Key Questions to Ask When Choosing Edging Plants
Choosing the right edging plants can be tricky, but a good place to start is with some key questions:
Purpose of Edging Plants
Perhaps the most important consideration when choosing edging plants is their purpose. For example, if you have a frequently used stone path, you might wish to soften the hard, cold lines with edging plants, but it’s also important not to interfere with its function as a walkway. The solution here is to select short plants—perhaps something with leaves and flowers close to the ground—that will soften the hardscape feature. Using a mass of plants of all one species, such as a ground cover, will give a softened visual impact. In this example, avoid plants that are messy, such as those that drop berries, since they could create a slippery safety hazard and a tiresome cleanup chore. If your purpose is to define a property border and provide privacy, the best plants would be a row of tall shrubs. Although this pushes the standard definition of “edging plant,” even a row of trees planted as a wind-break is a type of edging plant—one that is planted with a specific purpose in mind.
Growing Conditions
Growing conditions have a huge impact choosing edging plants. Hostas might make a fine edging along a sidewalk in dense shade but will not work in a location that bakes in the hot sun all summer. In regions with cold winters where sidewalks are treated with salt to melt ice, the plants that edge those sidewalks must be chosen for their ability to tolerate alkaline, salty soils. Almost any plant can become an edging plant if it serves the intended purpose, but the classic edging plants are low-growing plants that form the lowest tier of landscape design. Here are some examples of plants for specific conditions.
Edging Plants for Shade
Halcyon hosta Pachysandra Impatiens Lenten rose Spotted dead nettle Hosta Virginia bluebells Begonia Trillium
Edging Plants for Full Sun
Phlox subulata Yellow alyssum Creeping juniper Silver Mound artemisia Angelina stonecrop Ice plant Daylily Zinnia Marigold Germander Aubrieta
Edging Plants for Salty Soils
Virginia creeper Ice plant Sedum (stonecrop) Daylily
Edging Plants for Alkaline Soils
Dianthus Scabiosa Zinnia
Edging Plants for Acidic Soils
Trillium Phlox Begonia Lupine
Consider Landscape Design Goals
The same design elements that apply to the overall landscape also should be considered when choosing edging plants to fit into your own yard. Things to consider include:
Overall color schemeBlooming seasonTextureForm, scale, and lineProportionHarmonyFlow and rhythmEase of maintenance
