#35 Plants for the Front of the Mixed BorderThis will be my third column devoted to the design of a mixed shrub and perennial border in the garden. This week we will discuss lower growing plants, 6 inches to less than 3 feet tall, which will create the final layer that ties the whole to the lawn or pathway.
While it is important in the taller layers to group multiple plants, as opposed to dotting them about here and there, in the front of the border it is even more critical. I like to create long swathes or bands of low growing plants that may “knit” together a series of plantings behind. It looks better if these bands vary in width, rather than simply installing a long straight row of them at the edge.
This edge is a good place to introduce bulbs and annuals to the collection of small trees, shrubs, and perennials in the border. I often plant bulbs in groups of a dozen or more in the fall, then overplant with winter flowering/cool season annuals. In the spring, after the bulbs sprout and bloom, I then interplant warm season annuals that will conceal the dying foliage of the bulbs, and provide color once the bulbs go completely dormant.
Following are some lists of plants suitable for this front of the border treatment:
Shrubs: Abelia prostrata Prostrate Abelia White to blush flowers over a long spring-fall season Dalea frutescens Black dalea Violet flowers in summer, native to the Edwards Plateau Ilex crenata ‘Helleri’ An evergreen that grows from 1 to 3 feet tall and wider, black berries follow inconspicuous white flowers Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’ Dwarf Yaupon Holly Drought tolerant native evergreen shrub, can be shorn or allowed to grow naturally Polyantha or low growing Floribunda Roses ‘Marie Pavie’, ‘Pink Pet or Caldwell Pink’, ‘Seafoam’, ‘The Fairy’, ‘Popcorn’, ‘Rise and Shine’, ‘Sunflare or Sunsprite’ ‘Katherina Zeimet’, ‘Little White Pet’, Roses are the longest blooming shrub we can grow here Yucca pallida Paleleaf Yucca Pale blue-green leaves and white summer flower spikes Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’ 2 ft high and wide, purple foliage and yellow flowers in early spring Lantana montevidensis Trailing Lantana White and lavender flowers over a long season Pittosporum tobira ‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ Evergreen shrub with fragrant white flowers in spring
Perennials: Aquilegia canadensis Red Columbine Red/yellow spurred flowers in spring Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan Yellow daisy like flowers in summer/fall Coreopsis species and hybrids Yellow flowers from spring through fall Thelypteris kunthii River fern Deciduous fern native to our area Dryopteris erythrosaura Autumn fern New foliage has pink tints Evergreen here Iris germanica Bearded Iris There are now reblooming forms available by mail-order Stachys byzantina Lamb’s Ear Grey green foliage and purple flower spikes Stachys coccinea Texas Betony Spreading plant with coral red flowers continuously Scutellaria suffrutescens Pink Skullcap Mostly evergreen foliage and pink summer flowers Tulbaghia violacia Society Garlic Spring to summer bloom, most often violet color Liriope species wide variety of variegated and green grass-like plants with purple or white flower spikes. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Leadwort Plumbago Deep blue flowers in late summer and fall Agapanthus ‘Peter Pan’ Dwarf Lily of the Nile Blue flowers in summer Bulbs: Narcissus species including poeticus, jonquilla, tazetta, triandrus, and bulbocodium Daffodils I have listed several of the fragrant older varieties, but many modern hybrids will also add color in early spring. I choose those which grow to about 16” or less in height. The dying foliage is less obvious than that of larger varieties Leucojum astivum Summer Snowflake White bell like flowers on long stalks in early spring Crocus species Very early spring bloom in white, yellow, blue, purples Muscari armeniacum Grape Hyacinth Grass-like foliage and purple flowers in early spring Tulipa Darwin Hybrids Tulips Fussy, must be dug and refrigerated, but these hybrids are the most successful in our low winter chill areas
For sake of space, I’m going to list by common name the best low growing annuals for our area. Warm season: Ageratum, Wax Begonia, Impatiens, Vinca, Petunia (early) Dwarf Zinnias, Wishbone Flower, and Salvia hybrids Cool-season: Dwarf Snapdragon, Flowering Cabbage/Kale, Dianthus/Pinks, Alyssum, Stock, and Pansy
Obviously, this is an incomplete list of low-growing plants, but contains a good start on those that work best in our area. Please consult garden books and websites such as Central Texas Gardener (www.klru.org/ctg) for suggestions and links to our local County Extension Service.
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