A Lovely Raised Bed Idea with Grasses, Blood Pinks and Sage

Perennial Combinations, Plant Combinations, Border Ideas, Raised Bed Ideas, Summer Borders

Garden Ideas, Border ideas, Perennial Planting, Perennial combination, Summer border, Fall Border, Grass Border, Salvia Nemorosa, Stipa, Stipa Tenuissima, salvia Mainacht, Salvie Caradonna, Salvia Amethyst

Create stunning, easy-care, and long-lasting combinations for your sunny borders or raised beds like this one. Inspired by prairie planting, this modern and natural planting combines the cool purple flower spikes of ornamental Sage (Salvia) and bright golden-yellow umbels of Yarrow (Achillea) with the billowing blooms of Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) and New Zealand Wind Grass (Stipa arundinacea), providing an attractive contrast and airiness to this border.

Bobbing around them are lovely rich burgundy Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) and the purple heads of Drumstick Alliums (Allium sphaerocephalon).

All plants are deer and drought-tolerant. Undemanding and easy to grow, they require little maintenance and enjoy a very long season of interest!

Garden Information

Hardiness	8
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid)
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Average
Soil Type	Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH	Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Moist but Well-Drained
Characteristics	Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy
Tolerance	Drought, Deer
Attracts	Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders
Garden Styles	City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage

Plants In This Garden

Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass)

Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) is a stunning ornamental grass with slender, silvery-green foliage that dances in the breeze, adding elegance to any garden.

Hardiness	7 - 11
Plant type	Ornamental Grasses
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Salvia x sylvestris 'May Night' (Wood Sage)

One of the earliest hardy Salvia to bloom, multiple award-winner Sage ‘Mainacht’ or ‘May Night’ (Salvia x sylvestris) has been in cultivation for 30 years and has become quite a standard.

Hardiness	4 - 8
Plant type	Perennials
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Height	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Dianthus caryophyllus 'King of the Blacks' (Carnation)

Enriching any garden’s color scheme, Dianthus caryophyllus ‘King of the Blacks’ (Carnation) is an eye-catching, loosely-tufted, herbaceous perennial with a profusion of clove-scented, dark burgundy-red, double flowers, up to 2 in. across (5 cm), atop firm stems. Elegantly rising above a low mound of evergreen, gray-green, linear foliage, the velvety, ruffled blossoms are produced in succession from late spring to mid-summer.

Hardiness	5 - 10
Plant type	Perennials
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid)
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	10" - 1' (25cm - 30cm)

Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Allium)

Allium sphaerocephalon or ‘Drumstick Allium’ is a lovely addition to the border where it adds interest and movement with its dense egg-shaped flower heads atop straight and slender stems, delicately turning from green to purple as they mature. Blooming in late spring to early summer, this spectacular bulbous perennial adds some dramatic color to the garden

Hardiness	4 - 11
Plant type	Bulbs
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early)
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	4" (10cm)

Betula nigra (River Birch)

Betula nigra (River Birch) is a bushy deciduous tree prized for its incredible peeling bark. Salmon-pink, smooth and shiny at first, the bark flakes and curls in cinnamon-brown to blackish sheets.

Hardiness	4 - 9
Plant type	Trees
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	40' - 70' (12.2m - 21.3m)
Spread	40' - 60' (12.2m - 18.3m)

Achillea 'Moonshine' (Yarrow)

Evergreen, award-winning Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Yarrow) is highly prized by gardeners for its pleasantly aromatic, silver-green feathery foliage and its long-lasting, conspicuous, bright lemon-yellow flat umbel flowers.

Hardiness	3 - 8
Plant type	Perennials
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' (Boxwood)

Compact, Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ (Boxwood) is a small, slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen shrub with a soft and lush foliage of ovate, fairly glossy leaves, up to 1 in. long (2 cm). Tough, hardy and easy to grow, this dwarf Boxwood provides color year-round

Hardiness	5 - 8
Plant type	Shrubs
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun, Shade
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Digitalis parviflora (Small-Flowered Foxglove)

Native to the Mediterranean region, Digitalis parviflora (Small-Flowered Foxglove) is a slender perennial rich in subtle charm. It produces tightly packed spires of chocolate flowers veined violet with a mahogany lower lip. Blooming from late spring to mid-summer, they arise from a basal rosette of downy, lance-shaped leaves and provide fascinating color and architectural height to borders.

Hardiness	4 - 8
Plant type	Perennials
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun, Shade
Seasons	Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid)
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	10" - 1' (25cm - 30cm)

Stipa arundinacea (New Zealand Wind Grass)

Gorgeous, fast-growing, tough as nails, Stipa arundinacea or Anemanthele lessoniana (Pheasant’s Tail Grass) is an elegant and impressive ornamental grass that has become a favorite of landscape designers and gardeners. Semi-evergreen, with an open growth habit, it exhibits arching, dark green, thread-like leaves, that sway gracefully in the slightest breeze.

Hardiness	8 - 10
Plant type	Ornamental Grasses
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

How Many Plants Do I Need?

Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas

Salvia (Sage) Dianthus (Carnation) Stipa (Feather Grass) Achillea (Yarrow) Digitalis (Foxglove) Betula (Birch) Allium

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Alternative Plants to Consider

Achillea ‘Inca Gold’ (Yarrow)

Achillea ‘Walther Funcke’ (Yarrow)

Salvia x sylvestris ‘Blue Hill’ (‘Blauhugel’ Sage)

Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (Sage)

Learn About These Genera

Allium (Ornamental Onion)

Hardy Perennial Salvias (Sage)

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.