Perennial Favorites for Lasting Borders

Look at photogenic gardens and you’ll see expansive, colorful borders brimming with plants.

Why does this look of continuous color elude most of our gardens?

The problem with most of us is that we fill plant borders--those ornamental strips along our gardens, walkways or houses--with whatever annuals are in bloom. Though the results are attractive, such borders are predictable and require constant replanting. And they don’t last.

“While annuals have their place in the garden, there’s a better solution when it comes to borders,” said Laguna Beach landscape architect Jana Ruzicka. “There’s nothing like a long-lasting perennial border.”

When you choose the right combination of perennial plants and place them in a border containing rich, well-prepared soil, you create a permanent plant bed that will reward you with blooms throughout the seasons.

Perennial borders also require much less maintenance than annual borders, which need constant replanting.

Amy Stark’s Laguna Beach landscape is full of perennial borders. She used to plant more annuals but now finds perennials more appealing.

“I still use some annuals, but most of the beds are full of perennials,” she said. “I find that by planting perennials, I have more time to enjoy the garden and spend less time replacing worn-out annuals.”

Stark also has the joy of watching certain plants, such as her Casablanca lilies, come up year after year.

Now is the time to find many perennials in the nursery. It’s also a good time to plant them, as their roots will take hold over winter, resulting in profuse blooms come spring and summer.

If you’d like to enjoy a perennial border in your landscape, Ruzicka and Judy Wigand, owner of Judy’s Perennials in San Marcos, suggest keeping the following tips in mind:

* Think deep. The deeper your bed, the more dramatic the effect and the more plant options you have. Five feet of soil or deeper will provide your plants plenty of root room.

* Properly prepare the soil. Because the perennials will be growing in the border for years to come, it’s important to amend the soil well with organic matter before planting. Homemade or bagged compost is a good amendment. Planter mix is also acceptable.

Some experts suggest having a soil test conducted by a laboratory before planting. A test will let you know whether you are short on any particular nutrients so you can fertilize to correct any imbalances.

* Think seasons. Make your perennial border work for you all year by choosing a variety of plants that will bloom at different times of the year. The best way to see what is blooming during a particular season is to take a trip to the nursery and choose plants that are in bloom.

* Use ornamental grasses to cover up plants that die back during the year, such as many bulbs.

* Group plants according to similar water and food requirements. This will ensure that your plants thrive and remain healthy.

* Buy several of each plant type. It makes more of a statement when you have several lilies grouped together than a lone lily. It also means that they will go dormant at the same time and can all be dead-headed together.

* Let your plants go. Rather than keeping your plants neat and orderly within the bounds of the border, you’ll get a more dramatic and natural effect if you let them spill over the border’s edge.

If having your plants spill over onto the lawn or a sidewalk bothers you, create transition areas for wandering plants. This can be accomplished by lining your borders with stones, tiles, bricks, gravel and pebbles.

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Bordering on Suggestions

There are many excellent choices for a perennial border that do well in our Southern California climate.

The following perennials are suggested by Judy Wigand, owner of Judy’s Perennials in San Marcos, and Jana Ruzicka, a Laguna Beach landscape architect:

African daisy (Arctotis hybrids)

Agapanthus (Peter Pan)

Alstroemeria

Aster frikartii

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Blue mist bush (Caryopteris clandonensis)

Crocosmia

Daylily

Gaillardia grandiflora (‘Yellow queen,’ ‘Burgundy’)

Geranium

Hypoestes

Iris (reblooming)

Lavender (‘Goodwin Creek’)

Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha)

Nemesia (perennial)

Oregano (perennials ‘Santa Cruz,’ ‘Hopleys’)

Penstemon

Santa Barbara daisy (Erigeron)

Shrub roses--miniature (‘Fairy,’ ‘Sweet Chariot,’ ‘Popcorn,’ ‘Gourmet Popcorn’)

Shrub roses (‘Iceberg,’ ‘Bonica’)

Salvia chamaedryoides (‘Indigo Spires’)

Verbena bonariensis

Verbena hybrida (‘Silver Ann,’ ‘Homestead,’ ‘Kennington’)

Watsonia