Some Edgy Ideas

Asparagus fern when you least expect it…

One of our display beds is up against the building, under a tree, behind some shrubs—it’s in heavy shade. So the first thing we did was use regular old asparagus fern as an edging. It looks very nice—it’s something you don’t see everyday. We just used straight asparagus fern, there’s nothing fancy about it.

Experiment with the new and the old familiar

With this in mind, we challenge you to think outside the box when it comes to edging, whether it’s for spring, summer, or fall. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new or old familiar plants in atypical situations. Sometimes you’ll find you’ve come up with a beautiful display.

Plant ‘Mysty’ for me

In another bed we have a new, shorter salvia called ‘Mysty’. It’s a cousin to the ‘Black and Blue’ or ‘Mystic Spires’, which is a larger, vegetative salvia. This one is more compact; it’s a very good bloomer, very dense. At first we didn’t feel that we needed a short salvia but we’re reconsidering that now—typically we use salvia as a mid-to-back of the border plant but ‘Mysty’ would be good down front in a larger landscape. It grows about 12–18 inches.

‘Calico’ pepper stirs the pot—there’s a lot going on here

Ornamental peppers are always fun to use—they lend another texture and dimension to a design. The breeders have been doing a lot of work so there’s a whole plethora of new varieties: green leaf, dark leaf, variegated, orange fruit, red fruit, purple or yellow fruit, or all mixed on the same plant. One important caveat: be careful where you use peppers. When we plant them in public places people, including children, tend to pick them and eat them, and some are extremely hot.

Retro marigolds for a rich jolt of color

Marigolds often get overlooked because they’ve been around forever. Some designers feel that they don’t want to use them because Grandma had them in her garden. Well, that just makes them retro so there you go—they’re cool. Plus they’re good, tough plants that produce a nice bed of color, which is reason enough to use them. 

Use kale’s textures and colors to your advantage

By the way, those funky kales we talked about last week are great for edging a border. Keep your design toolbox stocked with old school classics and make them fresh by creating innovative color patterns and texture combinations.

‘Dark Star’—one step back from the edge

Now, take one step back from the edge. Keep in mind that whatever you use behind that edging will affect its appearance. For a dramatic look we like ‘Dark Star’ coleus—it makes colors in front of it pop.

Remember, if you use any trailing plants near public walkways make sure the path is clear next week for trick-or-treaters—Halloween is Tuesday, October 31st.