Using Herbs To Provide Background Color

04/13/2009
Looking for hardy, drought tolerant and pest resistant plantings to provide background color in your landscape? Consider herbal plantings. For example, bee balm (monarda didyma) provides three foot tall masses of white, pink and red blooms during the hottest months of summer. Echinacea is also an excellent choice, as it can provide masses of purple, or pink flowers, up to two feet tall. Do you want to provide dark green, fern like foliage in full sun? Consider tansy, which grows up to 3 feet tall and provides masses of bright yellow pin cushion flowers throughout the summer. Would silver foliage in the background set off your specimen plantings to advantage? Artemesia bushes can grow up to three feet tall, and provide masses of fernlike, silver leaves. Looking for light colored contrasts? Santolina bushes provide white foliage and bright yellow flowers. Do you need masses of dark green foliage with dark blue flowers? English hyssop bushes grow up to 3 feet in height, have dark green foliage, and dark blue flowers. Would masses of dark purple leaves and pink flowers up to two feet tall provide a pleasing contrast? Consider planting purple basil to provide striking background color in your landscape.

The list goes on and on. Basically, herbal plantings offer a tremendous number of possibilities for background color in your landscape. Your only real limit in using them to provide pleasing contrasts is your imagination!