Here's the next bed pic

Well, I'm not much of a designer, but I would try to think of plants that I like that vary in height. Your plants all look okay to me, but they are all mounds of sort of similar foliage in a similar size. You could find something that could drape out of the bed with narrow foliage like a threadleaf coreopsis, or a perennial geranium. Some things that are taller yet don't get really wide are agastache and coneflowers, or lilies. I think you have enough sun from noon to sundown to look at some brighter plants. But you would have to make sure that you didn't get a "thug" plant that would not blend in with other plants well because it gets so big it sort of upstages the others. Do you live in Kent? I grew up near there. Actually I think an orange lily or two would look really good with a lot of what you already have.

hey.. long time.. no time...

i see what your problem is.... well???.. one of them... lol

if this werent the digital age.. i would have suggested you just flipped the negative.... they are planted EXACTLY the same.. plant for plant.. arent they???

and go they go right around that corner????

if so.. you need a vertical on that corner .... and in fact.. every single plant is exactly the same height as the one on either side.... and it doesnt help with the horizontal siding... it hurts the eye.. doesnt it ????

and why wait for spring.. do it this fall... so you will be surprised and looking forward to next spring ...

any chance you want to get rid of that grass... part of your problem .... is that the bed is so lacking in depth ... i realize you are spatially constrained... but could you add a foot or two at the base of the wood box....

now.. i think you have other plants around... how about you simply go shopping in your own garden.... dig out a plant elsewhere... in late sept, mind you .... bring it here... dig out one here... flop in new... and take the other back to the other hole...

no need to move every single one.. take a big gob of soil with the plant ..... do it when days are warm.. and nights cooling.. they will never know they were moved ... and just shuffle your deck ... especially as to height variation ...

also.. your leaf shapes are all the same ... i see a daylily way back in the second pic.. now there is a different leaf shape.. think about bringing it forward ....

soooo in summation.. your honor.. the horizontals of the bed box ..... the siding of the house.... and the lack of plant height diversity ... and the straight path of grass .... are making your head hurt.. that is what you are SEEING.. that is bothering you [unfortunately.. you are blaming the plants]

i herebey challenge you.. to change that.. WITHOUT SPENDING A PENNY ... just move somethings around ...

what says you???

ken

I would either place taller plants in the middle section of each bed or put trellises or obelisks on the outer side of each bed and find a smaller clematis (an integrifolia?)

Some possible plants for varied shape/color:

Toad lily is upright with very late flowers but might be a bit too spready for you there--I do not consider it invasive, but it does send out small runners and gets caught up in surrounding plants.

Tradescantia Sweet kate has golden leaves and blue flowers in the morning for me here, has been very well behaved and stays in its clump.

Lobelia Monet Moment has tall rose pink flowers, starting about now.

I have some garden phlox growing in part shade. Mine get deer pruned each year but are hanging in there and about to flower. I have Katherine and the foliage is noticeably darker green than my other phlox. Oh, maybe a phlox shockwave w/variegated foliage.

Caryopteris might do well there, although I wonder if overwintering might be problematic due to the raised bed.

Finged leaf bleeding heart could add a bit of color. Starts blooming in spring and is just now slowing down. Probably will go dormant soon as it has been quite dry.

I'd think several campanulas could be happy there.

Maybe thalictrium...I only have thalictrium aquilisomething or another, but have seen some great pics of taller, billowy thalictrium types. Might be too narrow though.

If you don't already have some, a few biennial foxgloves tucked in the back would provide late spring color. The magenta would stand out against the house, but the show is pretty short lived. You can just cut them right down to the ground or even take them out afterward blooming though. IF you found small plants this fall they should flower next spring.

Also, I'd tuck in some smaller plants like hosta blue mouse ears, anemonella, small carex grass even, to help it look less like a row of plants and give a bit more sensation of depth.

GL! I think all your plants look vibrant and healthy but I sure do understand the desire to change things up a bit.

Given the size of the beds, I'd be tempted to go for annuals. They just aren't big enough for anything but a straight row

I agree with Ken it is the little box effect. If it was my area I would take away the timber boxes and the grass would be gone and I would do a walkway and round the beds instead of the square affect.

If you are limited and have to keep it as is a Trellis with climbing vines of clematis, or morning glory or a pretty bird bath can make a nice addition to a small garden area.

Yeah, I think I have to jump on this bandwagon too! I agree that the plants all look great and healthy and you've got some nice-looking ones there, but they are all almost the same size, shape, and even leaf shape.

You say they face west but it seems you've got more shade-loving plants there, so I'm a bit unsure as to your sun exposure.

But that doesn't really matter, because I think it's not a case of suggesting specific plants as it is thinking, as others mentioned, about shapes and heights, and foliage textures, and there are lots of variations and plants you can choose and accomplish the change with.

I would go for some height, perhaps using a trellis if you can't find a taller plant that would work - or heck, use them both! I would also second the idea of something trailing, or at least spilling a bit over the edge, like the geranium mentioned above.

Good luck!
Dee

Sure, the plants are all the same height, but a bigger problem is that the leaves are all the same size and shape. You need some texture.

I'm not sure of the light conditions so I'll suggest two plants that will take a variety of light. Many clematis will take quite a bit of shade and do well. Some are quite small if you don't want a large vine in your bed. The other is sedums. I grow many varieties of this and euphorbis because of the wonderful texture they adds.

I thought of a third suggestion. A plant with a blade would be a good choice too. Sedge, Japanese forest grass, and iris are just a start for that list.

Can't say I disagree with any of the above suggestions. What you've got is tidy but I'm guessing that's no longer the look you're going for. TOTB - Think Outside The Box and incorporate some curved edges rather than 'foundation plantings' that everyone and their brother who watches Scott's commercials has. Adopt some design ideas from botanical gardens you've either visited in person or viewed online--you'll see right off they incorporate lots of different elements including foliage type & color as well as bloom season + hard-scaping. A statue or other focal point can add to the bed's appeal. Many of the beds are rectangular but just as many are curved or abstract in design.

My beds incorporate perennials as well as shrubs and even trees of varying heights & bloom times. It's your garden. Do your homework, plant the beds and make adjustments until what you see pleases your own eyes. My own beds are designed to take advantage of the terrain--sloped where necessary but others are curved to add interest.

For height, what about planting Baptisia australis/false indigo, Buddleia davidii/butterfly bush or Philadelphus/mock orange? Kalamagrostis/feather reed grass adds a tall, elegant, upright element in my butterfly bed year after year with little to no maintenance other than a spring haircut. Platycodon grandiflora/balloon flower can be whacked back in late May so it doesn't get too tall and it puts on a splendid show of blooms in July. Polychroma spurge euphorbia/cushion spurge is a totally carefree mounding perennial I've had growing for more than 25 years--one of those plant it/enjoy it/forget it perennials we all appreciate so much.

Best of luck with your garden re-design and don't forget to post before/after pics once you're happy with the results.

Almost thinking daylilies in different colors and bloomtimes, or even a moon garden (although I'm not sure that it would be un-boring lol)
I do have some daylilies already so would be a start there with spending no money (good idea Ken! lol) or very little.
They are easy care too.
Well, I'll do some more thinking and research before deciding.

Thanks all!

TOTB - Think Outside The Box and incorporate NEVER.. and i mean NEVER... think of your garden as static ... just move things around ... you have enough.. they are free!!!

and noting the need of vertical.. what about that trellis idea??? .. i once used xmas tree light hooks .. on the gutter.. to hold up a 2 or 3 foot wide bird netting... and grew annual vines up it.. [some larger rocks or bricks at the bottom to hold it in place] then come the end of the year.. threw it all away ... gotta be careful though... as to the weight potential of what you put on the netting ....

ken

I think I would make your beds at least three times as deep as they currently are. The plants in your photos all look nice and healthy, but as others have said don't have much variety as to height and leaf size and texture and your depth only allows for one row of plants. If you have a wider bed you can have layers of plants front to back incorporating different heights and leaf style, and allowing for longer bloom since you will have more variety of plants. It will also be more in proportion with your house. If you have a plant that's underperforming, the others around it will help camouflage that problem, where when they are in a single row, each plant has to look perfect all season every year, not a realistic expectation for most plants.

If it were my garden I would move out the edges of the bed now (though you don't need to actually move the wood, you can just add a new edge, either a cut V edge or more wood if you prefer.) That will allow you to dig in supplements or start your lasagna layers and by next spring you can move the plants you have now forward or in groups throughout the bed and then add your new plants or those from other places in your garden.

I don't think I have a bed narrower than about 6 feet, though when we bought our house many of the beds were less than 3 feet wide. Over time I've moved edges out on all the beds at least once and for many a couple of times as I've realized that they just weren't deep enough to allow shrubs to grow or the variety of plants that I had envisioned. I also like to leave at least a foot behind my plants so work can get done on the house as needed without trashing the garden, and that has helped since we've repainted and reroofed the house and I haven't lost any plants in the process, though a few needed trimming back.

We only have so much room on our small lot. I live in a mobile home which takes a lot of the room as it's a double wide.

Ken, I know you can't see it, and I should have posted a pic of it, but I have a whiskey barrel planted with a clematis (Madame Julia Correvon) in the middle between the beds. The trellis is an umbrella trellis with a mesh wrapped around it.

I think Kens on the right track though with just moving things around for the most part (and maybe adding a plant or three here or there lol)

One thing that often happens around here with small lots is that there isn't a front lawn; the whole front area between the sidewalk or street is garden. As I run errands I often vary my route to pass by some of these lovely pocket gardens. Some of them are somewhat restrained or formal with a limited plant or color palette, while others are exuberant cottage gardens with lots of color and many flowers.

Perhaps if you take a photo from across the street to show us the bigger picture you'll get suggestions for the whole garden including the two beds, the clematis, the whiskey barrel, and whatever else is in the front area of your yard.

Sorry it took me a while to get back. I was busy at work.

Here's a pic of the situation. Two beds that need some new ideas. :) I was even thinking of planting several knockout roses in the beds but not sure of that either.

Basically I want color. Both beds are all green and starting to get boring. I want something that can take my ohio winters in a raised bed (or two lol) and bloom for a long time like all summer long. I also want something that can fill in the beds more and even grow a little taller than whats in there to help cover the skirting.

Know of anything? lol

Oh, and the clematis in the center is staying there, it's Madame Julia Correvon which blooms in dark pink here.

IMO, the issue is that with your current configuration you will still only have room for one plant deep, and most of the taller plants will also be wider and so won't fit in the bed. As far as I can see, you have quite a bit of room to expand the beds out into the lawn and still keep some lawn as a frame if that's important to you. You could put a 3' deep lawn-level bed (with edging to keep grass out) and move the plants you have currently in the bed out into the new bed along with some taller plants that either have contrasting foliage like Baptisia, or a long bloom time like Helenium. In the back bed, consider narrow but taller plants: more clematis on flat trellises (if you put in one each of type 1, type 2, and type 3 prune plants between them you'll have at least one blooming most of the season), Thalictrum/meadow rue, perhaps Japanese Iris, and Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. You could also have some semi-shade plants that will be shaded by taller plants in the front row.

Having more depth to allow layers will really help give you more blooms, more foliage contrast, more variation in height, and better coverage for your home's skirting. Since your garden plants wouldn't be constrained to be lined up in a single row, I think you'll be much happier with its appearance. You can also add blooming but nonaggressive groundcovers in between the other perennials to add texture and bloom, such as creeping thyme in the sunnier areas and Veronica 'Georgia Blue' in either sun or shade areas. I also think that having some bulbs with small foliage like crocus will help give you additional early or late flowers without adding the mess of something like dying daffodil foliage to the garden.

Ken, I just wanted to volunteer that I am in desperate need of thinning out some day lilies and iris. I'm nervous to divide them myself. We're close. I will donate some day lilies, iris, and come flowers (and maybe more?) if you want to teach me to divide them!!

man i like the mottling of the shade on the house ...

again.. to focus you ... your problem is the big white wall ... and all the horizontal lines...

if you figure out.. how to break that up... you pleasure will rise..

are you saying.. dead center.. in the barrel .... is the clem that stays...

if so.. it needs a 6 to 8 foot trellis... not just 3 foot .....and that will be the beginning of breaking up that great white wall

near the top left corner of the pic.. there are two knobs on the wall .. what are they.. could they be used.. to tie string onto.. so that next year you might grow some morning glory or some other annual vines???

ken

I'm a designer, and the most important thing about these beds is that they are not beds at all. They're foundation strips. For heaven's sake -- enlarge them. Bring them out at least five feet -- I'd go ten or more. Shape them to compliment the structure. Break up the movie-screen side of the house. You have beautiful dappled shade there and your possibilities will be endless -- but only if you go large with your planting area. Don't be shy. Ditch most of that lawn.

You can't grow anything of substance in a foundation strip.

Can't do it mulchmama. I live in a mobile home park so I'm restricted by park rules. I can't go out much anyways because of the huge oak tree in front of one of the beds. I also can't just "ditch" the lawn.

I wondered if it wasn't something like park rules keeping you in the box. These things happen, and you have to work with what you have. Well, vary the height and leaf shapes of the plantings, keeping in mind that the box at the base is kind of small for some tall perennials. I liked the idea of grasses, too. So help bluebird with her coneflowers! Whatever tall perennials you plant will have to be divided often due to the smaller space that you have. Do the boxes have bottoms, or can the roots get into the soil beneath? I like the idea of getting a taller trellis for the clematis, and using the pegs or flag holders or whatever they are for vines as well.

Can you plant outside the box? I was just thinking that if you varied the plantings in the box for height and foliage, etc., and then maybe planted some low-growing stuff in the ground around it,even just another "row" and around the sides if possible, it would give the bed that two-dimensional look height-wise. Might make up for the lack of depth.

Just a thought....

Dee