Ornamental Bushes for Borders

General Principles

• Nearly all border plans are governed by the following concerns: coherence, seasonal interest and proportion. Color is a frequent element of coherence; from spring to fall, you will find touches of red somewhere in the border. Seasonal interest may extend coherence; plants that are interesting to look at yearlong contribute more to a border than those distinguished only when they bloom. Proportion may seem obvious: small bushes in the front and large bushes in the back, but many borders depend on more sophisticated groupings of plants that emphasize or reflect architectural as well as planting considerations. The larger the percentage of perennial, as opposed to annual, plants in your border, the more time you will want to spend planning.

Edible Border Plants

• From amaranth to cannas to daylilies to fiddlehead ferns, many perennials offer edible elements. If learning to roast tubers and harvest your own grain seems improbable, consider interspersing bush cherries with annual heat-loving vegetables like eggplant or okra. Add perennial herb plants and even some tomato plants. The perennials will hold the line until next year's additions. Blueberry bushes and asparagus plants are additional candidates for inclusion in a large edible border.

Wildlife Border

• Consider wildlife biodiversity as a border planning theme. Draw pollinators with bee-friendly viburnum, weigeila, spirea, buddleia and bergamots. Encourage bird feeding with viburnum, cotoneaster and pyracantha and shelter with ilex and small evergreens. Attract butterflies hummingbirds with a wealth of blooming perennials from monarda to lilac to lavender. Each growing zone will have reliable wildlife attractors. Consult your County Extension agent about successful plants for your area.

Deer-Discouraging Border

• Many attractive and often native shrubs rate low on a deer's lunch list. A deep border constructed around a garden patch or cluster of plants deer like better may be enough to redirect their foraging to another yard. County Extension deer-resistant plant lists are available in many different states, and it is hard to envision a border with summersweet, winterberry, green mountain boxwood, holly, dwarf fothergilla, rosa rugosa and astilbe as unattractive.