It would help if we knew where in the world you are. State or nearest large city.

I'd be considering pulling up the walk, and moving it further away from the house so there is more planting room next to the house.

Ok...well thanks for that but that's not happening. I get that some on here have unlimited resources, but I don't...and I'm sorry if I was unclear. I'm asking for ideas for other plants to work in that will provide flowers throughout the season.

I love your garden as is! You did a very nice job. Which direction is your garden facing? And your zone? I love garden phlox for its long bloom time and variety of colors.

Your variegated liriope looks great!

Moving the sidewalk over a bit is a good idea and would really increase what you could plant next to the house. It needn’t cost much at all; a competent person could easily lift rows of bricks and re-set them on the other side. (Assuming the bricks are set in sand and not mortar.) I’m 71 years old now and would take that on with a teenage helper, but five years ago I wouldn’t think twice about diving into that project by myself. (I did many similar projects through the years.) However, not everybody’s not into hands-on labor like that.

Does this bed get full all-day sun?

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions. We're in zone 7A and face west. A tree in the front yard casts shade on the beds so we get 5 hours of direct sun across most of the area. We just put on new siding and a new roof so even a DIY paver project won't happen anytime soon. I agree though, I wish the bed along the house was wider. I added the beds on the grass side of the path to up the curb appeal. I'm really just wondering what I can do to make my plant choices better.

I am in zone 5 so I’m not sure if my suggestions are zone appropriate. I love balloon flowers……the foliage stays green all summer here and if you dead head they rebloom. Late season I love my allium. I have Lavender Bubbles, it is sterile so no unwanted seedlings. These both have purple blooms.

balloon flowers starting the bloom.

Lavender Bubbles allium

Sherry

I think you've done a nice job so far!

As MG said, it would be helpful for us to be able to make suggestions if we knew where you were - zone 7 covers a wide area! We don't need your address, lol, just the general area. For instance, I'm in zone 6 CT between New Haven and NYC.

I also agree with moving out the sidewalk, but I also know how reality affects our gardens. I've been wanting to move MY front sidewalk for 30 years now. :) Barring that, I think I would make the bed between the sidewalk and the street deeper/wider, at least if you want to add plants. I'm really not sure you have much room to add anything else as it is now.

My first thought on seeing your photos is that you need height. I think you've already done a good job addressing that with the trellises. When your clematis grows in and fills the trellises I think it will make a big difference. I also think that was a good way to address the height issue considering the bed along the front is so narrow. Two birds with one stone, and all... And for next year, some nice annual trailers in the window boxes would help soften all that brick too. You could intertwine some annual vines for longer-season color on the trellises too.

You don't need a LOT of height in the front beds (and probably wouldn't want it, as it would hide the bed along the house, but perhaps just some variation in the heights of your plants - some one-footers, two-footers, three-footers, etc. And you've got a start on that with the irises, for instance.

Another thought - how about some evergreens? What does this whole area look like in your winters? I believe liriope is evergreen (I'm not sure as I've never grown it and I'm in a different zone...?) There are lots of wonderful smaller evergreens out there if you want to keep things low. There are hollies and boxwoods that stay at about 3 feet high (although I personally would stay away from boxwoods due to blight issues - hollies are a nice substitute), and some thujas/arborvitaes that get about 2-3 feet tall, dwarf yews, etc. Even one or two of these strategically placed would give you some winter interest. And perhaps some evergreen growers on the trellis... eunonymus? Maybe on one trellis?

For full season color, even edging the front of the beds towards the street with annuals would look great. I line most of my (mostly shade) beds with white impatiens and I feel like it gives some cohesiveness and ties things together, and they are easy and reliable for the most part, and make the beds look decent even when nothing else is really going on. A house in the neighborhood does a similar thing with a split rail fence they have along the street. Daffodils in spring the entire length of the fence, and then annuals - this year it's red impatiens I believe (I drive by so I can't stop to look lol) (the New Guinea ones which usually get bigger) and even this small touch makes it look really pretty as you drive by.

The mention of daffodils reminds me that you can use bulbs to start your early spring season... and also for later season interest, like alliums, as sherrygirl mentioned, or fall-blooming crocus.

Lastly, some garden art maybe? Even just a birdbath might look nice and add some interest.

Good luck and keep us posted. We all love to see before and after photos!

:)

Dee

edited to add - a nice obelisk or one of those pyramidal obelisks with an annual vine would add some nice, eye-catching interest and height without being big and heavy and blocking anything visually, and it wouldn't be permanent if you wanted to move it around or changed your mind. They could be nice elegant metal ones, or I'm thinking of someone here on the forums who has a very lovely garden, and she has three wooden ones which are painted in shades of purple and pink, which look gorgeous in her garden and tie into her color scheme. They really add to the feel and look of a garden and give it color even in winter. Gosh I wish I could remember who it was so you could find her posts.... but anyway, just another thought!

Thanks for these ideas...we're in southeastern PA if that helps.

Such a beautiful garden! I am in zone 8 and have a tall trellis inbetween our garage windows. Star jasmine does a good job filling up the trellis, but i added some morning glory seeds last year. wow! Year round theres greenery and spring through late fall we have flowers. This year they came back, i guess self seeding. For another winter blooming plant we have an Edgeworthia plant. It smells amazing and blooms in February or March. Have fun planting!

There will be some height when those trellises fill up. I would add some other plants with height as Dee suggested. Makes for a more interesting garden.

I would also connect and expand the two beds in front of the walk.

Maybe consider Hellebores, Heuchera, and Heucherella in the beds in front of your walk. They are evergreen which is nice. Asters, Anemones, Sedums, and others bloom in late summer to fall. Some Hellebores bloom in Fall and through the winter, too (hence their nicknames of Winter Rose and Christmas Rose). Always a welcome sight.

A small shrub or three in the front beds (dwarf shrubs maybe?) would be nice too and complement the perennials. You are off to a good start. Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. :-)