Perennials for English Borders
These perennials make excellent additions to an English border or island bed. When designing your garden, arrange the flowers according to height, with the lowest plants (6 inches to 18 inches tall) in the foreground, intermediate plants (18 to 36 inches tall) in the midground, and tall plant (3 to 5 feet tall) in the background. For a narrow border, use the tallest of the intermediate plants in the background. Keep in mind that heights vary according to cultivar; selections of some normally tall perennials may be lower growing and more compact.
EDGING AND FOREGOUND
SPRING
Ajuga spp. (bugleweeds)
Alchemilla spp. (lady's mantles)
Aurinia saxatilis (basket-of-gold)
Bellis perennis (English daisy)
Bergenia cordifolia (heart-leaf bergenia)
Chrysogonum virginianum (goldenstar)
Dicentra eximia (fringed bleeding heart)
Epimedium spp. (barrenworts)
Helleborus spp. (Christmas rose and Lenten rose)
Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' (purple-leaf coralbells)
Heuchera sanguinea (coralbells)
Iberis sempervirens (edging candytuft)
Iris cristata (crested iris)
Lamium maculatum (spotted dead nettle)
Nepeta x faassenii (catmint)
Phlox subulata (moss pink)
Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's ladder)
Primula veris (cowslip primrose)
Primula x polyantha (polyanthus primrose)
Pulmonaria spp. (lungworts)
Pulsatilla vulgaris (pasque flower)
Ruta graveolens (rue)
Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton)
Stachys byzantina (lamb's-ears)
Viola cornuta (horned violet, tufted pansy)
Viola labradorica (Labrador violet)
Viola odorata (sweet violet)
Viola tricolor (Johnny-jump-up)
SUMMER
Armeria maritima (sea pink, thrift)
Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silvermound' (silvermound mugwort)
Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' (dwarf Chinese astilbe)
Astilbe simplicifolia (star astilbe)
Brunnera macrophylla (Siberian bugloss)
Campanula carpatica (Carpathian bellflower)
Campanula garganica (Gargano bellflower)
Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower)
Cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer)
Chrysogonum virginianum (goldenstar)
Coreopsis rosea (pink coreopsis)
Dianthus spp. (pinks)
Erigeron x hybridus (fleabane)
Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' (purple-leaf coralbells)
Lavandula angustifolia (lavender, English lavender)
Nepeta x faassenii (catmint)
Oenothera speciosa (showy evening primrose)
Prunella x webbiana (self-heal)
Ruta graveolens (rue)
Salvia x superba (hybrid blue salvia, hybrid sage)
Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton)
Saponaria ocymoides (rock soapwort)
Scabiosa caucasica (pincushion flower, scabious)
Stachys byzantina (lamb's-ears)
Stokesia laevis (Stokes' aster)
Verbena canadensis (clump verbena, rose verbena)
Veronica spicata (spiked speedwell)
Viola cornuta (horned violet)
LATE SUMMER AND FALL
Anaphalis cinnamomea (pearly everlasting)
Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silvermound' (silvermound mugwort)
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (leadwort, plumbago)
Chrysanthemum weyrichii (Miyabe)
Chrysanthemum x morifolium (garden mum)
Chrysogonum virginianum (goldenstar)
Geranium spp. (cranesbills)
Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' (purple-leaf coralbells)
Liriope muscari (blue lilyturf)
Ruta graveolens (rue)
Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton)
Stachys byzantina (lamb's-ears)
Verbena canadensis (clump verbena, rose verbena)
MIDGROUND
SPRING
Aquilegia x hybrida (hybrid columbine)
Dicentra spectabilis (common bleeding heart)
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells)
SUMMER
Acanthus spp. (bear's breeches)
Achillea spp. (yarrows)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (willow amsonia)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Asphodeline lutea (Jacob's-rod, king's-spear)
Astilbe x arendsii (astilbe)
Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo)
Belamcanda chinensis (blackberry lily)
Calamintha nepeta (calamint)
Campanula lactiflora (milky bellflower)
Campanula persicifolia (peach-leaf bellflower)
Centaurea montana (mountain bluet)
Centranthus ruber (red valerian, Jupiter's beard)
Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew, matricaria)
Chrysanthemum x superbum (shasta daisy)
Coreopsis spp. (coreopsis, tickseed)
Crambe cordifolia (colewort)
Delphinium x elatum (delphinium)
Dictamnus albus (gas plant)
Digitalis spp. (floxgloves)
Eryngium amethystinum (amethyst sea holly)
Gypsophila paniculata (baby's breath)
Hemerocallis hybrids (daylilies)
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket, sweet rocket)
Hosta spp. (hostas)
Iris ensata (Japanese iris)
Iris hybrida (bearded iris)
Iris siberica (Siberian iris)
Kniphofia uvaria (red-hot poker, torchlily)
Liatris spicata (spike gayfeather, blazing star)
Limonium latifolium (sea lavender, statice)
Linum perenne (blue flax)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lobelia siphilitica (big-blue lobelia)
Lupinus hybrids (lupine)
Lychnis chalcedonia (Maltese cross)
Lysimachia clethroides (gooseneck loosestrife)
Malva alcea (hollyhock mallow)
Monarda didyma (bee-balm, oswego tea)
Oenothera tetragona (common sundrops)
Paeonia lactiflora (Chinese peony, garden peony)
Paperver orientale (Oriental poppy)
Phlomis russeliana (sticky Jerusalem sage)
Phlox carolina (Carolina phlox)
Phlox paniculata (garden phlox, summer phlox)
Physotegia virginiana (obedient plant, false dragonhead)
Platycodon grandiflorus (balloon flower)
Polygonum bistorta (knotweed, snakeweed)
Rodgersia aesculifolia (fingerleaf rodgersia)
Salvia x superba (hybrid blue salvia, hybrid sage)
Sidalcea malviflora (checkerbloom, prairie mallow)
Sisycrinchium striatum (Argentine blue-eyed grass)
Tradescantia x andersoniana (spiderwort)
Verbascum x hybridum (mullein)
Veronica longifolia (speedwell)
Yucca filamentosa (Adam's needle, needle palm)
LATE SUMMER AND FALL
Aconitum spp. (monkshoods)
Anemone x hybrida (Japanese anemone)
Artemisia ludoviciana (white sage, wormwood)
Aster novi-belgii x novae-angliae (Michaelmas daisy, fall aster)
Aster x frikartii (Frikart's aster)
Begonia grandis (hardy begonia)
Chelone glabra (turtle-head)
Chrysanthemum x rubellum (hybrid chrysanthemum)
Echinacea purpurea (puple coneflower)
Echinops ritro (globe-thistle)
Gaura lindheimeri (white gaura)
Lythrum virgatum (wand loosestrife)
Rudbeckia fulgida (orange coneflower)
Sedum spectabile (showy stonecrop)
Solidago hybrids (goldenrod)
BACKGROUND
SUMMER
Alcea rosea (hollyhock)
Angelica archangelica (wild parsnip, caw parsnip, archangel)
Aruncus dioicus (goat's beard)
Cimicifuga racemosa (snake-root, cohosh)
Filipendula rubra (queen-of-the-prairie)
Hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow, swamp mallow)
Ligularia stenocephala (golden ray)
Macleaya cordata (plume poppy)
Thalictrum rochebrunianum (Japanese meadow-rue, lavender mist)
Thermopsis caroliniana (southern lupine)
Veronicastrum virginicum (culver's root)
LATE SUMMER AND FALL
Aster novi-belgii x novae-angliae (Michaelmas daisy, fall aster)
Astilbe taquetii 'Superba' (fall astilbe)
Boltonia asteroides (white boltonia)
Cimicifuga ramosa (branched bugbane)
Cimicifuga simplex (Kamchatka bugbane)
Eupatorium fistulosum (Joe-Pye weed)
Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed)
Helianthus angustifolius (fall sunflower)
Heliopsis helianthoides scabra (false sunflower)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage)
Ratibida pinnata (yellow coneflower)
Rudbeckia nitida (shining coneflower)
