<p>hmmm…I don’t know wis. Here I think the problem would be keeping the basements dry. We have our own version, called the Texas Basement which is basically a finished bonus room over a two or three car garage. Not much protection from tornadoes…but basically serves the same purpose as a basement recreationally.</p>
<p>Man…if I lived in Oklahoma, I’d be digging a bunker though…lol!</p>
<p>(Btw…our little neighborhood was hit by a small twister last week! Freak event, uprooted 100-200 year old oaks…blew out the tennis courts bending the metal framing until the poles broke off where they met the concrete of the court, brick wall fencing was destroyed in a couple of locations. No one hurt thank goodness. Must have been a slow news week because we had news helicopters circling the neighborhood for footage…which was actually funny because we are so small (250 homes), they were almost running into each other. Again, a freak event for our area.)</p>
<p>Well, it seems that the rudbeckia I planted in a berm three years ago has now spread and overtaken it. I plan to pull it all out and move it to a naturalized area of my yard. So what can I replace it with in the berm? Something that is no more than 36 inches high, likes full sun, flowers all (or at least most) of the summer and will not spread. (Note: I prefer pinks and purples to reds, oranges and yellows.) Your suggestions?</p>
<p>Echinacea for pinks – Salvia for purple – will re-bloom if you dead-head it. Nepeta (cat mint) (lavender) will rebloom too if you shear it back after the first bloom. It can be aggressive, but doesn’t mind being tamed.</p>
<p>Sounds delish, ek4! The berm already has salvia and echinacea. Guess I should’ve mentioned that. In fact the echinacea is flanked on either side by the out-of-control rudbeckia. And the salvia are in the front “row” of the berm.</p>
<p>Yes, mostly sun. In fact, the berm is located in the ONLY sunny spot on my 1- 1/2 acre lot so I’m enjoying growing things that I usually can’t in the shade.</p>
<p>Have you tried Coral Bells (Heuchera)??? I was just at a specialty nursery and was in awe of all the new colors! The bronze, red, lime green foliage was amazing! Plain, frosted or varigated… the selections were beautiful!</p>
<p>I am also partial to daylilies. This place had the rare black daylilies. Gorgeous!</p>
<p>NM, you’ve made some great suggestions. I would looove to see your yard. I planted a bed of coral bells in the shade this spring and they are lovely. I contrasted a frosted burgundy with a bright lime green as a border to a number of different hostas. Didn’t know that heucheras could tolerate full sun. As for daylilies, don’t they spread too?</p>
<p>Coyote mint (monardella villosa) is one of my favorites. It’s covered with purple, pincushion-like flowers from late spring through fall. It is fairly low-growing, about 2 feet high. Its foliage looks good in winter and has a very nice scent. Butterflies love this plant.</p>
<p>I also have California Aster (aster chilensis). It has masses of purple daisy-like flowers in late summer and fall. It’s about 3 feet high. You cut it to the ground in winter, and it does want to spread by underground runners, but it can be contained by yanking them up since they’re near the surface.</p>
<p>Pitcher sage (lepechinia fragrans) is a very striking plant with lavender flowers. It’s about 4 feet tall, so above your height limit, but you could try one as a specimen if you have a spot that needs something interesting. Its leaves smell a little like sage and a little like mint. The flowers are bell-shaped and appear along the ends of each of the plant’s many stalks. It’s hard to describe, best to see a picture.</p>
<p>There is a low-growing penstemon with prolific purple flowers called Foothill Penstemon (penstemon heterophyllus, “Margarita BOP” is purple and “Blue Springs” is blue). It’s a good border plant. </p>
<p>There are some very nice pink yarrows (achillea millefolium) that look good in masses.</p>
<p>All of my plants are California natives; probably the easiest ones to get outside of California are the coyote mint and yarrow.</p>
<p>Rosemary is a nice foil to perennials, and has purplish flowers late winter/early spring. Does best in good draining soil without much water & it smells/tastes great.
( can you tell I like plants that serve more than one function?)</p>
<p>I also like blue oat grass- it is clumping and drought tolerant.
neither of these things flower all summer though-</p>
<p>Aster frikartii is a very long-blooming lavender-blue colored perennial that would meet your requirements. It stays in a clump – no runners! Although they aren’t as long-blooming, groups of stargazer or any of the other fragrant Asiatic lilies would be a great addition – there are many pinks to choose from and the scent is heavenly. Some of the smaller shrub roses (like bonica, a disease-resistant variety that can be kept at around 3 feet – little fragrance, though) would also be good choices.</p>
<p>You could even mix in a few of the low-growing dahlias. I have several in mixed shrub/perennial beds in my small garden, and it was so fun to be able to cut them for bouquets last August and September. Too late to grow from tubers this season, but you might be able to buy plants in bloom. In the Pacific Northwest I leave mine in the ground and rarely lose any over the winter.</p>
<p>I’m envious of your sun – consider the new knock-out roses… supposedly carefree and wonderful pink shades. or the annual salvia – imperial blue maybe? – not the red and purple salvia you normally think of. It takes a while to get going, but blooms until first frost and looks more like a perennial.</p>
<p>With not a single space for another plant in my small garden, I’m envious of having a spot you need to fill with a new plant! Just thought of another one – phlox paniculata. Another old fashioned flower with a sweet fragrance.</p>
<p>Wow, I’ve just returned from a nice day out and cannot express how thrilled I am to see so many wonderful responses. Calreader, zipyourlips, et. al., I will definitely google the plants you’ve mentioned first thing tomorrow when I’m more awake because I’ve never heard of most. I am very excited by the prospect of discovering something brand new. ivoryk, as I mentioned earlier, this is my only little parcel of sunshine on my entire property. I am much better acquainted with impatiens, hostas, heucheras and other shade loving plants. The annual salvia sounds like a very promising idea that I’ll investigate. Who says I’ve got to replace the rudbeckia with another perennial? Thanks all!!!</p>
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