As always, plants bring special beauty to your backyard. And so if you have a flower planted along your path in the yard, it will add to its beauty and ambiance.
When planting plants along your path you should carefully choose the right plants. The choice can depend on many factors. Whether you like the plant or whether your path is in the shade or in the sun.
Ferns, known for their graceful green fronds, are a perfect choice for backdrops.
Foliage plants come in a variety of shades of green, so they can also be used to add color. A pleasing walkway can be created by mixing bright green foliage with olive green, light green, or even variegated foliage.
Tall flowering plants such as hydrangeas with their massive blooms or nicotiana with fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers can be planted in groups for a dramatic effect or used as specimen plants throughout the border area.
Nicotiana
Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) belongs to the notorious Solanaceae (nightshade) family of herbaceous perennials, which contains the poisonous belladonna and Datura species, as well as vegetable garden favorites like potatoes and eggplant. Flowers of the genus Nicotiana bear some resemblance to petunias, another nightshade relative, in appearance and evening fragrance.
Nicotiana cultivars vary from 18 inches to 5 feet in height. Gardeners looking for tall flowering tobacco varieties should stick with heirloom types, as newer compact varieties are bred to flower while still growing in nursery six-packs.
This plant prefers well-drained soils that are moist and high in organic material.
Impatiens
Impatiens is a beautiful annual that makes an excellent houseplant or summer bedding and container plant.
Impatiens is also known as “Busy Lizzie,” and its name is a Latin word that describes the way its seeds shoot out of its pods when ripe (the slightest touch can make a ripe impatiens seed pod burst open and scatter its seeds). Generally, impatiens like shade and moisture.
The most commonly grown cultivars are short plants, attaining a height of not more than 1 foot. Some types, such as the ‘Super Elfin’ series, stay much shorter. Impatiens flowers come in a variety of colors, including white, red, pink, violet, coral, purple, and (a relative newcomer) yellow.
Grow impatiens flowers in well-drained soil enriched with hummus. Because they require a good amount of water, the soil must drain well. The soil should also be moist and deeply shaded.
Primrose
Primrose flowers (Primula polyantha) bloom in early spring, offering a variety of form, size, and color. They are suitable for use in garden beds and borders as well as in containers or for naturalizing areas of the lawn.
Primroses are colorful perennials of European origin that are not actually related to the rose. Among the first to bloom as winter retreats, they’ll multiply each year if given a little shade and moist (but not soggy) soil.
They can grow to be 3 feet tall. Primrose grows best in moist, drained soil. Use mulch to maintain soil moisture around plants.
Dead Nettle
Spotted dead-nettles are valued as perennial ground covers for the shade that will spread and fill in a patch of ground that might otherwise remain bare. In warm regions and/or in sheltered areas of your yard, they may be evergreen. Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to be semi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. Both their flowers and their foliage make an impact on the landscape. Lamium is in the mint family (Lamiaceae), which provides a hint as to its toughness.
Grow spotted dead-nettles in full to partial shade. They will not require much water when grown in full shade, a fact that recommends them to homeowners seeking low-maintenance landscaping. In fact, they are one of the best perennials for shade.
Install the plants in an acidic, well-drained, loamy soil. Add compost if you have clayey soil to improve drainage.
Astilbes
Astilbes are one of the easiest perennial flowers to grow. They have long-blooming, plume-like flowers in soft shades of white, pink, and red, and the flowers are held on tall, stiff stalks above the airy foliage. Virtually pest-free, they can light up the shade garden or soften a sunny spot, and they are very low maintenance.
Astilbes’ flower clusters vary in size from 6 inches to 2 feet and their height ranges from 6 inches to 5 feet, depending on the variety.
If you have a shady area, try astilbes. They are a great way to add color and texture to a place where other flowers won’t thrive.
Astilbe plants grow best in partial shade but can also grow in full sun. Astilbe will bloom in shade, but the plants prefer some sunlight to achieve their full size. In hot weather and dry soils, their foliage will burn, so partial shade, plus plenty of water, is preferable.
Astilbe plants prefer a slightly rich, moist soil, as well as a slightly acidic soil pH of around 6.0.
Coral Bells
Coral bells (Heuchera) is a traditional foliage plant with many newer varieties available. Heuchera plants form round mounds with a woody rootstock or crown at their base. Small bell-shaped flowers on tall stems attract hummingbirds and make nice cut flowers. Their leaves are rounded, lobed, hairy, and evergreen—even when covered in snow. Besides traditional green-leaved coral bells, new varieties of heuchera have leaves in shades of purple, rose, lime green, gold, and variegations in between.
Most Heuchera will grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9 and thrive in that middle ground of zone 5-7. However, some are capable of growing as far north as zone 3 or as far south as zone 11. I’ve seen Heuchera in upstate New York look as happy and healthy as the plants in Florida and Texas!
In the wild, most alumroots grow in a woodland setting, often taking root in crevices and steep slopes that offer good drainage. To make your plants happy, try to replicate their preferred natural environment as best you can!