A walkway should match the character of the home. It should be vivid and welcoming, while at the same time add a peaceful touch to the home and landscape. One of the ways that this can be accomplished is by adding edging plants to your walkway. Edging, or border, plants will bring color to your landscape and help to soften the transition between hardscape and softscape. Of course, this should be done by professionals, such as Wenzel Landscaping, who understand the soil conditions of your landscape and the needs of the plants. In the meantime, here are some ideas on how to enhance a walkway with border plants and flowers:
Height
When it comes to bordering walkways, homeowners generally opt for short plants. This is because they add more of a discrete and simple touch to the walkway. An example of such a plant is Creeping Jenny. There are also some short plants, including ornamental thymes that will soften the edges of a walkway.
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However, you can also choose taller plants. Taller plants, small trees, and shrubs, will add a bold touch to the walkway, and still brighten the path to your front door. In addition, if you want to narrow the appearance of your walkway, taller plants are your best bet to frame and de-emphasise its width.
But, if you love diversity and originality, why not have both types of edging plants and make your walkway truly stand out?
Color
If you want a vibrant walkway that will revitalize your landscape (and make your day), then your edging plants should consist of a wide range of colors. Red, pink, purple, yellow, and other attention-grabbing plants will completely change the look of your walkway.
However, if you prefer a more refined color-scheme, and don’t want an eclectic mix of colors in your landscape, it’s a good idea to take your home and scenery into account. What predominant colors do you see? Based on those colors, you can decide which ones you would like to have next to the walkway (and which ones you definitely don’t).
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Weather
Choosing beautiful edging plants isn’t that simple. Apart from looking exquisite, the plants also need to be well-suited to the environment. Some plants thrive in bright sunlight, while others can’t persevere in hot conditions and prefer plenty of shade.
For the local soil type, the plants will need to be able to stand salty and alkaline soil. And in areas like ours, with cold winters and mild summers, shade-loving plants are a good choice. Most delicate flowering plants won’t survive the Massachusetts winter, however, they can still be planted as annuals for a colorful spring and summer. Evergreens and perennial plants that are winter-hardy can be used to provide bulk for the beds and annuals can be used to fill in the spaces during spring. Evergreen shrubs are ideal for maintaining shape and color in your walkway border beds all year round.
At Wenzel Landscaping, we build landscapes tailored to our client's needs and wishes. So, if you want to enhance your walkway with colorful plant beds, we’re glad to be of service!