The Mixed Herbaceous Border for Public Spaces
A good garden is a mixture of elements: good underlying design, good soil, paths, benches and many different kinds of plants well-combined for continuing pleasure throughout the seasons. The most important ingredient for successful long-lasting public plantings is good soil.
What follows is a list of some of the plants I use most often to produce public gardens in New York City. The shrubs are the year-round backbone of the garden while the perennials add beautiful flowers and foliage and annuals and bulbs give splashes of color.
I have found these plants to be hardy, reliable, and noteworthy for public garden use in the greater New York area, generally Zones 6 and 7. Overall, these have proved to be relatively low-maintenance plants.
CLICK HERE FOR A SELECTION OF THE BEST FOUR-SEASON LOW-MAINTENANCE PLANTS.
For more extensive lists of great plant selections, click on the following:
Deciduous Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
Roses
Grasses
Perennials
Annuals
Bulbs
Click here for plant lists organized by their Design Functions.
Winter and very early spring interest in the Northeast from bark, berries, evergreen foliage, or long-lasting seedheads
Deciduous Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
Once established, trees, shrubs, and vines are generally lower maintenance than perennials and annuals, unless you wish to prune them into hedges or rounds. Vines are marked with an asterisk; I generally avoid using vines, with the exception of those listed here, as many tend to be invasive.
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
A. palmatum var. dissectum ‘Garnet’, ‘Tamukeyama’
Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’, ‘Crimson Pygmy’
B. thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rose Glow’
Buddleja davidii ‘Nanho Blue’, ‘Black Knight’
*Clematis—small-flowered cultivars, such as C. ‘Betty Corning’,
‘Étoile Violette’, ‘Jackmanii’, ‘Rooguchi’
C. x durandii
Cercis canadensis
Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ 
C. kousa
C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ 
C. sericea ‘Silver and Gold’ 
Corylopsis pauciflora 
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’
Edgeworthia chrysantha 
Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ 
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Aphrodite’, Blue Bird, ‘Blue Satin’, ‘Diana’
*Hydrangea anomola subsp. petiolaris
H. arborescens
H. macrophylla ‘Blue Wave’, ‘Enziandom’, ‘Glowing Embers’,
‘Mariesii Variegata’, ‘Nikko Blue’
H. paniculata ‘Limelight’, ‘Pink Diamond’, ‘Tardiva’
H. serrata ‘Blue Billow’
H. quercifolia 
H. quercifolia Snowflake
Jasminum nudiflorum 
Lagerstroemia fauriei 
L. hardy cultivars, such as L. ‘Natchez’, ‘Choctaw’, ‘Muskogee’ 
Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Albiflora’,‘Pink Fountain’
Magnolia stellata
M. × soulangeana
Malus cultivars:
White: M. ‘Bob White’
Pink: M. Coralburst
Dark Pink: M. ‘Burgundy’
Dwarf Roundtable Series
Prunus × cistena
Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’, ‘Golden Elf’, ‘White Gold’
S. thunbergii ‘Ogon’
Stephanandra incisa ‘Crispa’
Viburnum nudum ‘Earthshades’, ‘Winterthur’
V. plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’
Vitex agnus-castus
Weigela ‘Florida Variegata’
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
Buxus ‘Green Velvet’, ‘Green Mountain’
Camellia Ackerman hybrids
C. japonica ‘Spring’s Promise’, ‘April Snow’
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’
Euonymus fortunei ‘Coloratus’, ‘Emerald Gaiety’
E. kiautschovicus ‘Manhattan’
Ilex aquifolium ‘Aurea Marginata’
I. crenata ‘Sky Pencil’
I.× meserveae Blue Princess, Blue Prince
I. ‘Nellie R. Stevens’
Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’
J. scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’, ‘Wichita Blue’
J. squamata ‘Blue Star’
Myrica pensylvanica
Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’
Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wyckoff’
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’
Rhododendron ‘Boule de Neige’, ‘Pleasant White’, ‘Treasure’
Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis
Skimmia japonica
Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’
T. × media ‘Hatfieldii’
Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’
Roses
Carefree series
David Austin roses
Knock Out series
Meidiland roses
R. ‘Betty Prior’, ‘Seafoam’, Simplicity (pink and white forms), ‘Trumpeter’
R. glauca (R. rubrifolia)
Perennials
Achillea ‘Moonshine’
Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’
Actaea simplex Atropurpurea Group
Agastache ‘Black Adder’
Alcea rosea (biennial; I prefer single-flowered varieties)
Alchemilla mollis
Amsonia hubrichtii
Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’
A. tomentosa ‘Robustissima’
Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver Queen’
Aruncus aethusifolius
A. dioicus
Asarum europaeum 
Aster ‘Little Carlow’
A. novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’
A. tataricus ‘Jindai’
Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii ‘Superba’
Baptisia australis
Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby’ 
Brunnera macrophylla
Campanula lactiflora ‘Pritchard’s Variety’
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Cynara cardunculus (biennial)
Darmera peltatum
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’
Digitalis purpurea and D. p. ‘Alba’ (biennial)
Echinacea purpurea
Epimedium species and cultivars
Erigeron karvinskianus
Eryngium giganteum (biennial)
Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae 
Ferns: Athyrium filix-femina
A. niponicum var. pictum
Dryopteris erythrosora 
Geranium ‘Brookside’, ‘Johnson’s Blue’, ‘Jolly Bee’
G. macrorrhizum 
Geum ‘Fire Opal’, ‘Lady Stratheden’, ‘Mrs. J. Bradshaw’ 
Helianthus angustifolius
Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Prairie Sunset’, Summer Sun
Helleborus foetidus 
H. ×hybridus 
Hemerocallis ‘Autumn Prince’, ‘Happy Returns’, ‘Hyperion’, ‘Poinsettia’
Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ 
Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Lady Baltimore’, ‘Lord Baltimore’
Hosta ‘Patriot’
H. plantaginea ‘Aphrodite’
H. sieboldiana var. elegans
H. ‘Sum and Substance’
Iris ensata ‘Variegata’
I. pallida ‘Argentea Variegata’
Kirengeshoma palmata
Kniphofia ‘Alcazar’, ‘Little Maid’, ‘Percy’s Pride’
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
Ligularia ‘The Rocket’
Liriope muscari ‘Big Blue’ 
L. Silvery Sunproof (L. muscari ‘Variegata’) 
Lychnis chalcedonica
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’
N. sibirica ‘Souvenir d’Andre Chaudron’
N. ‘Six Hills Giant’
N. subsessilis
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Krinkled White’
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’, ‘Atrosanguineus’
P. bistorta ‘Superba’
Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’, ‘David’
Platycodon grandiflorus
Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum ‘Variegatum’
Pulmonaria saccharata ‘Mrs. Moon’
Rodgersia aesculifolia
Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’
R. maxima
Salvia × sylvestris ‘Blauhügel’ (Blue Hill), ‘Ostfriesland’,
‘Mainacht’ (May Night)
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Sedum Autumn Joy 
S. cauticola ‘Lidakense’
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Stachys byzantina ‘Countess Helen Von Stein’
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium
T. rochebruneanum ‘Lavender Mist’
Verbascum bombyciferum ‘Polarsommer’ (biennial)
V. ‘Helen Johnson’
Vernonia noveboracensis
Veronicastrum virginicum
Vinca minor 
Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ 
Grasses
Acorus gramineus and A. g. ‘Ogon’
Carex elata ‘Aurea’
C. oshimensis ‘Evergold’
Chasmanthium latifolium
Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
Helictotrichon sempervirens
Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’
Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’
M. sinensis ‘Gracillimus’, ‘Morning Light’, ‘Variegatus’
Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’, ‘Shenandoah’
Pennisetum alopecuroides
P. orientale ‘Karley Rose’
Annuals
Abelmoschus manihot
Agapanthus species and cultivars
Ageratum houstonianum ‘Blue Horizon’
Alternanthera dentata ‘Rubiginosa’
Angelonia Angelface series
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
Begonia × hybrida ‘Dragon Wings’
Bouvardia ternifolia
Browallia americana
Caladium species and cultivars
Canna ‘Australia’, ‘King Humbert’, ‘Pretoria’
Centaurea gymnocarpa
Colocasia species and cultivars
Cordyline australis ‘Red Sensation’
Cosmos atrosanguineus
Cuphea ‘David Verity’
Cynara cardunculis
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, ‘Crossfield Ebony’,
‘Fascination’, ‘Gingeroo’, ‘Onesta’
Euphorbia cotinifolia
E. ‘Diamond Frost’
Gomphrena ‘Lavender Lady’, ‘Strawberry Fields’
Helianthus argophyllus ‘Japanese Silver Leaf’
Heliotropium arborescens ‘Marine’
Hibiscus acetosella ‘Red Shield’
Impatiens New Guinea Group
Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’,‘Margarita’
Lantana camara ‘Confetti’, ‘Miss Huff’
Melampodium paludosum ‘Lemon Delight’
Nicotiana alata and N. a. ‘Daylight Sensation’
N. langsdorffii
N. mutabilis
Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’
Plectranthus argentatus
P. ‘Mona Lavender’
Ruellia brittoniana
Salvia coccinea ‘Lady in Red’
S. guaranitica and S. g. ‘Black and Blue’
S. ‘Indigo Spires’
S. leucantha
Salvia splendens ’Van-Houttei’
Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’
Solenostemon (coleus) cultivars
Tibouchina urvilleana
Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Fiesta del Sol’, ‘Torch’
Verbena bonariensis
Viola hybrids andcultivars (especially the Sorbet Series)
Zinnia linearis cultivars
Z. Profusion series
Bulbs
Allium cristophii
A. ‘Gladiator’, ‘Globemaster’
A. hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’
Anemone blanda ‘Blue Star’
Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’ 
Chionodoxa luciliae
Eremurus species and cultivars
Fritillaria imperialis cultivars
F. meleagris
Gladiolus murielae
Hyacinthoides hispanica
Leucojum aestivum
Lilium Citronella Group
L. canadense
L. henryi
L. speciosum var. rubrum
L. speciosum var. album
Muscari armeniacum
Narcissus –see note below
Scilla siberica
Tulipa –see note below
Tulipa species as perennials: T. clusiana var. chrysantha, T. tarda
Note: I use mixed daffodils to naturalize in ground covers like Euonymus fortuneii ‘Coloratus’ but not in mixed borders because of their unsightly spent foliage. I do use tulips sparingly in mixed borders but remove them after flowering, although species tulips can be left in place. Generally, when you use bulbs in mixed borders, do not mix them in with perennials but place them in the spaces reserved for annuals.
Selection of Four-Season Low-Maintenance Plants
Trees
Acer rubrum 'October Glory'
Cornus kousa
Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’
Malus spp.
Shrubs
Aucuba japonica
Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’
Buxus ‘Green Velvet’, ‘Green Mountain’
Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’
Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus‘
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer‘
Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’
Prunus × cistena
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’
Rosa Knock Out 'Radrazz'
Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’
Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’
Perennials
Alchemilla mollis
Amsonia hubrichtii
Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’
Echinacea purpurea
Geranium macrorrhizum
Helleborus × hybridus
Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’
Hosta plantaginea ‘Aphrodite’
Liriope muscari ‘Big Blue’
Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’
Salvia × sylvestris ‘Blauhügel’ (Blue Hill)
Sedum Autumn Joy