Perennial Border Plants To Brighten Your Garden Beds

Easy to grow perennial border plants will add bold color and year-round interest to your garden.



Perennial border plants.

Easy care perennials are a gardener's best friend. Most perennial plants live for many years, sleeping through the winter and returning each spring. There is no need to repurchase and replant every year as you must with annuals.

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Because they multiply and spread as the years go by, divisions can be used to fill new garden beds or traded with neighbors or friends. This makes perennial border plants economical as well as versatile.

Unlike trees and shrubs, which eventually become too big to move, perennials need to be dug up and divided every few years. This gives you the opportunity to "rearrange" your garden furniture.

Planning and Planting A Perennial Border

Ferris Perennial Garden, Spokane, Washington, USA
Ferris Perennial Garden, Spokane, Washington, USA

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You don't have to spend days planning a perennial bed. Unless you want to.

For some gardeners the planning is as much fun as the planting. If you fall into this category, don't let me ruin your fun.For those of you who, like myself, dread the very thought of having to "design" a garden bed; there's an easier way.

Once you've decided where the bed or border is going to be and prepared the soil, just focus on the tallest plant. This is the plant that will be placed at the back of the border or in the center of the bed if you're planting a bed which can be viewed from all sides. This tall perennial will be the center piece of the planting. Decide which plant to use and how many of them you will need. Buy and plant these.

Now you're looking at something and not just trying to image what it might look like in your head. Some people have the kind of imagination that they can imagine what two plants that are not in front of them will look like together. I don't have that gift.

I need to see the plants together. I'm not embarrassed to confess that I've run outside with a plant catalog in my hand on many occasions. By holding the picture of the plant I'm dreaming about up beside an actual plant in my border, I can get a better idea of how the two will blend.

Or clash.

Once you decide on what you think would look nice in front of the tallest plant, buy that, bring it home and set the pot where you're planning to plant it. Stand back and look at the combination.

When you're sure you really like it, plant the new arrival. Then, go back to the nursery and get the number of plants you need to fill out your planting scheme.

Continue this process until the entire bed is planted.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

All Summer Blue Perennial Garden

All Summer Blue Perennial Garden

Enjoy a cooling respite from the heat of the summer with this unique blue perennial garden.


Garden, Summer Perennial

Garden, Summer Perennial

Create an oasis of color and interest in a partially shaded area of the garden!

This professionally designed 10 plant garden will fill 15-20' of space.




Tall Perennial Border Plants

Tall Phlox

Perennial Sunflowers

Butterfly Bush

Joe-Pye Weed

Brightly Colored Perennial Garden Plants

Black Eyed Susan

Ruellia Humilis

Mexican Petunia

Lantana

Daylilies

All of the easy to grow perennials listed here will add color and drama to your landscape for years to come.


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Have a Question About Growing Perennials?

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