Did you know English Gardens offers multiple complimentary, ready-made landscape designs? As explained in the latest Inspirations magazine, fall is the perfect time to refresh your landscaping and plant perennials. Temperatures tend to be cooler, the rainfall is consistent and pests have gradually disappeared.

Lori Heiden, English Gardens West Bloomfield Garden Coach, explains more about this Curved Border Perennial Garden for the sun. “The perennials incorporated into this design are specially curated to create a succession of color from spring, to summer and fall,” explains Lori. “With bright blues to deep violets, this garden creates a calming effect with its use of cool colors and a serene water feature.” They are also low maintenance perennials that tend to be drought tolerant.

“I also love this design as it offers different plant textures to avoid monotony. There is a little bit of coarse, medium and fine textures,” says Lori. 

1. Paeonia, Garden Peony
   

   Known for its delicate blooms, Peonies love sun! They offer spring color, starting in April, which ranges from white to pink. “The Peony is placed towards the back corner of this design as it is a larger shrub that needs room to grow and provides height.” 

2. Leucanthemum, Shashta Daisy
   

   Shasta Daisies are drought tolerant, perky perennials, which makes them perfect plantings for the sun. “Shasta Daisies provide summer interest and are very low maintenance. To encourage heavier blooming, deadhead occasionally.” Similar to the Peony, plant the Shasta Daisies towards the back of the flower bed to provide height. 

3. Hemerocallis, Daylily
   

   Daylilies come in a variety of colors, ranging from yelllow and orange, to pink and red. Two plantings of Daylilies can provide a mound of foliage and blooms that last throughout the summer time. 

4. Delphinium, Larkspur
   

   “Delphiniums provide the epicenter of cool, blue colors in the design. They are placed towards the back corner as they tend to grow very tall and for easy access. Often Delphinium require staking, so by placing them near the back corner you can easily access the stems,” explains Lori. 

5. Iberis, Candytuft 
   

   “Literally the eye ‘candy’ of the garden, Candytuft provides groundcover for the front of this bed.” Candytuft will fill in any holes as it spreads approximately one to three feet wide. It provides spring interest starting in early April. 

6. Festuca, Blue Fescue
   

   The Blue Fescue has a finer texture than the coarse Delphinium and Daylilies. They are planted close to each other to create a contrast in texture, thus creating more interest in this design. Lori explains, “Similar to the Candytuft, Blue Fescue is scattered throughout the front of this bed to provide a light blue color and groundcover.” 

7. Campanula glomerata, Clustered Bellflower
   

   Clustered Bellflower is a low maintenance perennial and it has the added benefit of being both deer and rabbit resistant. It also helps attract pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, to your garden. It’s a long-blooming perennial that lasts from late spring to late summer. 

8. Geranium, Blushing Turtle
   

   The ideal groundcover for this design, Geranium ‘Blushing Turtle’ has mounds of beautiful pink flowers that bloom from June until September. “Blushing Turtle has a finer texture that contrasts well against the Peony’s large foliage,” says Lori.

   Overall, this is a very balanced perennial garden that provides color throughout several seasons. “Personally, my favorite part about this garden is the birdbath. By incorporating a water feature, you can attract pollinators and birds,” exclaims Lori.