Plant this perennial front-yard flower border for bold color every year
If you’re like me, you’re always thinking ahead, no matter what season it is right now. That’s one great thing about gardening: There’s always something new to look forward to!
All the plants in this sunny combo are perennials, so once you get them planted, they’ll show off for years. Maybe you already have some of these varieties and are looking for companion inspiration. Or maybe you’re starting from scratch. No matter how you arrange them, they’ll give you plenty of color and texture while you’re planning for the next season!
Add energy to an entry garden with these colorful sun-perennials
To make pink and purple blooms pop in a planting, combine them with splashes of white and chartreuse like you see here. Yellow and purple are across from each other on the color wheel, so this combination creates a high-contrast, energetic look for a front entry or sunny pathway.
Plant care tips
The salvia, veronica, betony and geranium will often rebloom if you cut them back by one-third to one-half when the first flush of bloom is over. Even if they don’t rebloom, cutting them back will encourage the foliage to grow in a tidy mound instead of sprawling open at the center.
Lady’s mantle plants also benefit from deadheading after blooming to keep plants tidy and the foliage looking healthy. Lightly shearing back the spirea’s spent blooms will clean it up for summer; it may send out a few new blooms later in the season too.
Another plus to these plants is that all of them attract bees and butterflies. And most are deer resistant, so you shouldn’t find that your plants have been “pruned” by anyone but you!
You Might Also Like:
Subscribe to Garden Gate Magazine for New Plant Combos Every Issue!
How to Design Plant Combinations Like a Pro
3 Ways to Deadhead Perennials
Front-yard flower border plant list
A) Spike speedwell Veronica ‘White Wands’
Perennial; white spikes of flowers from late spring through summer; full sun to part shade; 14 to 16 in. tall, 16 to 20 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
B) Meadow cranesbill Geranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’
Perennial; blue-purple flowers in early to midsummer; full sun to part shade; 24 to 26 in. tall, 28 to 30 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
C) Spirea Spiraea japonica Double Play® Pink
Shrub; pink flowers from late spring to midsummer; part to full sun; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
D) Salvia Salvia nemorosa ‘Violet Profusion’
Perennial; bright purple flowers in late spring and early summer; full sun; 14 to 16 in. tall, 16 to 20 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8
E) Lady’s mantle Alchemilla mollis
Perennial; chartreuse flowers in late spring to early summer; full sun to part shade; 10 to 18 in. tall, 18 to 30 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
F) Betony Betonica officinalis ‘Hummelo’
Perennial; rose-purple flowers in late spring to early summer; full sun to part shade; 18 to 24 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8
Learn More:
10 Long-Blooming Perennials
Watch Our Gardening Videos on YouTube
The Garden Design Collection
