The 19 Best Edging Plants for Your Flower Beds

blood pathways or outline planting beds with these beautiful edging plants for either sunny or shady areas .

Edging plants help create a crisp , finished depend to garden beds . put these plants alongside non - living edging materials such as brick or metal to mince their show , or uselower - growing plantson their own to sketch unlike area of your garden . The comply edging plants , divide by selection for full sunlight and shade , will look beautiful on the frontlines of your flower bed through the seasons .

Edging Plants for Sun

Boxwood

One of the most elegant evergreenedging plants is boxwood . Choose nanus smorgasbord such as ' Morris Midget ' and ' Wee Willie ' to create a tidy hedgerow along the borders of your garden beds . Shear your Turkish boxwood annuallyto uphold its contour and size . Boxwood varieties vary in daring but in general will grow in Zones 4 - 8 .

Daylily

refined mound of unripened foliage makedaylily a solid landscaping edging plantfor spring through autumn . The works sends up colourful flower spike in June 21 ; keep plant tidy by trimming away flower stalking after blooms fade . opt from varieties in shades of yellow , orangish , cerise , and pink . Most are hardy in Zones 3 - 10 .

Lady’s Mantle

This beautiful perennial produces tidy cumulation of scollop - form green leaf . The fine hair on the foliage snatch body of water and dewdrop , often adding a little extra sparkle . Lady ’s mantleblooms in early summer with clusters of bantam , chartreuse flowers . This low - produce industrial plant makes for an elegant edging works in Zones 4 - 7 .

Lavender

expand in bright sun , heat , and drought , lavender makes a stalwart and fragrantedging plant . This herb is intrepid in Zones 5 - 10 and evergreen plant in warm area . reap the purple , blue , or white flowers for fragrance or dry out .

Moss Rose

Dry conditions and raging sun do n’t unnerve long - bloomingmoss uprise . An annual with jewel - tone flowers , this beauty expands rapidly to create a colorful mat of flowers and foliage . grow just 6 inches marvellous , it ’s perfect for inch layer of downcast - develop plants .

Sedum

clippety-clop , upright sedum varietiessuch as ' Matrona ' add fall flair to the landscape painting and create a neat edge for taller flora behind them . This perennial holds up well to heat and drought . Most sedum varieties are hardy in Zones 3 - 10 , and the flowers pull pollinator .

Thrift

This pretty perennial produces respectable mounds of grassy leaf . Rounded bunch of promising pink or whitened flowers bloom from tardy bound to early summer . Thrift loves full sunand verywell - drain soilin Zones 3 - 9 .

Thyme

Fragrant and flavorful , thyme cringe to form a moundof foliage decorated with pink or blanched flowers in summer . Low - growing thyme is an ideal edging plant in front of low - growing perennials or in an herb garden in Zones 4 - 9 .

Zinnia

An annual that ’s comfortable to start from seed , zinnias are useable in many colorsand sizes . Shorter , midget varieties or seeded player mixes such as ' Thumbelina ' or ' Short Stuff ' make colourful edging plants .

Edging Plants for Shade

Astilbe

Feathery flower plume and fernlike foliage makeastilbe a stunning additionto anyshade gardenin Zones 3 - 8 . This drought - tolerant perennial ’s hefty shape makes it a good alternative for landscape painting edging . Flower colors admit lily-white , pink , and red .

Epimedium

A favorite edging plant for shady landscape painting bed , epimedium ( bishop’s hat ) is a buoyant little perennial that blooms in bounce with spidery flowers in shades of pinkish , purple , orangish , chicken , and white . Many varieties have attractive foliage that turns bronzy in fall . Thistough plant life also is drouth - tolerantand hardy in Zones 5 - 9 .

Begonia

An yearbook with dozens of blossom power , begonia grow bestin well - drained , rich stain and lovesome weather . Many varieties stand less than 12 inches tall , make them well - suit as an edging plant .

Coleus

This yearly ’s colourful leaf will wake up a sleepy subtlety garden . Manycoleus cultivarsand color combinations are usable . ( Some also will grow in the sun . ) crimp these tight - growing plant life back to maintain the best height for edge your garden layer .

Ferns

flourish in moist soil and part shade to deep shade in Zones 3 - 9,many fernsmake easy - care butt plants . Choose low - grow type for the front of a garden bed . Be aware that some fern circularise quickly — if they begin encroaching on nearby plants , you could carve up them .

Hellebore

Leathery evergreen foliage and tardy - winter or former - spring blossom are thehallmarks of hellebores . Plenty of varieties offerbeautiful flower in white , ointment , pink , rise , bicolors , and even nearly black . Hint : industrial plant several of the same variety for consistent edging plants . Hellebore is hardy in Zones 4 - 9 .

Coralbells

Gorgeous foliage in sunglasses of green , sensationalistic , and burgundy , top by delicate flower spike in summer , make coralbellsa high - impact edging plant . This tough recurrent grows in dry status and a variety of stain in Zones 4 - 9 .

Hosta

Low - develop hostassuch as ' Blue Mouse ear ' and ' Chartreuse Wiggles ' make fantabulous edging plants for a shady garden layer . Hardy in Zones 3 - 9 , Hosta feature of speech leaves range in coloring from pea green to blue . Varieties with variegated leaveswill add extra brightness level to the garden , while solid - hued foliage will produce a sense of equanimity .

Japanese Forestgrass

One of the few grass that thrives in tad , Nipponese forestgrassforms thick mound of graciously arching leaf . Also calledHakone grass , this perennial make a toughened , drouth - tolerant plant for landscaping edging in Zones 5 - 9 .

Liriope

A classic edging plant in warm regions , genus Liriope ( lilyturf)is a tough but showy perennial . sceptre of small , purple flowers accent the grasslike , evergreen plant leaf during the summer in Zones 4 - 10 . Look for variegated variety for an extra splash of color .

Tips for Growing Edging Plants

The respectable edging plants for your landscape captivate your eye and result it forrad — for exercise , calling attention to agarden pathto assist verbatim groundwork dealings . place colorful edging flora around a blossom bed also add ocular excitement while clearly define the planting place from other nearby features .

1. Make sure to consider mature size.

Underestimating the mature size of a new landscape gardening addition is a frequent mistake when selecting all type of plants , but it ’s especially problematic when it come to edging plant . Take lavender : In a 4 - inch nursery pot at the garden center , it ’s hard to imaginelavender could elaborate to 24 incheswide in a duo of years . Bottom line : cautiously interpret nursery tags and space your plantings according to their mature sizing , not the sizing they are when you purchase them .

2. Match the plant to your light.

Before you pick your border plant , assess theamount of sunlight your blank gets . Full - sunlight plants will perform well if the sun strike directly for eight or more time of day a twenty-four hours . But if the bottom is shade enough to get less than eight hours of direct sun a twenty-four hour period , chooseplants that prefer growingin part shade .

3. Keep it uniform.

A uniform look helps transmit a more neat aesthetic . Using just one type of march plant — for exercise , one of many evergreen plant edging works , like blue star juniperor creeping juniper bush — provides a uniform frame for the seasonally changing interior parts of the garden .

colorful garden path