Lacing the Border with Beauty

Delicate flowers and frilly foliage add an elegant finishing touch to the garden

Like many gardeners , I long for lush banks of greenery and plush margin overflowing with foliation and flowers . Yet , once achieved , my garden scream out for a lighter touch — something to brighten those ponderous masses of coloration . In a agency , it was much like a bold expanse of whole - colored fabric seeking a finishing speck of trimming . So , just as a seamstress might turn to lacing — that most ephemeral of cloth — I become to works with filigreed foliage and delicate bloom . I call these flora “ garden laces . ”

With their finely weave or model forms , garden laces sum up glamor , elegance , and nimbleness to the garden tapestry . Brooding assemblies of evergreen can be throw away into alleviation by a undivided specimen of the wedding bar tree ( Cornus controversa‘Variegata ’ ) . sheer , geomorphologic boundary line plantings can be tie up with a typewriter ribbon of ‘ Silver Mound ’ artemisia ( Artemisia schmidtiana‘Silver Mound ’ ) or train of thought of angelical alyssum ( Lobularia maritima ) . Lacy plants also counterpoint with and spotlight other plants in garden groupings . tulip and alliums in outflow ; iris , peonies , and poppy in former summertime ; day lily and hostas as the season progresses — they all benefit from the cobweb touching of garden laces .

Trimming with lace

The most usual use of lacing — both with fabric and in the garden — is trimming or edging . Such lacy edgings are particularly useful where the sphere to be set off contains flowers , foliage , or hardscaping materials that give a solid or bold opinion , rather than those involving “ busy ” schemes . A lead of sweet alyssum fronting a dark - flip border of peonies will be far more effective than this same edging coalesce with the multicolored blossoms of petunias . Smooth stone and brickwork practically need the lightening touch of garden laces . worthy edging flora let in filigreed artemisias , crisply cut bloody crane’s bill ( Geranium sanguineumvar.striatum ) , hazy love - ina- mist ( Nigella damascena ) , and tiny , tied flowers — such as ‘ Moonbeam ’ tickweed ( tick-weed verticillata‘Moonbeam ’ ) or ‘ Lemon Gem ’ marigold ( Tagetes tenuifolia‘Lemon Gem ’ ) .

One of my favorite combination for a shady spot is bleed heart ( Dicentra eximia‘Alba ’ ) set off hostas and hellebores . flower all summer , the bleeding core highlights one of my garden ’s darkest recess .

Lovely swatches of lace

Insets — swatches of lace used to get out up and complement surrounding flowery fabrics — emphasize the depth and solidity of their neighbor that , in tour , highlight the airy quality of the lace . Laces also add depth to plantings , as the center can pierce them , discerning shape of light and dark . They throw their ornamental shadows upon broader- leaf neighbors , adding texture to once - smooth control surface . Baby ’s breath ( Gypsophila paniculata ) , bishop ’s peak ( Ammi majus ) , cosmos ( Cosmos bipinnatus ) , boltonia ( Boltonia asteroides ) , and fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare ) are among the many useful inset plants .

One of my favorite gusset combinations placement the dainty lace blooms of bishop ’s bloom against the inscrutable reddish and purple foliage of barberry , the vivid ruddy blossom of ‘ Lord Baltimore ’ hibiscus , and clumps of red - leafed canna . In another border , maidenhair ferns ( Adiantum pedatum ) mingle delicately with clumps of golden ‘ August Moon ’ hosta , a pairing butt with the spiraling sweet woodruff ( Galium odoratum ) .

Veils of gauzy garden lace

Just as a lacing head covering evokes mystery and love affair , garden veils drop their gauzy curtains before us , raise curiosity about part hide plants and encourage us to search scantily concealed infinite . Plants used as veils also add height throughout the garden , thus discontinue the monotonic , step - step timbre of so many traditional border .

Spiky yuccas thrust velum of soft Russian sage ( Perovskia ) , while Junoesque and silky maroon hollyhocks glint through clouds of white genus Crambe ( Crambe cordifolia ) . Tall verbena ( Verbena bonariensis ) , bush clover ( Lespedezaspp . ) , and fennel all make excellent garden veils . Many cosmetic grasses also make superb veil . In my garden , needle grass ( Stipa gigantea ) drapes across a route , forcing sensory contact , while fountains of eulalia ( Miscanthus sinensis ) plume allow glimpses of the bristly limb of Scotch thistle ( Onopordum acanthium ) . Elsewhere , the deeptoned foliage and pallid lemon umbels of bronze fennel screenland the David Austin rose ‘ Othello ’ and silky ‘ Caroline ’ hibiscus .

Lace-patterned foliage

Select laces for color and season of bloom

Choosing garden laces start with contemplation and observation . Where are the dark corners or laboured surface area of the garden ? Which broad - leafed plants could utilise a ski lift ? Where could a lacy border enhance a scene ? Should laces be break up about the garden or concentrate in an area or two ?

Once you know where lacy plants could punctuate your garden , consider your pick for color and season of bloom . Dusty - pink Chaerophyllum hirsutum is delightful with risque - leafed hostas ; but with clean , cerise roses , it only succeeds in depend muddy . likewise , dead nettle cascading over gray stone might be just the affair , while this same plant tramp among variegated hosta would bet dispiritedly hugger-mugger . While ashen laces press up images of bridal honor , blue and purples elicit impressionist paintings , and dusky reds create a somber or amply elegant mood .

Selecting laces for season of bloom is also crucial . Paired with the jumbo blossom of majestic genus Allium ( Allium giganteum‘Globemaster ’ ) , flowering lily-white genus Crambe sparkle elegantly . Sweet cicely ( Myrrhis odorata ) will insert its white foam around the foot of felted flannel leaf ( Verbascumspp . ) , but will have gone to seed before nearby lily can unfold their heavy - steer bud .

A special spot for your garden laces

lacelike industrial plant have many family in the garden . You might restrain them to shaded areas where their delicacy is appreciated . Containers flanking a doorway are another good spot , as they can effectively sort and raise architectural elements . A umbrageous place in a tilt garden might sport a patch of royal fern ( Osmunda regalis ) , and untamed spurge ( Euphorbia corollata ) could grace the entree to a sunny arbor .

For a alteration of gait , hear a perimeter of laces featuring a time of year - long display of feathery foliage and flowers intersperse with a few , somewhat more substantial comrade . A foam of azure bury - me - nots ( Myosotis scorpioides ) could be interplanted with an early , sensationalistic tulip like ‘ West Point ’ . This might be followed by clumps of snowon- the - mountain ( Euphorbia marginata ) , sea hollies ( Eryngium alpinum ) , artemisias , and yarrows ( Achilleaspp . ) , followed after by Russian salvia , verbena , and bluebeard ( Caryopterisspp . ) .

In a reverse overture , more strong perennial — such as loosestrife ( Lythrumspp . ) , coneflowers ( Rudbeckiaspp . ) , and chrysanthemums — could tot up profundity , while mulleins or evergreens tie down the border at each terminal . Spikes of feathery goat ’s beard ( Aruncus dioicus ) could add vertical contrast and creamy colour to this compounding . Amid a rug of green , a round bed of pinko ( Dianthusspp . ) would look like a large , lace doily flung down upon the lawn .

A border of laces requires deliberate siting . In accession to adequate sunlight , lacy industrial plant postulate a substantial background to set off their filmy quality . A hedging , wall , or other benighted backdrop will allow a mass planting of lacy plants to be seen to their best reward . protective covering from the afternoon Dominicus will keep these fine - textured plants from “ frying ” in summer ’s heat , as will patronize attention to tearing motive . Such a border will grow in loveliness as the plants fill out and spread their feathery wing .

More delicate flowers and frilly foliage

A selection of lacy garden plants

AnnualsAmmi majus(bishop ’s flower)Tagetes tenuifolia‘Lemon Gem ’ ( marigold)Cosmos bipinattus(cosmos)Euphorbiamarginata(snow - on - themountain)Gypsophila elegans(gypsophila)Lobularia maritima(sweet alyssum)Myrrhis odorata(sweet cicely)Nigella damascena(love - in - a - mist)Silybum marianum(milk thistle)Verbena bonariensis(tall verbena )

BiennialsAnchusa azureaCrambe cordifolia(white crambe)Crambe maritima(sea kale)Michauxia campanuloidesMyosotisscorpiodes(forget - me - nots )

PerennialsAdiantum pedatum(maidenhair fern)Aruncus dioicus(goat ’s beard)Arabisspp . ( rockcress)Artemisiaspp . Boltonia asteroides(boltonia)Brunneraspp . Calamintha grandiflora ‘ Variegata’(variegated catmint)Chaerophyllum hirsutumCoreopsis verticillata‘Moonbeam’(coreopsis)Corydalis lutea(corydalis)Dianthusspp . ( pinks)Dicentraspp . ( bleeding heart)Euphorbiacorollata(wild spurge)Foeniculum vulgare(fennel)Galium odoratum(sweet woodruff)Geranium sanguineumvar.striatum(bloody cranesbill)Gypsophila paniculata(baby ’s breath)Lamiumspp . ( stagnant nettle)Lespedezaspp . ( bush clover)Limoniumspp . ( ocean lavender)Osmunda regalis(royal fern)Perovskiaspp . ( Russian sage )

Grasses , bush , and treesAcer palmatumAraliaspp . Caryopterisspp . ( bluebeard)Cornus controversa‘Variegata ’ ( wedding party cake tree)Miscanthus sinensis(eulalia grass)Stipa gigantea(needle grass )

Get our latest lead , how - to articles , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

sign you up …

Regional Survey Results: Best Flowering Perennials for Sun

Rex Begonias

Five Foolproof Colors

Indispensable Green

Join o.k. Gardening for a barren engaging live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned works pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technological managing director …

When I spotted a particular sand dollar mark cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I bang I was in trouble . With a delightful colouring material pattern …

When we only prioritize works we desire over plants our landscape painting needs , each season is filled with a never - ending lean of chores : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , better , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re potential to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …