Question
I don't think I was specific enough in my original inquiry. We live on a lake and the location of the border is right by the lake and it is like a square with three sides. In the middle of the square is a flag pole and two adirondack chairs for sitting. So the flower borders surround this area and need to be low to the ground. I have tried geraniums but they required too much work. I tried yellow, white and orange flowers, which I believe were Zinnia's but they didn't do well because of the lack of afternoon sun. So I need low growing flowers, preferably perennials, that have a lot of flowers and do well without a lot of sun and deadheading. Thanks, Laura
-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a border that I would like to start using perennials in. It gets full morning sun but by noon it is all shade. I would like the border to be as full as possible (it is a focal point in the yard) with low maintenance. Any help appreciated. If there are not perennials that fit that bill I need a good annual that would work. What I have planted so far has required a lot of upkeep and did not fill in as nicely as I would have liked.

Thank you.
-----Answer-----
Low maintenance - that rules out Roses, Peonies, Phlox, and a few thousand others.

Not all annuals are low maintenance.  I am partial to white Petunias because they are night-fragrant and practically glow in the dark; bloom right up to frost, which here is way into November; and they make everything around them look prettier.  They're easy to find, cheap and thrive on neglect - occasional watering (too much will put them to sleep) and tons of sun.  Let's put White Petunias on your list near the front of your border.  Which should be anything but a straight line.

I would stick a pretty birdbath right in the middle there.  There are so many on the market, antiques, brand new ones, just make sure it reflects the character of your house - if you have a modern house, buy a birdbath designed by Robert A.M. Stern; if you have an old house, go with one made of stone or cement from Craigslist or one of the thousand of garden antique stores up there.  I don't think there's a state that's in the league with Connecticut when it comes to choices.  This is a nice non-maintenance bird-friendly conversation piece and focal point for your focal point so make sure you get a really nice one.

In the rear of the border, for the Wow Factor, there is nothing like a stand of White Lilacs.  You can't buy these easily and if you are careful to buy fragrant hybrids and are patient enough and don't go crazy with the pruning shears, you will have some utterly beautiful flowers, more each year, with very little maintenance.  Get the biggest size you can, at least 3, perhaps 5.  You can mix them with a fragrant variety of violet or blue.  There are several nicely fragrant white kinds - I have three, and of them all, I would recommend a newer hybrid called variously "Beauty of Moscow" or its Russian equivalent which is something like "Kravitskaya Moscva" or something like that.  If you are thinking of obtaining any of these from White Flower Farm, I would discourage that - their specimens are not especially substantial since they are a mail order specialist and you won't get any bargains there.  There are surely some excellent nurseries in your area.  Get the biggest bushes you can get and get them in the ground; they take a few years to get established, with sparse blooms the first year, so get this out of the way and in a few years you will be glad you did.  And while we're on the subject, the better the hole that is dug for this, with a substantial amount of bone meal and humus, the healthier your shrubs will be and the more blooms you will get.  Several large bags of bone meal are called for.  If someone questions you on this let me know, there is a whole chemistry connected to this and I don't want to put you to sleep.

Moving right along....

Place an order now for next year's spring bulbs.  You'll get a nice discount and they won't run out.  Bulbs to avoid are Daffodils (which are hard to establish sometimes) and all Tulips.  Best: Scillas and Muscari.  Their blues are stunning and they will multiply if you don't apply weed killer all over the place.  You can get pink Scillas as well now.  Yellow Alliums - short, sweet little flowers - and the Blue Azureum Alliums - same size - are maintenance free and reliable and will bloom for almost a full month; they can be cut for indoors and are quite reliable although most people are not familiar with them.  They need to be planted in concentrations of 1-3 dozen.

Globemaster Alliums are expensive but considering they last for years they are great deal, and they are very impressive and quite noticeable.  They bloom in late spring and last a month.  You can get them in violet or in white.  They do not mind a bit of shade and will probably thrive in your setting.

These will all be very happy if they are getting a full dose of sun right up to noon.  The Petunias will be happiest with the most sun and are the most sun-starved.  See how they do.  The ubiquitous Impatiens is always available if Petunias are not performing.  Sweet Alyssum, the annual spreader, is in the same category - try it and see how it does.

For early summer interest, Echinacea White Swan - also known as Coneflower - is a tall, undemanding flower with grace and stature.  Many perennials do not return more than 2 or 3 seasons; this one usually does.

Daylilies - Hemerocallis - come in so many colors now it's hard to pick one.  But it's important not to mix and match too many different things.  Less is more in garden design.  They only bloom a few short weeks but their low maintenance behavior and reliability makes them too irresistable.   I would avoid the usual orange and yellow kinds which includes award-winners Hyperion and Stella d'Oro; everyone grows them.

The Bluestone Perennials website(http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/index.html)  will recommend to you hundreds of choice perennials automatically on their website, but it won't give you maintenance information.  It's a starting point.  They are an excellent perennials supplier, mainly because they grow their own plants.  Click on "Custom Search" at the home page down the left side (it's the last item in the "Shop Our Catalog" box) and insert the details - you are probably in Zone 6.

I could go on forever about this but I'll let you get a word in.  If there is a plant you were thinking about doing let me know - perhaps it will work.  Meantime Good luck with your project and thanks for writing!

Answer
I see!  Low growing, low maintenance, limited sun.  I guess we can forget about Lilacs.

Check the Internet website for Bluestone Perennials for photographs of their Daylilies (Hemerocallis), Hosta (there are several different kinds and they mix well, I would select 3 different kinds).  I like Violas, but they require probably more deadheading than you want.  Daylilies just keep going and Hostas are care-free iron plants that grow anywhere.  Bear in mind that at least for the first season you will have to get these established and that requires watering them when they need it, especially on superhot days.  These are perennails I think you will be happy with.

Rounding them out with annuals will give you color all season.  You would be doing a more professional job if you did not select dozens of different plants, and selected only a few of your preferred flowers.  They look better when you have a major bloom rather than lots of smaller ones all over the place.

For the annuals I would look out for Marine Blue Lobelia.  They can also be ordered on the Internet in large trays at Graceful Gardens (www.gracefulgardens.com).  Lobelia starts blooming a few weeks after you put it in the ground, and doesn't stop until frost.  The white is not so impressive to me but perhaps you will like it.

I would stick with the Alliums as well.  They are incredibly trouble free and the lower growing yellow and blue ones will not be damaged from heavy winds or rains.

Sorry I misunderstood - this is a better answer for you.  Let me know if you have any other questions and thanks for writing - feel free to correct me here if I am still off mark.