Building a Shrub and Perennial Border

Exactly one month ago I wrote about our garden plans, so today I wanted to give you an update. This update is specifically about building a shrub and perennial border along the west side of our yard. I will write another update for the rest of the garden. It all felt a bit much for a single post 🙂 As always, for reference, we are in zone 5B and all of the following plants and shrubs are hardy in this zone. Make sure to check your zone before purchasing any new plants!

As I talked about in our garden plans post, we had an entire hedge of overgrown barberries removed last Fall. This left us with a full 50 ft of empty space for plants. We intended on putting up a fence to keep Rigby contained, but decided against it. She is generally not interested in leaving the yard unless she is chasing a squirrel, rabbit, cat, etc. Luckily we don’t have any rabbits, and the squirrels run away up our tree. My hope is that the shrubs and perennials will grow in well to create a new hedge. Even if she does feel tempted to chase, there will be a barrier. I had tons of fun planning this new garden section, and it’s filling in nicely! Below are the plants I added in case you’d like to get some for your own garden.

Building a Shrub and Perennial Border

Ginger Wine Ninebark

I have had my eye on this ninebark variety since last year. I love the rich purple leaves and pretty red or pink flowers. My local nursery only had teeny ninebarks and they were charging $40 per plant. Despite the price gauging, I still bought 3. My mom assured me that ninebarks are a great addition to the garden because of their size and texture. That made me feel mildly better about the cost.

Autumn Jubilee Ninebark

I had intended to get more ginger wine, but the price was just so ridiculous. This ninebark variety was recommended by my mom after I told her how bummed I was. The color on the Amber Jubilee is gorgeous as well. The color goes from orange to green to yellow throughout the season. These also cost $40, but they were twice the size of the ginger wine.

Flamingo Dappled Willow

The flamingo dappled willow was suggested by a plant website when I googled “drought tolerant shrubs”. It is so cute with its variegated green and pink foliage! I couldn’t resist! We had a bit of a scare and thought it had died within the first week of planting, but it just needed more water. PSA, even drought tolerant plants need lots of water until established. It is looking much happier now and I’m happy about that too!

Limelight Hydrangea

Who doesn’t love a hydrangea?! Our town is loaded with them and I spent a long time picking which one to get. I love the classic blue and pink hydrangeas, but have read that they don’t do so well in our area. Many of our neighbors seemed to have a white flowered variety and that led me to the Limelight Hydrangea. This scrub will grow as tall as 8ft eventually! If you are in Illinois and looking for a good hydrangea variety, I highly recommend this one.

Hardy Carnations

My mom got hardy carnations last year and I have been on the hunt for them ever since! The color is so beautiful and vibrant. She also said that they bloomed all summer with proper dead heading. I planted these in front of the Limelight Hydrangea and can’t wait to see the color combination when they bloom!

Cosmopolitan Maiden Grass

This was another mom suggestion. She actually suggested Hakone Grass, but I couldn’t remember and thought this one looked similar. I’m a little worried about it getting invasive, but that will keep me vigilant about keeping it under control. If you are in zone 9-10, this is considered invasive and you should not plant it in your garden. Fingers crossed it does okay here, otherwise it will get pulled out next year!

Columbine

I chose Columbine for its blue color. I thought it would look nice against the backdrop of the deep purple ninebarks and the bright yellow kings cypress. Columbine flowers are so cute and dainty and I am excited to watch them blow in the breeze. They come in many different colors as well, so don’t feel limited by blue if that’s not your thing.

I hope this served as a nice reference for anyone interested in building a shrub and perennial border. These plants could easily work in front of a fence, but they should also grow in well to create a hedge for those without a fence. You just might have to wait a couple years for that! With patience, you will have a beautiful plant border filled with various color and texture. What new plants have you added to your yard this year? I’d love some suggestions! Feel free to leave a comment, contact me, or DM me on Instagram. Happy gardening!