Landscaping Plants for Front Walkway

Hosta Plants

• Hostas are low-maintenance plants for your walkways and garden borders. They tolerate shade well. Hostas come in solid colors and variegated shades. Different varieties reach maturity in four to eight years. The small, spiked blossoms are lavender or white in color. Hosta's attractive leaves make it an attractive choice for the walkway. It is particularly effective when you plant them in a line bordering the path to give it a uniform look.

Mondo Grass

• Mondo grass is often called monkey grass. Plant the seedlings 2 inches apart to form a border along your front walkway. It tolerates full or partial shade well, thus making it a low-maintenance plant for any walkway no matter what lighting conditions are available. Mondo grass thrives in zone 7 and above, but can tolerate zones 5 and 6 if in a sheltered area. Six to 10 blades of grass will grow from one base, forming an umbrella shape. Mondo grass produces purple blooms in the center of the plant. This plant looks attractive in lines running down the sides of your walkway or garden pathways. It gives it a look of continuity.

Blanket Flower

• The blanket flower, or Gaillardia, has blooms in warm colors, such as bronze, yellow and scarlet. Although the plants are heat-tolerant, they do need a well-drained area to thrive. This plant reaches 2 to 4 feet in height and spreads to about 1 1/2 feet, therefore it makes an effective backdrop for your walkway, behind smaller plants. The grey-green foliage sports 3- to 4-inch blooms. The grandiflora variety blooms from the early summer months until after the first frost.