Perennials living on the edge

Wildlife Community Rec Center

You’ve heard me say it many times—winter is for planning! By now, most outdoor chores are finished, or almost finished at least (unless you have a Pin Oak that is indefinitely holding on to its leaves). With the holiday season approaching, it is a perfect time to start thinking about next year’s garden.

When designing a garden, I generally consider any small- to medium-sized plant a border or edging plant. Planted in a mass along the edge of the garden, they help define the garden space, especially if there is no hardscape edging. Carefully selected edging plants frame the bed with a unified

look, create movement and draw your eye from one area of the garden to another, and move you along pathways. Selecting plants to place along the edges of these gardens is particularly important and can give the landscape a finished look.

Consider that plants may “play off” of each other as you layer them into the landscape. Utilizing different colors gives contrast to the garden, such as purple Heucheras as edging in a hosta bed of green. Some landscapers and gardeners use textures to give interest and contrast in a garden as well (i.e., using grasses against a denser planting in order to soften the edge).

Border plants generally can be plants, small or medium, but there is more landscape value with plants that offer season-long interest, whether they have long bloom times or unique foliage that doesn’t fade after blooming. Plants that grow into a mound make for a tidy, well-defined edge of the garden. As you cozy up to hot cocoa and holiday music, consider some of these plants, perfect for edging and borders, for next year’s garden.

Dwarf grasses and grass-like plants are among the most commonly used for borders, with Liriope being at the top of the list. ‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass and ‘Elijah Blue’ Fescue also soften the edges of a garden and looks particularly nice when planted along a sunny walkway. Most grasses prefer sunnier locations, so consider using sedges (Carex) in areas of part sun to shade. ‘Banana Boat’, ‘Ice Dance’, and ‘Evergold’ all have showy foliage that is sure to brighten up borders and pathways.

As mentioned before, Heuchera/Coral Bells make a nice contrast as an edger in partial sun. Their numerous varieties have different foliage colors, from red to purple to chartreuse, that show off against other shade-bed standbys such as hostas, ferns, and astilbe.

Depending on the other plants in your shade beds, hostas can actually make for a nice border as well. There are many new “mouse” types available at garden centers. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, ‘Sun Mouse’, ‘Munchkin Fire’, and ‘School

Mouse’ all max out at about 12 inches tall and wide, making them perfect for edging shady gardens with larger hostas or hydrangeas planted in them.

Another lesser known border plant is ‘Little Angel’ Sanguisorba. A compact grower, this plant has small variegated foliage that gets topped with unique red blooms during mid to late summer. Be careful not to let this one get too dry during the hot summer months, or it might get too crispy.

For sunnier areas, Dianthus makes a wonderful semi-evergreen border plant. Every year there seem to be more new varieties that bloom better than the old standards. The Fruit Punch® series by Proven Winners flowers with double blooms and will rebloom if spent blooms are sheared immediately after the first round of flowering. The fragrant blooms of Dianthus lend it to be a fantastic plant for sunny front walkways, welcoming guests as the sweet fragrance travels on the breeze.

For the hottest and driest locations, Sedum may be your answer. Upright varieties like ‘Autumn Joy’ and ‘Night Embers’ add interest all year with succulent foliage on a nice mound. The fall blooms are pollinator magnets. Don’t forget that even though sedum like it on the dry side, they still need some water in order to thrive and give the best show.

When choosing which border plants to use, consider the scale of your gardens and existing plants. Also, be sure to consider the mature sizes of plants in your beds—planting Russian Sage in front of Liriope may not be the best choice, as the sage, in this case, would likely cover the liriope over time. Layer borders with the taller plants in the back, and work your way down to the shortest along the edge.

Keep a look out next spring for new varieties of all the plants mentioned here, and always ask the professionals at your favorite garden center about new varieties when you go to make your selections. While you are resting and recuperating from this season’s hard work in the garden, ponder the ways you can improve your borders to get a head start on next year’s garden.

Dianthus ‘Maraschino’

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners.

Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’

SEAN HOLLAND Perennials Manager

Sean Holland is Perennials Manager at Suburban Lawn & Garden, 135th and Wornall location, in Kansas City, Missouri. You may reach him at seanh@suburbanlg.com.