Flower ideas for full sun

14 years ago

Moved into an older house last year with a ton, okay 13, established flower beds that had been neglected for at least 5 years and I'm in the slow process of redoing them all. Last year all I did was see what was growing where and weeded, watered, fertilized. The only things that grew and thrived were tulips, crocus,33 roses and lupine, oh so much lupine. This spring I relocated over half the roses and gave many to my neighbors. Best way to befriend the neighbors is give them a free rose bush and snowblow their walks!

So I'm on working on the bed that borders the driveway and sidewalk to the house and I need some ideas. Last fall I planted some tulips across the back and they came up beautifully. I left in 3 roses but the rest of the bed is an open canvas.

The soil is slightly acidic (pH 6.3-6.6), clay which I have amended down to 15 inches with compost, lime, bonemeal, peat moss. The area gets sun from 6am to 6pm and has nothing to really shelter it from the wind. The bed is roughly 3' X 45'.

I'm looking for flowering perennials both tall(not over 3') and short that will withstand the heat, the wind and the dry conditions. My color scheme is blue, white, purple, pink, with a touch of yellow and red to give some contrast. I am planning on planting dwarf snapdragons in a few groups along the front so I don't really need any low ground cover.

Anything except lupine, columbine (my favorite plant, but there are already many many many of them in other beds)or ornamental grasses. Also nothing that will take over the bed.

On a side note, anyone know if the local nurseries (O'Tooles, Paulino, Dardano, Ecthers) have any good sales this weekend?

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

xaroline
14 years ago
Peonies are great----they love full sun and they live for decades.
Caroline
gjmancini
14 years ago
different types of penstemon. I got a red ridinghood at the swap recently and I have an established " Rocky mountain" purple/blue spikes. Very heat tolerant.
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david52 Zone 6
14 years ago
Some of the salvias are spectacular.

They flower now, but if you cut them back, you'll get some repeat in the fall.

'Blue Hill' blooms all season long

Here is a link that might be useful: link
mstywoods
14 years ago
African Daisy, Gazania, is a favorite of mine. It blooms all spring and summer long and even after a few frosts - flowers close at night. It's considered an annual in colder climates, but I swear a couple of mine are perennial (the clumps are too big to be coming back from seed). It reseeds easily (but I don't think they necessarily are true seed), and it is xeric.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gazania, Treasure Flower
eastautumn
14 years ago
A few things that do well in full sun plus lots of wind are coreopsis (I have moonbeam, a pale yellow, but they come in many shades and sizes), penstemon (I have various blue ones plus Husker Red, which is a nice contrast next to pale foliage/flowers), Salvias, Veronica (purple spikes- I forget the name), Hardy Geraniums (pinks and purple/blues), Shasta Daisy 'Becky'. Cosmos and California Poppies (if you want to add in a little orange) are annuals that reseed and fill in gaps nicely.
Big_Sky_Blooms
14 years ago
Hello Redbeck,

I have an 8' x 25' bed along my driveway that I planted in low perennials and shrubs using: Geranium sanguineum album, Geranium 'Canon Miles', Penstemon barbatus, *Linum flavum, Veronica 'Blue Pixie', Gentiana auculis and semptifida, Artemisia Silvermound and Silver Brocade, Armeria, Sedums - Blaze of Fulda, Angelina and kamchatikum, Magic Carpet Spirea,dwarf Barberry. The mix of moundy and flat spreading, differnt leaf colors and textures, varying bloom times make it like a changing quilt all season long. Oh yeah, I also have rock garden type tulips and narcissus for spring (Tulip Praestens Fuslier, Narcissus Quail, Jetfire, Dickcissel) and then Fall Crocus bulbs to end the year. My favorite part is the color echo of the Angelina sedum and the Magic Carpet Spirea! * Linum flavum, a yellow flax, is hard to find but worth it for its long long bloom. High Country Gardens is a great mail order source for many plants that would work great for you!