The 16 Best Edging Plants to Finish Off Your Garden
Whether it’s alongside a path or a bed of flowers and shrubs, edging plants give your garden a more finished look. They soften the hard boundaries of walks and pavement, define garden beds, and add another layer of beauty and color to your yard. The best edging plants are compact and low-growing because they’re used at the front of borders, but any plant can be used for this purpose if it’s repeated and planted in masses along the edges of a space.
When shopping, choose plants that are appropriate for the conditions. For example, does the area receive full sun, which is considered 6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day? Part sun, which is about half that? Or is it mostly shade? If planting perennials, make sure they’re suited to your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here) so they’ll survive winter and come back next year. Adding a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch of any kind, such as shredded hardwood, bark chips or pine straw (or whatever is commonly available in your region), also helps conserve moisture and keep down weeds, so you can spend more time enjoying your garden and less time on chores.
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The Best Edging Plants for Your Garden:
1. Sweet Alyssum
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Sweet scent, color from spring to fall, attracts pollinators
2. Delosperma
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Fast grower, color shade range
3. Lamium
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Low maintenance ground cover, rabbit resistant
4. Marigold
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Reliable flowers, long season color
5. Stonecrop
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Low maintenance succulent, cold-hardy
6. Cranesbill
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Low maintenance, delicate flowers, rabbit resistant
7. Catmint
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Low maintenance, deer and rabbit resistant
8. Coral Bells
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Gorgeous foliage, rabbit resistant
9. Lavender
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Fragrant, romantic flowers, can be dried or used in cooking
10. Creeping Thyme
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Fragrant herb that attracts pollinators
11. Lady’s Mantle
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Old-fashioned favorite, deer resistant
12. Creeping Jenny
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Trailing form, cold hardy, rabbit resistant
13. Day Lily
- How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
- Why we love it: Easy to grow perennial, many different colors
14. Creeping Mazus
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Fast-growing, low maintenance perennial
15. Thrift
- How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
- Why we love it: Attractive foliage, cute ball-shaped flowers
16. Ferns
- How much sunlight it needs: Full shade
- Why we love it: Feathery texture, easy to grow, shade lover
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