Asked on Feb 18, 2015
Flower garden border
by
Rav3n
+24
I need to find a border for my front yard flower bed. I'm looking for a perennial that is not overly aggressive. I live in ATL so the plant needs to be heat resistant and do well in full sun.
This was it during spring last year
21 answers
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@Rav3n What is the overall look your after? (Formal, cottage) How high would you like this border to be? and what other kinds of flowers do you have growing in the bed now... got a picture?
Sow and Dipity
on Feb 18, 2015
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I forgot to include it. This was it during spring last year
Rav3n
on Feb 18, 2015
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I love the Vinca (annual) which resembles the Impatients but tolerates the heat very well. I also have Hosta (perennial) in there as well (the lighter leaf) and lastly I love the "monkey grass" (again a perennial) which is my border. I would also suggest the English Boxwood. It grows slowly and doesn't overpower the landscape. A miniature Japanese maple works well as an accent on the corner. These are suggestions for a small townhouse setting. :)
Tammy Caudle
on Feb 18, 2015
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Have you considered a plant in the herb family.
Deb Field
on Feb 18, 2015
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My all time favorite is dahlia. There are several appropriate for our climate. Search the www.dahliasocietyofgeorgia.com. They will have a show this spring where you can purchase tubers. For low growing, you may want to consider liriope. It propagates and you will have to divide in three or four years. I also have a couple of Abelia x grandiflora `Rose Creek’ Look also at Black-EyedSusan(Rudbeckiafulgida) and purple verbena. I don't know how tall you want your plants to be. The ones I mentioned are all flowering, which is what I am aiming for. You may Google“perennials for zone 7 (I believe you are). But you can find your hardiness zone here http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ by putting your zip code. I usually shop at the Grower's Outlet, Loganville, GA. Very reasonably priced. Good luck. I hope you post pictures.
Liliana Wells
on Feb 19, 2015
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How much sun does this get and at what time of the day (morning/afternoon or midday)? Daylilies could work....they come in a variety of heights, bloom times and a wide selection of colors (and some are very fragrant) if you are looking at warm colors. Cooler colors that could work well would be some of the perennial salvias. Deep blue salvia along with some chartreuse perennial grass would be eye-catching. Although not perennial you might look at some coleus or perilla, some of the newer impatiens or other easy to grow annuals that grow rapidly and bloom most of the summer. Another thought might be an edible bed including a variety of leaf lettuces, some carrots, maybe some asparagus along the back as a lacy/frilly background that goes a lovely gold as it goes dormant in the fall. Rhubarb provides a big bold looking leaf, red stems and great desert. Or blueberry bushes, low growing, foliage interest, white flowers in the spring and delicious berries as a dessert crop.
Dorothy
on Feb 19, 2015
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I love coladiums. They are various colors and if you put elephant ears behind and a bright flower in front it would be very striking. Throw in a couple of bleeding heart vines with trellises behind.
Ruth wallace
on Feb 19, 2015
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If you are interested in a plant for mostly greenery I would suggest liriope (plain or variegated), or daylilies as someone else suggested. They come in different heights and there are ever-blooming varieties too.
Cathie Sterling
on Feb 19, 2015
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You say border , is this the edge before your grass line? I see the Hostas and what looks like corral bells. Have you thought about some different kinds of Gallardi.
Robin
on Feb 19, 2015
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Echinacea Or London gold perennial sunflower would be nice but they are taller than the plants in your picture.
Ikbe
on Feb 19, 2015
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Look around your area and see what does well in similar conditions, that you like. Check with your local extension office to see what does well in your area. Have fun with it, if you don't like it, you can always change it.
Joyce Hochsprung
on Feb 19, 2015
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No matter your state or Zone, I always recommend a native plant (less watering and less bugs.) Because I am in the north, Zone 5b, I can't advise you what exact plants will work in your zone. I personally would use some kind of shrubbery in the back of the boarder and some colorful perennials in front. I would expand the boarder out more (make it deeper) too to give you more room for growth. I'm personally not fond of plants all planted in a row, but prefer things more free-flowing or at the very least staggered. This picture(s) is my kind of planting style; cottage/country like, full/organic and free flowing, but that is just me. See if you can find a picture in a garden magazine with the **look** you like and then you can go to your extension office or a local nursery and ask what plants like those will work on your climate. I might like some taller flowering shrubs too to give your porch more privacy and allure. I "think" flowering camellia, dogwoods or my favorite, oak hydragenas, do well in your area and they stay relatively small in scale. I just Goggled "top flowering shrubs for the south" and a long list came up from Better Homes & Gardens.
White Oak Studio Designs
on Feb 19, 2015
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I also live in Atlanta but have had good luck with Black Eyed Susan. They last a long time but don't blossom until mid-to-late summer. Most of the flowers mentioned are tall so they would have to go in the back.....if you want something for the front, I suggest Creeping Jenny. Also, QVC just offered a tray of succulents that you can cut as plugs and put in the front since those are short....they were different greens but with colors, too, and love the sun. Check those out. If you choose bushes, get small Kaleidoscope bushes which turn colors from light green to gold & have tiny white flowers in late summer - gorgeous!
HappyGrandmaGA
on Feb 19, 2015
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has some recommended perennials for sun here: http://www.ajc.com/news/lifestyles/home-garden/perennials-top-list-for-atlanta-gardens/nQxH7/
Douglas Hunt
on Feb 19, 2015
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I like the free-flowing front edge of the bed like someone mentioned. I used a waterhose to lay out an informal curved bed in front of our house. It has southern wood fern throughout, and each spring I plant some white-leaved caladiums to set off the ferns. My bed is almost totally shade. Mondo grass is a good border plant that would help separate the edge of your bed from the grass but still allow the plantings you have to show. It only gets 4-5 inches tall. There is also a dwarf variety that is only about 2-3 inches tall. I also like the other ideas of add some plants with height to the back of the bed, maybe against the stone wall. If you expand the width of the flower bed to add more or bigger plants, it just means that much less grass someone has to mow.
Nana in Texas
on Feb 19, 2015
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try lantana--loves the climate--comes in many colors and constantly in bloom--
Carolene Carter
on Feb 20, 2015
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As a succulent nut I can't help but recommend the tough as nails Delosperma cooperii. This evergreen ice plant which should bloom 8 months long for you. There are many cultivars of Delosperma which hail from South Africa. It could be a lot of fun to try one of each. A few do not bloom very long, but all of them are great well behaved border plants. They require good drainage. Clay is not their cup of tea. If Bermuda grass creeps in from the lawn you can wait until the grass pokes up through above the ice plants and then using a sponge and rubber gloves you could dab the tips of the grass with your choice of diluted herbicide ( there are sponge tipped applicators in catalogs ). This will keep your border looking tidy. With taller border plants delineation is difficult to achieve when Bermuda creeps in. Hope this helps.
Artist In The Garden
on Feb 21, 2015
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I use yellow Stella d'ore lilies. They are shorter than the typical day lily. I have them all around my house in the front edge of my flower beds. I usually divide them about every three years and just keep adding them in other beds or share with friends.
Linda Phillips
on Feb 27, 2015
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Try Rosemary. You are in a good area to grow it as a perennial, and they can get up to 3 feet.
Sharon Catania
on May 21, 2015
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If you like blue, try Plumbago. Once the roots are well established you can shape and trim to any desired configuration, tree, ground cover, shrub. It does well in So Cal year round and is drought and heat and deer resistant. Not sure how it would survive a cold winter under snowy conditions. The blue flowers are not fragrant but are very showy and pretty.
Barbara
on Mar 25, 2016
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Creeping phlox, creeping thyme, speedwell, western ice plant or something of that sort. I think that you need the color, a perennial etc.
Sue Kiene
on Apr 29, 2016
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