Readers Respond: Your Suggestions to Re-Design this Front Walkway Garden?

This front walkway border is just not coming together. Take a look at the photos and give us your suggestions for how to re-design it and make it a standout. Share Your Design Ideas

Texture Color

Try adding some bold texture (big leaves) and a color punch (yellow or orange) or if you want to stay close to the same color scheme you have going try light purple.

—Guest AEA

wand flower delemia

Try planting something next to them that will give the flowers support when they are heavy with flowers.... ie: a small shrub with redish leaves for contrast,

—Guest cathy Rae

focalyocal

The color combos are lovely, I think it may need a focal point, a bird bath, or potted plant in a striking container, a some shrubs to anchor it all. Decorative Kale is nice too. Perhaps the straight line of plantings needs tweeking. Where a shrub that grows to about 3ft., dig out the grass in front of it for an undulating line and added interest to the sight.

—Guest Arlene Heins

additions

In my experience Allisum is just a bad looking problem. You might consider adding something low lying in the front like alpine strawberries. That would fill in the space as well as providing something for the birds. Also maybe something taller at the back in a different color maybe red like a cardinal bush for the birds or a vine on a short trellis. Your design lacks variety for the eye in height if the pictures are accurate. Sorry I can't be more specific I am in zone 7-8 and you are 5 I believe.

—Odd_is_Best

Design choices

I would edge with a stone and add a few large rocks for interest. Around the Sedum I would add a contrast groundcover of either Dwarf Artemisia, Leptinella, Iron Cross Shamrock or Wooly Thyme.

—Guest plantscapes

my two-bit something

Hi, the colours seem a little too gentle. Would some reds and maroons (in India, where I'm writing from, that would translate to ixora, coleus) or fluorescent green (duranta) and dark green (verbena). What about a geranium or two, between the other plants? Hope this helps.

—Guest Benita Sen

Bigger leaves

All your plants are small and wispy. Stick in a few big-leaved plants in dark green to make the small plants pop out.

—Guest Sandy Huff

Add some Lt Green or Chartreuse...

Hi Marie: I noticed you've used sweet-potato vine in your pots. Have you ever tried it in the ground. The 'Limelight' variety grows like a weed where I am (CA), and since it's my favorite color to match with lavender, it can grow all it wants! You might want to add some broad-leafed plants for textural variety; also any kind of lavender would look great in this group. You also might add a focal point or two, like a large rock or simple birdbath. Here's a photo of sweet potato vine 'Marguerite' with a faux-stone face:http://poolandpatio.about.com/od/patiolandsaping/ig/Best-Plants-for-Poolside/Ornamental-Sweet-Potato-Vine.htm

—onthepatio

Early Season Border

You just need some color - I think some nice big red poppies to match the shutters. If annuals are ok with you, I'd pick white alyssum to edge the bed. They have a bloom season that lasts well into fall. You could also add a sedum autumn joy. I leave the seedheads for winter interest.

—Guest Estelle

Add One More Thing

I'd fill the empty spaces with either gold-leafed spiraea, or 'evergold' carex. or bergenia, or geranium macrorrhizum.

—Guest c in wa

i agree it needs excitement

my first thoughts were vinca vines, johhny jump ups with variegated lariope as borders.

—Guest Katy

Bolder color

I personally would like to see some bolder color like red, yellow or orange. Something that pops more anyway. And I agree with "Give it weight" that it needs some anchor evergreen shrubs. That's what would appeal to me.

—Guest Maggie

bold foliage

I agree that the bed needs widening and more defined and tidy edging. Winter interest of evergreen shrubs, perhaps with a blue tone like the Blue Star Juniper and an exclamation point like the Blue Surprise chamaecyparis. Like someone else pointed out, the burgandy plants get lost with dirt and bark around the. Some light foliage plants like stachys or artemisia, or even green plants around their base would help. Some of the hardy geraniums have complimentary bloom colors and look very nice around burgandy foliage. Knee high coneflower, short white shasta daisies in large groups would really set the other plants off, at least from mid to late summer. The heucheras with burgandy foliage and silver veining, or with burgandy in the veining of them would look great with all these plants you have and that I've suggested.

—Guest BJ

Not much "interest"

Too many leggy plants, not enought color variation, not enough height variation.

—glamgram

A little of this, a little of that

I would include Iberis "Purity" along with your Allysum, interspersed. Purity is/should be evergreen, is white in keeping with your color theme, and is quite short and compact. I'd keep your grasses, I adore Rubrum, it's delightful! Very full of lovely breezy texture. I don't know if Erysimum would come in a color which would meld with your design, but my luck with this tidy little shrub has been exemplary. It's rounded form and Feb-Frost bloom time quite tickles my fancy! You'll have to replant every three-four years, as she isn't the longest lived shrub, but boy! Talk about a producer! A CONVOLVULUS cneorum might be able to fit into your schemata, a lovely little white perennial "Morning Glory Bush" that only gets about one foot tall... Lovely narrow silver leaves and rounded form. I'm having troubles finding an "airy" small flowering shrub to take the place of the lovely Gaura. I wonder if you could "brace it up" with a bordering of the Iberis? >^,,^

—KatWolfdancer