Best perennial flowers
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I have a rectangular flower bed raised about 2 feet off the ground with railroad ties and I want to start planting perennial flowers. I need suggestions as to what to put in and how to plant them like in front or back or middle. I have attached a photo. Every year I plant cascading petunias and just love them but they are annuals.
12 answers
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@Francine Nault rudebekia is a lovely perenial, and has some hieght which would be good in front of your porch. You could also add some daisies, day lillies and hosta. These are all low maintenance and very hardy for Canada.
Gail Salminen
on Mar 24, 2013
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Hi Francine! Here's my two cents! If you planted a row of small evergreen shrub, like boxwood (some boxwood stay small) in the back of the planter, it will provide year round color for the planter (you wouldn't have a bare planter half of the year), and it would provide a backdrop for your perennials - a darker backdrop would actually highlight the flowers. Create a layered look - with the row of small evergreen being the tallest and the perennials being lower in height. As for the perennials, I'm not sure what grows in your area, or what colors you like, but here's a link to a perennial grower for you see what is available out there - http://www.perennials.com/. ~M
Better Outdoor Living at Home
on Mar 24, 2013
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Put taller perennial plants toward the back and the shorter ones toward the front. day lilies are a good choice with coneflowers and phlox. You could use dianthus in the front or go with some annuals like marigolds
Chris Tutlewski
on Mar 24, 2013
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Thank you for you help, I will look into these suggestions.
Francine Nault
on Mar 24, 2013
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Where are you in Canada, Francine? It's hard to tell you what to plant without knowing your growing zone. I suggest taking your picture to a reputable, local nursery. A good one will have staff on hand who can help you with deciding what to plant and will do well in your garden's zone. Make sure to let them know how much sun it receives, what direction it faces, if there are trees shading the area, what kind of winds is it exposed to, and how much water it gets. It looks like it is under the porch eaves, (how far does it extend?) which could prevent natural watering. Also, raised beds can be difficult for perennials, they don't get the winter root protection plants in the ground do.
Debbie Borthwick
on Mar 24, 2013
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Thank you Debbie I will take note of all this. I live in eastern Ontario
Francine Nault
on Mar 25, 2013
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As Debbie says, we definitely need your zone and your exposure to recommend plants. Also, how wide is the planter?
Douglas Hunt
on Mar 25, 2013
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Yes I know and I think its zone 5 and the planter is approx. 3 feet wide. Thanks
Francine Nault
on Mar 25, 2013
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How much sun does the area get?
Douglas Hunt
on Mar 26, 2013
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All morning up to approx. 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon.
Francine Nault
on Mar 26, 2013
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I like the idea of some small evergreens (perhaps a mugo pine?) to provide structure and winter interest interspersed with long-blooming perennials. In that category I would include nepeta, perennial geraniums like "Rozanne," black-eyed Susans, Phlox paniculata and sedums like "Autumn Joy." Bearded iris don't have a long bloom time but the foliage is very architectural long after the flowers are gone.
Douglas Hunt
on Mar 27, 2013
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With the colors on your house, I would plant Yucca Filamentosa (golden sword) which is a yellow and light green variegated plant that grows about 12-15" tall in the back, leaving some space to put in maroon spikey plants moved toward the front (see photo attached) -- use a sort of zig-zag planting pattern. You can then put in a few Shasta Daises in various colors (or all in one such as bright red) for accent. All these will come back. I plan to get these golden swords this year as soon as they get in.
Jeanette S
on Mar 27, 2013
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