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Index : Landscape Plants
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- 29. Tough And Attractive Border And Edging Plants - Top
Low, mounding types of plants are ideal for use as an edging along paths and walks, patios, foundation plantings and shrub borders. A solid line of edging plants can help define and enhance garden and landscape features. When clipped, they provide a formal look. A scattering of edging plants, allowed to grow untrimmed, can soften and blend features into the landscape. Such features might include; walls, fences, decks, terraced patios, and even shrub beds.
There are several attractive kinds of edging plants that are attractive and well-suited to our tough desert environment.
Silver santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus) is a stiff, dense plant with short, needle-like silver leaves. It grows in a low, mounding fashion to a height of 12 to 18 inches and a spread of 2 to 3 feet. In late May, the plant becomes covered with yellow button-like flowers protruding above it's dense silver foliage.
Periodic clipping keeps silver santolina dense and looking it's best. Hedge shears can be used to give the plant a shaping just after the flowers fade in the spring. Santolina is resistant to drought and heat and is tolerant of poor soils. Watering should be done every 7 to 10 days during June, then less often when the Summer monsoons arrive.
Because of it's silver foliage, this santolina blends well with a host of desert plants. It also looks good planted as a border, along side boulders, among herbs and as an edging for flower beds. Because the plant has a tendency to become leggy, clipping is advised anytime the plant begins to grow ungainly. Be careful not to step on this plant as the stems are quite brittle and will break easily.
Green santolina (Santolina virens) is a soft, bright green plant with a well-rounded form. The leaves are needle-like, but unlike silver santolina these are long and slender, providing a light, feathery appearance to the plant. Small yellow flowers appear on the ends of the stems, also in late May. This plant grows to a height and spread of about 2 feet. A more compact variety "morning mist' is available.
Cultural requirements for green santolina are similar to it's silver cousin, with the exception of shearing. Because of it's loose, rather open habit of growth, green santolina does not respond well to shearing.
Lavenders (Lavandula spp.) make excellent duel purpose edging plants. Their attractive gray-green foliage blends with both desert and Mediterranean landscapes and their flower spikes provide one of the most sought after fragrances of all time. Spanish lavender is probably the best choice among lavenders. It's purple flowers are the showiest in bloom and are highly fragrant. French lavender, though not as showy as Spanish, has a longer bloom period. It to has attractive silvery foliage and blue flowers. Lavandin, the lavender of Provence, has very fragrant light purple flowers, and gray-green foliage. All these lavenders can be sheared into a formal edging or let go to form an more natural border. They can be maintained at a height of 18 to 24 inches. Shearing or hand pruning should be done after the blossoms have faded. Pruning stimulates a thickening of the plant and can bring on a second, all be it lighter, bloom.
Lavenders are well adapted to heat and are reasonably drought tolerant. During hot weather, established plants should be watered every 7 to 10 days. No fertilization is necessary. Unlike many other perennials, it has been my experience that lavenders are not bothered by rabbits, ground squirrels and other wildlife. They are also extremely pest resistant.
Dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana') unlike better known hollies, yaupon has small oval-shaped leaves without spines. It is a dense, twiggy shrub that can be maintained with trimming to about 18 inches tall and wide. Foliage is grayish green and blends well with both desert and non-desert plants. When sheared the outer growth becomes very dense, making it an excellent plant for low, formal borders and hedges. Stokes is another dwarf yaupon cultivar slightly smaller than Nana.
A tough little plant, yaupon can take all the heat and cold the desert has to dish out. It is also tolerant of our highly alkaline soils. It does however need adequate moisture and should be watered once or twice weekly during hot, dry weather. Although tolerant of full sun, yaupon will preform better with some afternoon shade. Fertilize in the spring and again in the Summer at the start of the monsoons.
Dwarf Greek Myrtle (Myrtus communis ‘microphylla') is a dense plant with closely- spaced small, dark green leaves and a round form. At a mere 2 feet in height, Microphylla is the smallest of the Greek myrtle cultivars. With trimming, it can be maintained even smaller and it's dense growth makes it ideal for shearing in a formal style.
Extremely heat tolerant, dwarf myrtle can take full or reflected sun but will also tolerate partial shade. Plant in well-drained soil. This will prevent the development of iron deficiencies and the resulting yellowing of new leaves. Water Greek myrtle on a regular basis during hot weather, usually weekly. To encourage growth on young plants, fertilize in March with ammonium sulfate. If iron deficiency develops it can easily be corrected with an application of chelated iron, such as Ferrione or Sequestrene 138.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161 - Updated: July 6, 2002
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