What to plant at the base of echinaceas?

I am looking for something to plant beneath and between my echinaceas in a part sun bed (note, I'm in the South). In my Full sun bed, I have different colors of Lantana at the bottom of my echinacea and I really like that, but Lantana doesn't tolerate part sun here like my echinacea. I still want a different look to my part sun bed, anyway. I thought about Rozanne Cranesbill, but, even though I love Rozanne, I'm thinking I want something "rounder" and a little less weedy-looking.

I just want something to hide echs ugly legs, even if it is just a late summer - fall bloomer. I considered Asters, but again, part Sun and can't have something that takes up room ALL the time, like asters or mums. I do have other things growing in front: tickseed, very short geums, etc but all or spring into early summer. I need that summer - fall punch! I played with the idea of Heuchera, but really wanted something that had a bigger bloom impact like the lantana or Rozanne but maybe I should just go with greenery?

I know, a lot to take in, but I have been fretting over this for too long now. I need help! Any suggestions?

Does it need to be a perennial? If you can use an annual, New Guinea impatiens could work (and they are probably on sale this time of the year). As far as an annual goes, I really like my veronica. I have "goodness grows" and "royal candles". Both of these are still blooming in my garden. I like one of them better, but can't remember which one is which right now, I'd have to look it up. I think that blue would be pretty in front of the echinacea, and they should be able to handle part sun. Daylilies could work too. I have Johnson's blue geraniums in front of my echinacea, and although the jb's are done blooming, the foliage still looks pretty, and helps to hide the legs a bit.

Guess it kind of depends on what kind of look you're going for....I have Liriope in front of mine - the regular green, not the variegated. Another bed has them nearly surrounded by Nepeta 'Walker's Low' - but I think you need full sun for those - ?

Pagancat...great minds....I have Nepeta Walker's Low around my Coneflower beds also. Works great to hide the lower type of foliage on the coneflowers. Up here Nepeta slows in flowering when our Coneflowers start to really get into the swing of flowering. Really loved it this year but Nepeta is a Full Sun type of plant here in Maine.

Great minds, indeed! < 8*)

Yes, I am really looking for a perennial, not an annual. The partial sun part of this is the hard part. If it was full sun, I would have no trouble at all picking!

Thanks for the suggestions so far :)

I love Nepeta "Walker's Low." The good thing about it is you can just take a cutting and stick it in the soil and they will root so easily.

I'm also going to get some Ornamental Alliums to go with my Echinaceas. I like the way the seed heads look after they dry too.

What about one of the more sun tolerant Hostas?

I looked up Nepeta and it says sun to mostly sun, so it might actually work. I really like the spreading habit, it says 3 feet! Blooms in the summer, so here's a few questions about it:

What does it look like the rest of the year?
I'm assuming it comes up in the spring or does it wait and come up later like Lantana?
It says it blooms into late summer. What does it look like in the fall?

Thanks so much, you guys! This suggestion might be the ONE if it will just tolerate a bit of "sunny" shade in the south.

By the by, I have Hostas already running out of my ears, LOL! Don't want to plant any more of those! :)

Hey there I can only speak about my Maine grown plants. They start flowering around early/mid May and have continued to flower since that time. Now they are pretty much done but have a lavender colored tip. I am going to cut them right back to the ground and they will sprout new growth from the ground and flower once more before the frost take em out in October.

Is the second flush a good one or just hit or miss?

funnthsun - This is my first year for Nepeta "Walker's Low" and it has been blooming off and on all spring and summer. Mine are short plants too. It's a great filler.

I also like this plant I got this year called Agastache "Golden Jubilee." It's easily grown from seeds. If you don't have it, you might like it too.

I really like the color of Agastache Golden Jubilee but my problem with it up here is it self seeded everywhere. I have it growing in places it never was close to....even got a few plants around my house stairs that is 300' from the greenhouse/nursery - not sure how it made it that far.
The second flush from my Nepeta isn't as tall but does give some color to my late fall bed. It isn't as prolific as the first. I find that my plants(although planted in full sun) falls open so really needs to be cut back. I am not sure if this is because we do not have strong sun here...

Whereas my Nepeta started blooming about 6 weeks ago and just hasn't paused for a moment.

Funnthsun, I have Walker's Low growing and blooming fine in a partial sun situation.
Very robust with no special care.

Just put some blue-eyed grass at the base of some White Swan Cone flowers. Even though the common name says grass, it's actually a member of the iris family - sisyrinchium augustfolium "Lucerne." Don't know if that helps you or not...

~Sharon

How about some some of the low ornamental grasses out there?

I love the ornamental grasses. I think it's a good idea.
Here's hakonechloa macra All Gold in a partial sun situation.

Ooo - I love that grass. I killed it once, might have to try it again.....

I find the 'All Gold' cultivar to be much more vigorous than 'Aureola'.
My first love was Aureola and I must have planted a dozen or more along my shady driveway
trying to replicate the beautiful images I had seen in magazines.
Over the course of about 10 years, I just barely have a couple respectable clumps of Aureola (see pix).
But the All Gold pictured above is just 2-3 years old.
It has certainly been more vigorous and looks great.

Yup, I killed Aureola. I'll have to try 'All Gold', thanks!

Funnthsun, what did you end up doing?

I killed my first 'All Gold' a couple of years ago but picked one up locally last year and it's survived so far and gotten a little bigger. Love my "Hak" grass. 'Aureola' does fine for me. I've even divided it and now have 5 clumps (one of which grows in a pot with a Hosta).

Interesting. Do either of you have clay soil?

I like mixing everything. Annuals, perennials, roses etc. This is my hottest & driest bed.

I still haven't decided, LOL. I really like the nepeta idea, that one is a front runner. A lot of the suggestions have already proven not to do well in partial sun in that bed and not really into the decorative grass thing. I like bloom impact, the more the better, but if the leaves have enough color to substitute for bloom color, then that is a possibility. I ordered a few heuchera and I am thinking of using those at the base. I even considered mums and have some in pots waiting for me to make a decision! I think either nepeta, heuchera or mums but who knows which!

Look at that window box, lovely, joanna!

I doubt that you'll get the bloom impact on the Nepeta in partial sun, but I haven't tried, so shouldn't say. Mine is getting just about full day sun ... still blooming like crazy and my mom wants to dig it up - it's over-running her sedums. There is no justice in this world, I tell ya....

Pagancat - yep, clay but it's somewhat amended. And they do get supplemental watering if we go too long without rain.
This thread caught me eye because my daughter in Columbia, TN is having the same issues (naked legs) and has been trying to think of a solution. Too much sun though for "Hak" grass. Because they got adequate rainfall this year (drought for previous two years), her Monarda 'Mahogany' and coneflowers grew to 5 ft tall. I think she's got 'Walkers Low' growing in another spot that she could divide and move.
Joanna - You've got so much color packed into that area! A knockout!

Here's a different view of that flower bed. I put a lot of annuals (start them from seed or wintersow) in all my flower beds. There are a lot of perennials & roses too.

I can understand why you would put a chair out there, joanna. I bet it even smells good there.

Small world, huh, Cindy?

Pagancat - Are you talking about shared reactions to Joanna's beautiful sitting area or daughter's location? She's actually in Santa Fe (pronounced "Santa FEE" by the locals), outside of Columbia.

LOL - both, but specifically about your DD's location. Tennesseans seem to do that a lot with names - I live near Lafayette - no, that's la-FAY-ette, and there's a lot more, of course! I'm about 2-3 hours NE of her.

Versailles is another good one. KY, IL or where ever.

Joanna, your garden looks great.

I admire the fact that you wintersow annuals in zone 3a. Astounding! This year will be my first attempt at wintersowing, and I'm in zone 7a.

Thanks everyone. I just posted pictures from the other day. We have a frost warning tonight, so it may be the beginning of the end for this season. We have had a spectacular September and often have our 1st frost in the beginning of September. Here's the thread with recent pictures.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1009136/

I usually start the wintersowing in March.

Wow, looks great!

I'm going to be planting more Nepeta "Walker's Low" around my Echies next year. It's an awesome plant. It's so easy to propagate. You can just break a stem and stick in the ground even in July. LOL.

Thanks for that tidbit of information. I'll do that across the entire front of my daylily border and hopefully it will deter the deer.