Landscaping Ideas With Lilies as a Border

Planting With Bulbs

• Lilies are bulbs that add touches of color to perennial and annual beds. English cottage style gardens will have mixes of many kinds of perennials such as rose bushes, delphiniums, foxglove, oxalis and lilies. Layer the plants according to height, so the taller lilies, such as callas and cannas, have plenty of space to decorate the border's back wall.

Just Lilies

• Another idea is to use only lilies, but in combinations of color laid out along the border. Yellow, orange, white and other colors can be laid out in stripes of color or mixed together for dots and splashes. The more formal garden border will have the plants assembled in obvious spacings. Stargazers placed near the front of a border will bring delicious scents as you pass by.

About Plantings

• When planting very long beds of flowers, you'll need a lot of lily bulbs to create your border. Short borders will need fewer and can be of one variety. Order lilies locally or purchase online from reputable nurseries. You can frame the entire length of lily border with wood or stone, or leave it just as soil and plants with a clearly defined edge. Curves add more interest to long beds, and bermed borders give height above lawns and deck areas.

Water Lilies

• A beautiful and rare idea is to dig beds and border them with a 3 to 5 foot wide shallow strip of pool. While any water feature typically adds a soothing, peaceful touch to a landscape, you can place water lilies to grow and bloom in your water border. Frame any bed or create a special area where the water border becomes a focal point. Choose pink, white or yellow water lilies to plant in ponds with enough depth for their roots.