I need another perennial that is 12 inches or shorter for bordering a bed. My candytuft only lasted 7 months - completely died after blooming. I should have listened when I read it was short-lived in this area. The plant has to stand up to our heat and black clay and will be in part sun (morning and late afternoon).
For bordering, I already have dwarf ruellia, four-nerve daisy, phlox subulata, Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Hardy Blue Plumbago, Scabiosa columbaria, Snowcap Shasta Daisy, and 'nana' coreopsis auriculata . I don't want anything that will spread non-stop though (No Gold Moss Sedum!).
Anyone have any suggestions, or I will I just have repeat a another plant. :(
Low growing perennial
It's not a perennial but how do you feel about portulaca? It self seeds but is easy to pull up, has nice grayish foliage, a variety of flower colors and um, can you tell I like it? LOL
I have thought about a self-seeding annual, though I had not thought about Portulaca. I have some moss rose now in a container and actually have seeds coming up in a near by bed that I have left to mature. :) It is pretty, but I would be worried about the self seeding in the large bed. It loves the heat here and seems to grow anywhere. I will have to keep it in mind and it might just do if I don't find any perennials that would work. Thanks Badseed!
What about Oxalis? There's a versicolor that's quite pretty..not sure how well it will do in heat, but might be worth checking out.
Society Garlic (variegated or plain) is another option...
Oxalis cannot stand any more than a few hours of sun here (early morning preferably). It just does not stand up to the heat. I do have some in a shade bed that gets filtered sun in the morning, so I do get to enjoy it.
Society Garlic on the other hand, would work. I love the flowers, everytime I see it but I am always worried about the smell (from what I have heard). I have seen it at a few places around here, so I will keep it in mind.
Thanks!
Maiden Pinks (Dianthus deltoides) are cute and can take full of sun. Some of the thymes are nice too. ... Or there's a few hardy geraniums that are short... I have 'Biokovo' on top of my wall in full sun and nothing phases it. The thread leaf coreopsis types do well in full sun and are pretty short.
Hardy Geranium! I forgot about that. My aunt has a pink one has filled in woderfully.
Well, I ran by the nursery today and they had 4" pots of Homestead Purple Verbena marked down to 98 cents! I planted them when I got home and I think it will fit the bill. Thanks for the replies everyone. I now am a step closer to expanding my beds next spring with some of the above suggestions.
I have never had verbena until this year. My kids had a variety package of plants for Mother's Day. Two plants have filled in an area of 4X8. Is that normal? I didn't know they grew that large. Also are they hardy in zone 6?
Teresa in KY
Well, there's an annual verbena (well tender perennial) and hardy stuff. Most of the stuff you see in the store is used as an annual. If it's the perennial stuff, it should be hardy to your zone. Both are good spreaders. What color is it? I am pretty sure none of the reds or pinks are hardy. Purple or Blue shades are both.
It is purple and it did have a perennial tag on it. I have a poor, sunny bank. Will it survive there?
Is this it? http://plantsdatabase.com/go/251/index.html
When you say "bank", you mean dry right? Sounds perfect for it. They love sun and are supposed to be drought tolerant.
How about a short Coreopsis like Moonbeam? Feaathery foliage & tiny yellow flowers all summer. (I give it a "haircut" once a month to include more blooms)
There is a pink version too: Rosea coreopsis for rock gardens or the front row.
My third short choice is Dwarf Purple Dome Aster. It blooms well August thru frost and the butterflies LOVE it!.
