Last spring our church started a community garden which ended up donated something like half a ton of vegetables to the local food bank. (I hope people ended up eating those vegetables and that they didn't share the fate that sometimes befalls my own vegetables.) Anyway, I don't know much about vegetable gardening but I have some haphazard and ill sorted knowledge of ornamentals, so I have gamely taken on the beautification part of the garden. I have to plan a border about fifty feet long and three or four feet deep. Our theme needs to be "cheap and cheerful" and fairly low maintenance. Last year we planted flower seeds which were wonderful but tough weeding. I am thinking more on the lines of flowering shrubs and sturdy perennials and it has to be Fabulous, because this is for the Lord, right?
I am thinking
catmint, which I have grown for years and definitely fits "easy, cheap and cheerful"
Eupatorium Gateway, which I haven't tried but looks gorgeous and bird/butterfly friendly
Knockout roses for obvious reasons-- rainbow or double pink maybe; a mix of red and pink can be lovely
Limelight hydrangea? I love these to the third power, but I'm not sure if white is the right way to go... maybe aiming more for a russet/pink/blue/purple effect. Perhaps one limelight.
Well behaved butterfly bush-- is there such a thing?
Purple coneflower seems like a no brainer
Perennial geranium-- Rozanne is gorgeous
Something silverleaved which requires research
Dark purple salvia. Could also throw some annual blue salvia in there.
Some evergreens of course-- something smallish and mannerly but ravishing
Agastache is a little weedy but easy from seed, pleasing, and purple-blue
Clearly this calls for me to drive around all the nurseries in the area today.
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