Project · Lafayette landscaping

Perimeters

Shaded perimeter beds — pollinator-friendly, pest-deterrent, aromatic, culinary, medicinal

Goals

Small plants. Low-growing perennials and herbs — under ~3 ft. These beds are visual edges, not screens.
Shade-tolerant. Partial shade is the default condition (perimeter beds catch building shadows for big chunks of the day).
Pollinators. Every bed should have something blooming in spring, summer, and fall.
Pest deterrent — especially mosquitos. Lots of aromatic plants whose oils repel mosquitos, gnats, and aphids.
Smells great. Brushing past releases scent.
Culinary & medicinal. Most of the palette is harvestable — for the kitchen or the medicine cabinet.

Plant palette

Tags: Poll pollinator · Pest pest/mosquito-deterrent · Arom aromatic · Cul culinary · Med medicinal

Plant	Tags	Why
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)	PestAromCulMed	Mosquito repellent. Calming tea. Lemon-scented when brushed. Self-seeds — keep contained or accept the spread.
Catmint 'Walker's Low' (Nepeta)	PollPestArom	Bee magnet. Aromatic foliage repels mosquitos and aphids. Long lavender-blue bloom from May through October.
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)	PestAromCulMed	Strongest mosquito-repelling mint. Tea, mojitos, gum garnish. Plant in a bottomless container sunk in the bed — it spreads aggressively otherwise.
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)	AromMed	Low (6 in) shade groundcover with white spring flowers. Hay-vanilla scent when dried.
Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum)	AromCul	California native shade groundcover with heart-shaped leaves and a faint ginger scent. Rhizomes are edible in small quantities.
Bee balm (Monarda didyma)	PollAromCulMed	Hummingbird and bee favorite. Bergamot-scented leaves for tea. Tolerates partial shade better than most mints.
Sage 'Berggarten' (Salvia officinalis)	AromCulMed	Broad-leaf culinary sage. Tolerates half-shade. Stays under 2 ft.
Sweet violet (Viola odorata)	PollAromCul	Fragrant edible flowers in early spring. Shade-loving native-ish. Self-seeds gently.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)	PollMed	Edible petals. Petals make a skin-healing oil/salve. Long bloom season. Reseeds.
Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' (Achillea millefolium)	PollMed	Wound-healing herb. Pollinator workhorse. Survives partial shade.
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)	PollAromCulMed	Edible apple-scented flowers for tea. Self-seeds annually.
Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)	PollPestCul	Aphid deterrent. Late-summer white flower heads attract bees. Mild garlic flavor.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis)	PollMed	Early-spring pollen source (one of the first bumblebee plants). Silver-spotted leaves. Pure shade plant.

Layout

Plant in drifts of 3–5 of the same species, not singletons. Single specimens read as weeds; drifts read as design.
Tall-ish things (bee balm, catmint, sage) at the back of the bed; mid-height (lemon balm, calendula, chamomile, garlic chives, yarrow) in the middle; groundcovers (sweet woodruff, wild ginger, sweet violet, lungwort) at the front.
Confined plants: mints, lemon balm, bee balm — sink bottomless containers (5-gal nursery pots with the bottom cut out) into the bed to keep the runners in.
Annual reseeders (calendula, chamomile, sweet violet) will fill in gaps naturally year after year.
Mulch lightly (1–2 in compost or fine chips) — heavy mulch smothers the low groundcovers.