Landscaping Ideas for Beds & Borders

Themed and Regional Gardens

• Themed gardens benefit those who have specific design plans in mind or who live in a region where specific plants are easy to grow. For example, for those who live in the northeast, planting all fall-colored foliage such as pines, evergreens, Japanese maples, rhododendrons and so froth in a bed is smart because it provides you with a lush, vibrant garden from late spring to winter. For borders in tropical regions, plant flowers and shrubbery such as coral bells (these flower all season), baby pansies, violas, marigolds, bird of paradise, portulaca and ageratum. If you love roses, fill a landscaping bed with different rose varieties that will last for generations. Border the rose bed with perennials.

Rock Gardens

• Rock gardens work well in all regions, but particularly in Southwest or desert landscapes, where they can still provide foliage as well as an attractive border. This landscaping idea also works well on sloping ground and for those on a budget. A rock garden shows off low-growing plants as well as taller varieties, with positioning that resembles their natural habitat. Ideal plants include mountain avens, dragonhead, any type of cactus, rosemary, some rose varieties, fire witch and aloe vera. Use stones of different sizes, buried at various depths and placed in groups, to create landscape borders.

Herbs

• Herb gardens make not only attractive borders or landscape beds, but also have culinary and medicinal uses. You can make herb gardens a dramatic focal point in a bed, or simply use them as a border for a front-door pathway or a garden in your backyard. Plant taller herbs such as basil, lavender, rosemary and parsley toward the back of the herb garden, or as the back part of the border, and smaller herbs such as chives, sage and cilantro in the front and around the sides.