Depending on the variety, marigolds adapt well to use as border plants, as filler in a mixed display or as cut flowers. Their color range extends from the deep, warm shades of red, to bright yellow and orange. These plants are also tolerant of both the warm and cool parts of the growing season and need little special care except some dead heading. Pansies are actually biennials but in most cases they are treated as annuals. Pansies and their smaller cousin, the viola, are often used to bring blooms into a garden in which other plants have not started flowering.
Pansies come in a wide color range and are usually obtained as plants.
They are commonly planted early in the growing season but can be planted in the fall if winter protection is available. Many believe that perennials, because they have the ability to persist for many years, are easy to grow and are very desirable for the raised planter. This is not always true. The biggest problem with perennial plants in the raised planter is over- wintering. Even plants that normally have no trouble surviving winters in standard ground beds may not survive a winter in a raised planter.