Add interest to a garden pathway with this colorful planting around an arbor.
Add plants around your arbor
If you’ve ever seen a structure set in a lawn without a few plants around it, you know how lonely it can look. It needs the plantings to tie it to the rest of the garden. This arbor is a transition separating one area of the garden from another. A gently winding path, as well as beds filled with interesting and colorful plants, encourage folks to slow down and enjoy the journey.
Place a single juniper near the arbor to make sure the structure has an interesting companion, even in the dead of winter.
Use a container to add importance to a plant. Repeat one of the New Zealand flax from the garden and elevate it in a tall container. Even though it’s smaller, it’s sure to be noticed before the ones in the ground.
For an informal look, instead of short in front and tall in back, plant some of the taller plants, like the salvia, at the edge of the bed.
Edge the path with sections of cut stone to keep the gravel from creeping into the planted areas.
Meet the plants in this garden plan
Check out the lettered plan above and see the corresponding plant information in the slideshow below to find out which plants make an arbor feel like a part of the garden!
A
Juniper (Juniperus x pfitzeriana ‘Sea Green’)
Type Evergreen shrub Blooms Bright green foliage all year round; easily sheared or pruned Light Full sun Size 4 to 6 ft. tall, 6 to 8 ft. wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 9
Type Perennial Blooms Dark red spikes midsummer to fall; gold to pale green foliage; not invasive Light Full sun to part shade Size 24 to 36 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 7
C
Salvia (Salvia Mystic Spires Blue ‘Balsalmisp’)
Type Tender perennial Blooms Blue-purple flower spikes all summer Light Full sun Size 18 to 36 in. tall and wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 7 to 10
Type Shrub Blooms Frosty white flowers from late spring into fall; easily pruned Light Full sun Size 18 to 24 in. tall, 24 to 36 in. wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 9
E
Helenium (Helenium Mardi Gras ‘Helbro’)
Type Perennial Blooms 1 to 2 in. diameter flowers in rusty shades of red, orange and yellow from mid- to late summer Light Full sun Size 30 to 40 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 8
F
New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax ‘Atropurpureum’)
Type Tender perennial Blooms Dark burgundy swordlike leaves Light Full sun to part shade Size 3 to 5 ft. tall, 2 to 4 ft. wide Cold-hardy USDA zones 8 to 11
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