Today was our first warm day this spring and now I have flowers swirling in my head. I thought this was the perfect time to share one of my favorite plants, paired with a planting design hint.
An essential part of the perennial border often not given the deserved attention is the front...the extreme front. Often we jump into plants that are 18" to 24" tall in this location, but what makes this part of the border special is the beautiful trim of really short plants...those 12" or less. I especially love when they spill over onto the sidewalk.
I've been experimenting with this living trim for a few years and have discovered a few beauties. One of them is Veronica x 'Waterperry Blue'. This plant only grows 4-6" tall and has an amazing blue flower in the spring (zones 4-5). The foliage also has a slight burgundy tinge making it extra nice throughout the growing season. Oh, I can't wait until the snow is completely gone!
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My next spring plant combination has such a sweet, cottage feel to it. Again, I've included another ajuga, was inspired by tasty sweets, and kept it simple with just three plants.
This planting is for full sun in zones 4 and 5. The plants in this design include:
Ajuga reptans 'Toffee Chip' / Bugleweed
Veronica 'Waterperry Blue'/ Speedwell
Coreopsis verticillata 'Creme Brulee' / Tickseed
What I like most about this combination:
- The striking color contrast between the light green, almost white ajuga with the veronica's dark foliage and vibrant blue flowers.
- The contrast of leaf textures...coarse ajuga leaves to the finer veronica leaves to the even finer coreopsis leaves.
- The low groundcovers setting a nice base for the strong upright form of the coreopsis.
- The quaint feel of the soft yellow, daisy-like coreopsis flowers against the vibrant blue veronica flowers. Ugh, I want to plant this in my garden right now!
