A bold front-yard flower border with sun-loving perennials can add energy to your home’s exterior. The plants in this combination are designed for season-long interest in full sun, providing bold color every year.
These perennials will show off for years once planted, offering plenty of color and texture. You can arrange them in various ways to create a unique look.
Creating a Perennial Combination
To make pink and purple blooms pop, combine them with splashes of white and chartreuse. This combination creates a high-contrast, energetic look for a front entry or sunny pathway.
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. Cutting them back will also encourage the foliage to grow in a tidy mound.
Lady’s mantle plants 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.
Attracting Bees and Butterflies
Another plus to these plants is that all of them attract bees and butterflies. Most are also deer resistant, so you won’t find your plants “pruned” by anyone but you.
Related: New Guide Helps Identify Edible Wild Plants
This combination of plants is similar to other perennial arrangements that have been successful in the past, where a mix of colors and textures creates a visually appealing display. In this case, the combination of salvia, veronica, and lady’s mantle provides a unique and energetic look.
In terms of design, it’s worth considering the color wheel when selecting plants. Yellow and purple are across from each other on the color wheel, which creates a high-contrast look.
Plant List
The following plants are included in this combination:
- A) Spike speedwell Veronica ‘White Wands’: perennial with white spikes of flowers from late spring through summer
- B) Meadow cranesbill Geranium pratense ‘Boom Chocolatta’: perennial with blue-purple flowers in early to midsummer
- C) Spirea Spiraea japonica Double Play Pink: shrub with pink flowers from late spring to midsummer
- D) Salvia Salvia nemorosa ‘Violet Profusion’: perennial with bright purple flowers in late spring and early summer
- E) Lady’s mantle Alchemilla mollis: perennial with chartreuse flowers in late spring to early summer
- F) Betony Betonica officinalis ‘Hummelo’: perennial with rose-purple flowers in late spring to early summer
These plants are all cold hardy in various USDA zones, making them suitable for a range of climates.
The perennial plants in this combination will continue to thrive for years to come, providing a beautiful display of color and texture.
