• Edge your grass perimeter with flowers or herbs.grass image by Brett Bouwer from Fotolia.com
  
  A lush green lawn is the ideal goal for many homeowners. Pleasant landscaping requires more than just acres of rolling green grass, unless of course you live on a golf course. Trees add shade and variety to the views. Shrubs and flowers break up the monotony of all green. You can landscape your grass perimeters in a variety of ways.
  
  

Flower Borders

• Low-growing flower borders bring color to the grass perimeter. The green of the grass makes the colors of the flowers pop. Keeping the flowers low doesn't interrupt the sweep of grass. Sweet alyssum grows to only 6 inches high. It self-seeds prolifically so it may not have to be replanted year after year even though it's an annual. It comes in white and pale shades of purple and purplish-pink. Lobelia is another good choice. It's low growing with bright blue flowers that literally cover the plant. It's an annual and will have to be replanted. Both alyssum and lobelia will take a haircut and grow back, so if the grass trimmer goes a little out of bounds you don't have to worry.
  
  

Herbs

• Contrast the sword shapes of the grass with the different shapes of herb leaves. While herbs may flower, they are grown for their leaves which may be tiny, such as thyme, or larger, like basil. The colors of green range from the deep green of parsley to the gray green of sage. Growth ranges from ground hugging, such as oregano, to tall and stately, such as chervil. Keep the herbs bushy by trimming them often. A side benefit of using herbs against a grass perimeter is that when you brush against the herbs when walking on the grass, the herbs release their fragrance.
  
  

Cacti and Succulents

• If you have a grass perimeter in the front yard that is visited by dogs, consider putting in cacti and succulents. The thorns and stickers of these types of plants will discourage the dogs from using the grass as a bathroom or marking their territory. Adjust the watering system for the grass so it doesn't water the cacti. If you live in a cold winter area choose cacti that can withstand the cold or dig up them up, repot and bring them inside until spring. Several kinds of cacti will live through brief periods of frost. Another alternative would be to replant the cacti every year much as you would annuals.