5 Easy Plants for a Romantic Entry Garden
Abundant flowers, a heady fragrance and striking foliage combine for a romantic front-yard garden that's deceptively low maintenance
Karen Chapman
June 4, 2013
Exuberance is key for a romantic garden style; it calls for a happy mingling of flowers and foliage rather than regimented spacing. Yet for this design to be considered easy care, the plant selection must also be well behaved — no flopping allowed, and minimal watering and deadheading.
No romantic garden is complete without fragrance, so the plant combination here includes lavender to flank the pathway that leads to the front door. Even when the lavender is not in bloom, casual brushing against its foliage will release the aromatic oils to perfume the air.
A restrained color palette of white, silver and blue brings a sense of calm to the space. Flowers, foliage and even the bark of a multitrunked Himalayan white birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii) play into this color scheme.
The end result is an enchanting entry garden that leads you to the front door while tempting you to linger.
No romantic garden is complete without fragrance, so the plant combination here includes lavender to flank the pathway that leads to the front door. Even when the lavender is not in bloom, casual brushing against its foliage will release the aromatic oils to perfume the air.
A restrained color palette of white, silver and blue brings a sense of calm to the space. Flowers, foliage and even the bark of a multitrunked Himalayan white birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii) play into this color scheme.
The end result is an enchanting entry garden that leads you to the front door while tempting you to linger.
Relatively few plants are included in this design, but they are repeated frequently throughout the garden. The aim is to create a series of billowing mounds using both foliage and flowers in cool shades of white and silver with blue accents that tie visually into the glass sculpture.
This scene welcomes visitors from June through November and requires little more than an occasional watering during the peak summer months. Here's how to get the look.
This scene welcomes visitors from June through November and requires little more than an occasional watering during the peak summer months. Here's how to get the look.
1. Start with a froth of white flowers.
Whirling butterflies (Gaura lindheimeri) is one of the most enchanting summer perennials. The delicate, white, butterfly-like flowers are suffused with pink and dance in the slightest breeze, bringing movement and color to the summer garden. Each plant produces dozens of flowering stems, so when they're massed together, as in this design, the effect is of a soft floral haze.
This is a woody perennial, so do not cut it to the ground in winter. Allow the twiggy structure to remain, which will protect the crown from frost damage. When new growth is visible in spring and you are sure the danger of frost has passed, trim the stems to the new growth to shape the plant.
USDA zones: 5 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2-foot basal foliage with 4-foot flowering spikes
When to plant: In spring or fall
Whirling butterflies (Gaura lindheimeri) is one of the most enchanting summer perennials. The delicate, white, butterfly-like flowers are suffused with pink and dance in the slightest breeze, bringing movement and color to the summer garden. Each plant produces dozens of flowering stems, so when they're massed together, as in this design, the effect is of a soft floral haze.
This is a woody perennial, so do not cut it to the ground in winter. Allow the twiggy structure to remain, which will protect the crown from frost damage. When new growth is visible in spring and you are sure the danger of frost has passed, trim the stems to the new growth to shape the plant.
USDA zones: 5 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2-foot basal foliage with 4-foot flowering spikes
When to plant: In spring or fall
2. Add fragrance.
Grosso lavender (Lavandula intermedia var. Grosso) is one of the taller, billowing cultivars that is perfect for making a statement in the garden or even creating a short hedge. The green-gray foliage forms a tidy mound 3 feet tall and wide, blooming from July through September with fragrant wands of deep blue.
USDA zones: 5 to 10
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
More about growing lavender | Other plants with gray-green foliage
Grosso lavender (Lavandula intermedia var. Grosso) is one of the taller, billowing cultivars that is perfect for making a statement in the garden or even creating a short hedge. The green-gray foliage forms a tidy mound 3 feet tall and wide, blooming from July through September with fragrant wands of deep blue.
USDA zones: 5 to 10
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
More about growing lavender | Other plants with gray-green foliage
3. Include great foliage.
Magical Fantasy weigela (Weigela florida 'Magical Fantasy') differs from earlier cultivars in that it has a pristine white variegation rather than a creamy yellow one. The tubular flowers are a soft pink and begin to appear in May; they continue on and off throughout the summer, much to the delight of the hummingbirds. As temperatures dip in the fall, the foliage on this shrub takes on a beautiful rosy cast.
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Average, lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
Magical Fantasy weigela (Weigela florida 'Magical Fantasy') differs from earlier cultivars in that it has a pristine white variegation rather than a creamy yellow one. The tubular flowers are a soft pink and begin to appear in May; they continue on and off throughout the summer, much to the delight of the hummingbirds. As temperatures dip in the fall, the foliage on this shrub takes on a beautiful rosy cast.
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Average, lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
Silver Mound wormwood (Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana') brings a feminine touch with its soft, feathery, silver foliage.
This perennial can be sheared back in midsummer if it starts to get straggly and it will quickly rebound. I have not found this to be necessary, however.
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
This perennial can be sheared back in midsummer if it starts to get straggly and it will quickly rebound. I have not found this to be necessary, however.
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide
When to plant: In spring or fall
4. Accent with touches of color.
Rozanne cranesbill (Geranium x 'Rozanne') is noted for its striking periwinkle blue flowers with deep purple stamens. The foliage is a bright green with lighter markings and dark red highlights.
This remarkable perennial blooms from May through November and can easily cover an area 3 feet by 3 feet or be trimmed back partway through the season to keep it somewhat restrained. However, if you want a soft, romantic effect, freedom rather than restraint is preferable.
USDA zones: 4 to 9
Water requirement: Average but lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 12 to 15 inches tall and spreading to 3 feet
When to plant: In spring or fall
More Houzz guides to flowers and plants
Rozanne cranesbill (Geranium x 'Rozanne') is noted for its striking periwinkle blue flowers with deep purple stamens. The foliage is a bright green with lighter markings and dark red highlights.
This remarkable perennial blooms from May through November and can easily cover an area 3 feet by 3 feet or be trimmed back partway through the season to keep it somewhat restrained. However, if you want a soft, romantic effect, freedom rather than restraint is preferable.
USDA zones: 4 to 9
Water requirement: Average but lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 12 to 15 inches tall and spreading to 3 feet
When to plant: In spring or fall
More Houzz guides to flowers and plants
Related Stories
Landscape Design
What Will We Want in Our Landscapes in 2024?
Discover seven trends that landscape designers predict homeowners will be bringing into their outdoor spaces this year
Full Story
Spring Gardening
8 Tips to Get Your Early-Spring Garden Ready for the Season
Find out how to salvage plants, when to cut back damaged branches, when to mulch and more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
How to Prune Your Fruit Trees in Winter
Garden chores may slow down this season, but pruning your fruit trees now means healthier plants that will produce more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Reviewing what you grew last year now will pay off when it’s time to head outside
Full Story
Landscape Design
Pros Share Their Top Plant Picks for a Low-Maintenance Yard
Landscape pros weigh in on the plants they’d use — and ones they’d avoid — to create an easy-care garden
Full Story
Landscape Design
10 Tips for Planting a Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Landscape
Landscape pros share their advice for planning a garden that’s easy to care for
Full Story
Gardening Guides
12 Gardening Ideas You Can Count as Resolutions
See how to set up your outdoor areas for more enjoyment next year and make them a bit more earth-friendly in the process
Full Story
Holidays
Last-Minute Ideas for Attractive Winter Container Designs
Create a welcoming holiday entryway with ideas from these 9 looks
Full Story
Winter Gardening
8 Tips for Keeping Your Houseplants Healthy in Winter
Reduce watering, stop fertilizing, move them into the light and more
Full Story
Fall Gardening
7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden
Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax
Full Story
Lovely.