Summer Perennial Border
Summer Perennial Border Design by Kelly Schroeder.
Enjoy a riot of colour from early summer through early autumn with this easy summer border. The plants enjoy a bright location but prefer not to be in the blazing afternoon sun. A good loam soil and regular watering is required to keep the Cimicifuga and Astilbe at their best. Otherwise, if these are allowed to dry out the leaves will turn crispy. If maintaining moisture is a problem use the suggested substitutes which all manage with a little less moisture.
If you want to create a longer border you can repeat the selections or mix in some of the substitutions into the repetition. Remember to plant multiples per variety to avoid a lumpy hodge-podge look in the garden. Best results occur with groups of 3 or 5 plants or more.
PLANTS USED FOR THIS GARDEN ARE:
- Campanula poscharskyana Blue Waterfall – Zone 3
- Dianthus Fire Star™ – Zone 5
- Polemonium reptans ‘Touch of Class’ – Zone 3
- Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’– Zone 4
- Cimicifuga simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ – Zone 3
- Astilbe ‘Jump and Jive’ – Zone 3
- Heuchera ‘Crimson Curls’ – Zone 4
OR SUBSTITUTE WITH:
- Campanula poscharskyana – Zone 2
- Achillea ‘Strawberry Seduction’ – Zone 4
- Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ – Zone 4
- Echinacea purpurea ‘Coconut Lime’ – Zone 3
- Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’ – Zone 3
- Phlox paniculata ‘Watermelon Punch’ – Zone 4
- Sedum spurium red form – Zone 2