer rich, moist, well-drained soil. Leaves turn purplish red in fall, and scaly bark adds winter interest. Why we love it: Red fruits are edible, but they're also made into preserves, jellies and slices. Or leave them for the birds to enjoy. 2. Dwarf Russian Almond Prunus tenella, zones 2 to 6 Size: 2 to 5 feet tall and wide This moderate-sized shrub records the growing season with showy rose-red flowers and yellow-orange fall color. It prefers full sun, tolerates a variety of soil types and is very drought tolerant. Ruth's 100 produces lots of flowers on a small plant. Why we love it: Flo...
Post a Comment
Read more