Plants for the front of the border and path edges.
Petrorhagia illyrica could be the perfect plant for edging paths and steps on a sunny well-drained site. It comes from the Baltic states and therefore will tolerate hot summers and very cold winters. It won’t tolerate winter wet, so path edges that drop down and have water collecting in them are not suitable. If, however your border edges are mounded and higher than the level of the path, this could be perfect. It will happily tolerate full sun and poor soil without a moment’s pause. Once it has flowered cut it back hard to approx. 4cm and it will grow again and flower with even more vigour. It will also fill out more each time it is cut. A part of the of the Dianthus family, it is smothered in thousands of tiny pale pink or white flowers and is fluffy, soft and delightful to walk through and the texture and movement is a joy to behold on a summers evening.
Calamintha nepeta
Another plant that should be used far more frequently but doesn’t yet appear on most people’s radar is Calamintha nepeta. It has a mound of small green leaved stems which is smothered in tiny lilac or white blooms which keep coming for weeks on end. It looks like a pillow of soft lilac or white. Calamintha nepeta should be far better known than it currently is. Grow in full sun on well-drained soil.
Erigeron karvinskianos (Profusion)
Probably one of the most well-used plants for edging paths, steps and borders, this drought tolerant beauty makes tidy clumps of low growing foliage topped with longer stems of pink and white daisy flowers. Cut spent stems back to the foliage to encourage new growth. A soft and frothy little plant used to soften hard edges. For an alternative you could try Erigeron ‘Lavender Lady’ which has flowers of soft lilac
Perfect for edging partly shaded paths with humus rich bit free-draining soil, these little plants can be left to make low growing clumps that need very little attention. Just cut the spent flowers back to encourage new growth. Violas are available in a multitude of colours so you could combine them to add patches of colour throughout areas under deciduous trees and shrubs.
Previously known as Pratia pedunculata, this moisture loving, matt forming plant is ideal for areas that have consistently moist but not waterlogged soil. The bluey-white flowers are tiny and smother the plant in summer. No pruning of any kind required.
This woodland plant is beloved of designers at RHS Chelsea as it naturally flowers just in time for the show’s late May schedule. Spreading quickly, this attractive ground-cover plant has whorls of pretty pale green foliage which looks great from spring-autumn and the flowers are starry and crisp white which can add some welcome light to dappled and shady areas.
Loving open sunny sites of free-draining soil, this ornamental Origanum is a showy form that develops strings of gorgeous pink bracts as the season warms. A favourite of bees, this plant will be humming with life in the hottest parts of your garden.
Acanthophyllum cerastoides ‘Border Belle’
Previously named Gypsophilla cerastoides ‘Border Belle’, this very low-growing perennial likes full sun and good drainage. It makes a tidy mound with oodles of pretty white flowers and thrives on neglect.
Like most campanula this will spread to make a generous clump, but has larger flowers than most low growing forms. Just lift and split established clumps in the autumn or early spring. The open trumpet shaped flowers in clearest white, will attract pollinators and compliments in equal measure.
Potentilla nepalaensis ‘Ron MacBeath’
One of the lowest growing herbaceous Potentillas, this one is a sun-loving ground-cover beauty with intensely pink flowers that are beloved of pollinators. Drought tolerant when established, give it good soil and a little water to encourage it to settle in its first year. Then sit back and watch the show.
An evergreen perennial, this unassuming little plant is a must in pots and beside paths and patios,. Happy in full sun (moist but free-draining soil) to dappled shade it flowers intensely in spring. When the flowers finish snip it back to approx. 6cm and the new growth with be lush and thick. In the autumn this new foliage will turn wine red providing dramatic colour for the winter months. Then in spring the flowers appear and the show starts all over again. When used beside paths, cutting back is essential to stop the plant growing too large and becoming a potential trip hazard.
Claire Mitchell is 'The Garden Editor', a well respected horticulturist based in Overton. She also has worked with us at the nursery on Tuesdays during the Summer. Claire has a background in sustainability and led the legal team of the UK Government on renewable energy and climate change . She is also a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture. To view her website click on the following link Sustainable Gardening | The Garden Editor | Overton