Will you please suggest a hardy perennial that will grow in full sun to soften the
harsh lines of a timber retaining wall? The wall is approximately fifty feet
long. It is planted with upright perennials in the background. I have been using
lavender lantana, which is beautiful, but has to be replanted at least every two
years. I would love to have a plant that blooms. I concentrate on colors in the
lavender, blue, purple or white range.
I assume you are looking for a shorter plant for the front of the bed, since you have upright perennials already. Some plants to look into include: candytuft--actually an evergreen plant with pure white flowers in the spring; Scabiosa, also called pincushion flower won’t last forever, but will give you a long season of blooms. Stokesia, or Stokes aster blooms in late summer in shades of blue and purple. Creeping phlox for spring color, and perennial verbena comes in a purple shade. The verbena is long blooming, but not 100% reliable each year as a perennial. Blue plumbago, Ceratostigma, is another option for a border plant. A white perennial dianthus would be another option. There are some lovely perennial salvias in shades of blue and white, but they may be too tall growing. A combination of plants would give you a longer season of bloom.