Last fall I prepared a border bed along a Privet hedge running the length of my front yard. It gets full sun ALL day.. I want a colorful selection of blooms.. I am partial to reds, purples and pinks.. Not terribly fond of yellows and whites. I would like something that stays compact.. probably no more than a foot high. I was thinking of Vinca as it comes in the colors I like and loves sun. Any other suggestions?
I like vinca, too, @Carol Cook , and once it is established, it is permanent and pretty much carefree. Does this mean that you are exclusively looking for one kind of plant and one color for the whole area ? Are you just looking for something perennial , and not like petunias (as an example) that have to be replanted each year ? Another plant that comes in multiple colors is Four o'Clocks, and mine are pink and come back every year, and do spread some as well. The are taller than one foot; but not a lot taller, maybe two feet at the most. They come in a variety of striking colors, and i just got some of the seeds for the multi-colored ones and am going to start some in the aerogarden and then set them out in the yard.
I am looking to combine reds, purples and pinks. Vinca is only hardy to 20F... so in my area it's treated as an annual. I want something to run along the base of a 20' long privet hedge. I don't really like petunias as they get leggy and it's a chore to dead head all the time.. (plus they are sticky.. right?) lol!1
There must be several varieties of vinca, @Carol Cook . I had some when I lived in northern Idaho, and it can get -30 in the winter up there. We just called it periwinkle up there, and it would grow and spread in sun or shade, and was covered with the pretty lilac flowers in the spring. http://www.vincaminor.org There is a plant called Creeping Thyme that I have seen in the plant catalogs, and it had pink blossoms and was low to the ground and easy to care for from what the article said. What other possibilities are you considering besides the vinca ?
Yes... there is an annual form of vinca called Catharanthus Roseus. It's not invasive like the other varieties and is sold in garden centers. Here's a pretty good article on the different varieties. http://www.gardenguides.com/115300-vinca-varieties.html
Lantana comes in the bush variety and a lot of colors, loves full sun and is one of the easiest flowering plants I've ever grown. It also will come back from season to season. Some of their flowering blooms are even multi-colored and they attract Butterflies, etc.
I finally decided on Dianthus... AKA Pinks.. They really have vivid color and will take a picture when they fill in.. But in case.. here's what they look like..