Question
Hello.  I am trying to find an outdoor, very colorful plant that people used for the trim of the yard.  Furthermore, or what makes this more complicated is this:  My walkway, which is about 5 feet wide, is lined with hedges about 4 feet tall.  At the top, they are very bushy and big, but on the bottom, it is just the root so when you walk up my walkway, at your shoe level, I want to plant some colorful plants that don't require a lot of watering from me, i think it rains enough often as a live in Northern New Jersey AND want something that would be colorful and pretty for MOST of the year or the most of the year.  

I planted some other really nice flowers in my backyard but they only blossom for a few weeks a year.  

Do you think you can help please?

Answer
Hi and thank you for your question. I have a few question I would have to ask before making a plant choice, and they will help you better make your plant purchase. One how much room is there between the base of the hedge and the edge of the concrete? How long have the shrubs been planted in the place they are now?And what type of hedge is it? Are they in full or partial shade? What are the watering needs for the shrubs? I ask the first two question because your going to need to know how much actual planting space your going to have to work with, because some shrubs roots don't go very deep into the ground. And if they been there a long while you may have a lot of root and no space for much of anything. Then there is the watering needs for the shrubs, if they require watering every day or even several times a week, then a drought tolerant plant will not work there. Then the sun vs. shade factor this is a big deal because most flowering plants require full sun and being under something like a shrub may steal all the sun a plant will need. So now that I have discouraged you, kidding. The only thing I can really suggest not knowing all the elements would be some flowering perennials and you can change the look of it quarterly and there fairly inexpensive. Sorry I could not be more help. But please feel free to contact me again if you have any other questions or and thing else. Have a great day! Bill