Ivydene Gardens Plants: Ground-Cover Plant Name: D
The process below provides a uniform method for comparing every plant detailed in the following galleries with the ones already compared in the relevant plant gallery from the last list of plant galleries in this cell:-

• These are the galleries that will provide the plants to be added to their own Extra Index Pages
• Bee plants for hay-fever sufferers - Bee-Pollinated Index
• Plants that grow in Chalk - A,
• Rock Garden and Alpine Flowers - A,
• Bulbs from the Infill Galleries see Hardy Bulbs, Half-hardy Bulbs, etc in the second row of Topic Table, usually positioned as the first table on the left.
• The complete Camera Photo is displayed on the screen
• Climber in 3 Sector Vertical Plant System
• Plants with Sense of Fragrance

The following Extra Index of Wildflowers is created in the Borage Wildflower Gallery, to which the Wildflowers found in the above list will have that row entry copied to.
Its wildflower flower thumbnail - or foliage thumbnail if it does not have flowers - will be compared with the others in that gallery per month.
The Header Row for the Extra Indices pages is the same as used in this 1000 Ground Cover A of Plants Topic:-
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, XYZ

Having transferred the Extra Index row entry to the relevant Extra Index row for the same type of plant in a gallery below; then
its flower or foliage thumbnail will be compared per month in that relevant gallery:-

• Aquatic
• Bamboo
• Bedding
• Bulb
• Conifer - Conifers have no flowers and are used for their foliage and cones
• Deciduous Shrub
• Deciduous Tree
• Evergreen Perennial
• Evergreen Shrub
• Evergreen Tree
• Fern - Ferns have no flowers and are used for their foliage
• Grass - Grass is used for its grass inflorescence and foliage
• Hedging
• Herbaceous Perennial
• Herb
• Odds and Sods
• Rhododendron, Azalea and Camellia
• Soft Fruit
• Top Fruit
• Vegetable
• Wild Flower

The plants normally selected by most landscapers and designers are by nature low-growing, rampant, spreading, creep-crawly things and yet the concept of ground cover demands no such thing. The ideal description of a groundcover plant includes:-

• a bold dense mass of leaves completely covering the ground most of the year; evergreens gain gold stars.
• They should require little or no maintenance - if you have to give the plant more than its share of attention, you might as well save your money and spend the time weeding.
• use the plant on ground areas that are difficult to maintain, such as steep banks or boggy patches.
• use the plant to cover areas where not much will grow, such as deep shade or sandy soils.

Ground Cover a thousand beautiful plants for difficult places by John Cushnie (ISBN 1 85626 326 6) provides details of plants that fulfill the above requirements.

Using these groundcover plants in your planting scheme (either between your trees/shrubs in the border or for the whole border) will - with mulching your beds to a 4 inch depth and an irrigation system - provide you with a planted garden with far less time required for border maintenance.

Wildflower Flower Shape and Landscape Uses gallery provides Landscaping List by Use pages which include some of these ground-cover plants. Landscaping with Perennials by Emily Brown. 5th printing 1989 by Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-063-0 provides the planting site pages for perennials, which include most plant types except Annuals and Biennials.

Plants for Dry Gardens by Jane Taylor. Published by Frances Lincoln Limited in 1993. ISBN 0-7112-0772-0. Jane Taylor and her husband grew plants in their garden of 2.5 acres of acidic shale mine waste on ground most of which could not retain water or nutrients and would scarcely sustain even the most tenacious of weeds.
A typical British garden with its flowery borders and green lawns needs the equivalent of 1 (2.5 cms) of rain every 10 days to look its best. By choosing from the plants in the above book, canny gardeners will quickly learn to give their gardens the best chance of looking respectable even through prolonged dry spells.
Start by improving your soil in your garden by studying the diagram showing the interaction between clay, organic matter, silt and sand to make soil and then follow the advice on how to improve your clay, chalk or sandy soil lower down the same page; before reading how you can provide the soil nutrients, including those for clay soil.
Then, choose your plants from:-

• Trees and Shrubs to form the framework,
• Palms and Cycads,
• Conifers,
• Climbers to provide backdrops, shade and cover for vertical surfaces,
• Perennials and Ephemerals for filling the garden with flower and foliage,
• Grasses for vertical outlines as foils and contrasts,
• Bulbs for companion, underplanting and massed display,
• Succulents and Xerophytes; and
• Dry Garden Maintenance - Starting with the Soil, Planting, Windbreaks, Lawns and Lawn Substitutes, and Irrigation Techniques.

Each ground cover plant of this 1000 has further details from her book, if it is in there.

 

Plants for Ground-Cover by Graham Stuart Thomas. Published by J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd in 1970 - reprinted (with further revisions) in 1990. ISBN 0-460-12609-1. This gives details on many more ground cover plants with inclusion (in the Index) of figures denoting the Hardiness Zones for each species in the United States of America.
 

Plant Name

Major source of honey in the UK Yes/No
Used by
HoneyBees - HB,
Short-Tongued Bumblebees - ST,
Long-Tongued Bumblebees - LT,
Solitary Bees - SOL

Type

The key ingredients a bird needs from your garden are
Shelter,
Food and
Water,
as expanded in Ground-cover Plant
Name W Page

Height x Spread in inches (cms)

Spacing distance between plants of same species in inches (cms)

Foliage

Some poisonous ground cover plants are indicated, but there are others in Cultivated Poisonous Plants and
Wildflower Poisonous Plants

Flower Colour in Month(s).

Use Pest Control using Plants to provide a Companion Plant to aid your selected groundcover plant or deter its pests

Comments

United States Department of Agriculture
Plant Hardiness Zone Map -
This map of USA is based on a range of average annual minimum winter temperatures, divided into 13 of 10-degree F zones, that this plant will thrive in USA, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
There are other Hardiness Zone Maps for the rest of the world including the one for Great Britain and Ireland of zones 7a to 10a.
Zone 5-9 indicates that the minimum zone temperature this plant will grow is 5 and top minimum zone temperature is 9 - above this number is too hot or below 5 is too cold for the plant. If your zone in your area of your country is within that range or your zone number is greater, then you can grow it in your garden.

Pruning of
Woody Plants in Groups 1 - 13 and
Herbaceous Perennials in Group 14 with
Ferns in Group 15 and
Evergreen Perennials in Group 16.
 

Daboecia cantabrica 'Alba'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 28
(40 x 70)

Mid Green

White in
June-October

"St Dabeoc's Heath, Irish Heath". Native to western Europe and the Azores Islands. Suitable for heather gardens, rock gardens and retaining walls.
The petal tube falls after flowering, unlike that of many heaths and heathers.

Daboecia cantabrica 'Atropurpurea'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 28
(40 x 70)

Dark Green

Deep Purple in
June-October

The Daboecia cantabrica cultivars require
Full Sun
Zones 7-9
permanently moist, acidic soil.

More Details can be had from Heather World as linked to in a row towards the end of this table.

Daboecia cantabrica 'Bicolor'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 24
(30 x 60)

Mid-Green

White, Pink and Beetroot-Red in
July-November

Daboecia cantabrica 'Praegerae'

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 26
(40 x 65)

Mid-Green

Deep Cerise in
July-November

Daffodils

Narcissus/ Daffodils species are of value for pollen from the single flowers. Those with double flowers or flowers that are highly modified compared with the wild type of flower are unsuitable for bees.
No ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Bulb

See Narcissus Gallery

Other details about Daffodils and Narcissus in one of the final rows of this table.

Daffodil, jonquil and narcissus (pets including birds and dogs, cattle, humans) are very poisonous.

Dahlia
'Coltness Gem'

Honey Bees collect Pollen and Nectar for all Single-flowered varities of Dahlia. Bumble bees also visit the flowers

Herbaceous Tuber below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Mid to Dark Green

White, Yellow, Apricot-Yellow, Scarlet-Red, Purple and Pink in
August-November

Single-flowered variety chosen to be most useful for bees.
All Dahlia are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.

In the UK it best to treat these single-flowered varieties as a summer bedding plant, then lift the pots out of the ground and store in dry sand in a frost-free place until the next end of May, before plunging the pots outside again.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.

Dahlia merckii

Dahlia species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Tuber 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

72 x 36
(180 x 90)

Mid-Green

Purple to Pink or White in
July-November

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone 8
Well-drained, fertile soil. Require thick dry mulch in winter in UK due to being tender coming from Mexico, otherwise lift the tubers and store in dry sand in a frost-free place.

Dahlia 'Piccolo'

Herbaceous Tuber below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Green

Red, Pink, Yellow and White in
July-November

Single-flowered variety.

There are many dahlia groups, based on flower shape, e.g. cactus, pompom and decorative as can be seen in the Dahlia Gallery with its 46 dahlias.

Dahlia
'Preston Park'

Herbaceous Tuber below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Nearly Black

Bright Scarlet in
July-October

Single-flowered variety.

The ideal soil for dahlias is a rich, sandy loam containing sufficient humus to make it retentive of moisture via a mulch of leaf-mould in the autumn, which is replenished annually.

Dahlia 'Yellow Hammer'

Herbaceous Tuber 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

24 x 18
(60 x 45)

Bronze

Yellow in
July-October

Single-flowered variety. Use in sheltered woodland.
"In autumn, the beds for dahlias should be prepared. They should be in an open, but sheltered, position, and should catch the morning sun, but must have a little shade in the afternoon. Damp, low-lying situations should be avoided. Dahlias will be best displayed in beds 36 inches (90cms) wide with alleys between. The beds should be marked by stakes placed at each corner, 4 inches (10 cms) of the surface soil being removed and 4 inches of thoroughly rotted manure (cow manure contains no weed seeds) and bonemeal at the rate of 3 ounces to the square yard being put in its place. The whole is then dug to a depth of 18 inches (45 cms) or 24 (60), and the manure thoroughly mixed with the soil. Towards the end of May, the soil should be top-dressed with wood ashes, which should then be thoroughly raked in. The 36 inch beds will receive each a row of plants, and the four to five-foot (48-60 = 120-150 cms) stakes are firmly fixed at planting time, 36, 48, or 60 (90,120 or 150) apart, according to the size of the plants, which are planted 4 inches (10 cms) deep, so that the crown is just above the surface. After planting, a good watering should be given, soot being sprinkled around. Syringe every evening in dry weather, and search for slugs, earwigs, and other pests -
see Pest Control using Plants" from Colour all the year in my garden by C.H. Middleton. Published by Ward Lock pre 1961.

Daphne acutiloba

Evergreen Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

60 x 60
(150 x 150)

Glossy Bright Green

Scented White in
July-September

Use in sheltered woodland.
All Daphne are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
All Daphne can be used for Flower Arranging - see other Flower Arranging Plants.
Plant Daphnes in March or October. No pruning is necessary.

Daphne alpina

Deciduous Alpine 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

24 x 24
(60 x 60)

Grey-Green

White
in June-July

Fragrant, waxy Flowers followed by deep orange poisonous berries.
Use in sheltered woodland.
Daphne alpina, Dapne blagayana, Daphne cneorum, Daphne petraea grandiflora and Daphne retusa thrive in a rock garden in sunny sheltered part shade position and in well-drained deep, sandy loam and peat or leaf-mould.

There are many species of Daphne with varying degrees of toxicity. They all contain toxic compounds (daphnetoxin and mezerein) in their fruit, leaves and bark.

When parts of the Daphne plant are chewed on or ingested they can cause ulceration to the mouth, oesophagus and stomach. Signs of mild to moderate poisoning include drooling, vomiting, lack of appetite and diarrhoea that may contain blood.

In severe poisoning, inflammation of the kidney, irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia), seizures, coma and death can occur but are not common. The plant is generally not palatable to animals and the fruits, which have the highest concentration of toxin, are quite bitter to taste therefore deterring animals from ingesting large quantities.

Since most animals leave this plant alone, we do not think it is necessary to remove Daphne plants from all gardens. However, if you notice your pet or a farm animal is inclined to chew on these shrubs or eat the berries it would be a good idea to remove them from areas that animals can access

Daphne arbuscula

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 18
(25 x 45)

Glossy leathery Dark Green

Deep Pink
in June-July

Very Fragrant flowers.
Use in rock gardens.

Daphne blagayana

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 36
(40 x 90)

Dark Green

Creamy-White
in April-June

Evergreen or semi-evergreen. Sweetly scented flowers followed by White or Pink berries.
Use in rock gardens.

Daphne cneorum

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 72
(15 x 180)

Dark Green above and Grey-Green beneath

Pale to Deep Rose-Pink in
June

"Garland Flower, Rose Daphne". From southern Europe. Loose, semi-prostrate habit, with trailing main shoots and dense lateral branches.
Full Sun
Zones 4-9
Moist, well-drained soil.
Use in rock gardens.
Daphne cneorum 'Eximia' and Iberis sempervirens are of similar height and habit, allowing them to interweave to create a harmonious association of pink and white flowers.

The whole plant is extremely poisonous to cats, dogs and humans.

Daphne laureola

No HB

Evergreen Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 60
(90 x 150)

Glossy Dark Green

Fragrant pale Green or Yellow-Green in
March-April

"Spurge Laurel". Use in sheltered woodland. This seeds itself generously. Its flowers are small but are most attractive in flower arrangements with all the leaves removed.
This is usually to be seen in copses and woods on chalk or limestone, also attracts honeybees.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.

Daphne longilobata

Evergreen Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

60 x 60
(150 x 150)

Glossy Mid-Green

Fragrant White in
July

Glossy Red Fruit. Use in sheltered woodland.

Daphne mezereum
(Daphne mesereum)

No HB

Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 36
(120 x 90)

Grey-Green

Pink in
March-April

"Mezereon, February Daphne". Use in sheltered woodland.
Daphne mezereum has glucoside, called daphnine and malic acid in its red fruits. It is harmless to birds. Mezerein, an acrid resin producing a severe skin irritation; and daphnin, a bitter, poisonous glycoside. The whole plant is extremely poisonous. It is a very industrious seeder producing many little bushes and since the birds eat the berries, then the bushes turn up a long way from the parent bush.
Full Sun with wind shelter
Zones 5-9
Moist soil. If trimming is necessary, it should be done in April. Container grown plants can suffer from root-rock if planted when pot-bound, so it is important to use generously potted plants and to unwind the roots before planting.
Associate with winter-flowering heaths, crocuses, snowdrops, white or palest yellow early narcissi, cyclamen coum variants and pale green hellebores.
This shrub is seen in Cottage Gardens, and is favoured for its sweet-scented, bright pink flowers that appear so early in the year and before the leaves. It is usually in flower in February and so keeps company with the crocus and snowdrop. Honeybees frequent the flowers, when the weather is warm enough, for nectar and pollen.

Crocuses are not a ground cover but they do produce an abundance of pollen when there are few sources of fresh pollen available, which bees need in order to build up the colony ready for the main flowering season.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.

Daphne odora

Evergreen Shrub above 2 feet in height

60 x 60
(150 x 150)

Glossy Deep Green

Purple-Pink and White in
February-April

"Winter Daphne". Red Fruit. Use in sheltered woodland.

Daphne retusa

Evergreen Shrub above 2 feet in height

30 x 30
(75 x 75)

Glossy Dark Green

Purple-Red outside, White within in
June-July

Red Fruit. Use in sheltered woodland.

Daphne tangutica

Evergreen Shrub above 2 feet in height

36 x 36
(90 x 90)

Dark Green

Fragrant Purple-Pink in
April-May

Use in sheltered woodland.

Daphne x burkwoodii

Semi-Evergreen Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

60 x 36
(150 x 90)

Mid-Green

Pale Pink in
May

Use in sheltered woodland.

Delphinium 'Bellemosum'

Delphinium species (Larkspur) can be stunning additions to the flower bed in the summer, and the flowering period can be extended by cutting them back hard after flowering to get a second flush of flowers later in the season
No, ST, LT

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Green

Deep Gentian Blue in
July-September

"Larkspur". Single-flowered variety chosen to be most useful for bees.
All Delphiniums can be used for Flower Arranging - see other Flower Arranging Plants.
Full Sun
Zone 3-8
Free-draining soil.

Delphinium trial bed at Sissinghurst in September 2019. Photo by Garnons-Williams.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.

Delphinium companions - Campanula, geranium, lilac, shrub roses, lupinus, lunaria, taller baptisias, thalictrum, aquilegia; the back of the border.
For these tall delphiniums place a cage of canes inserted in the soil and interlaced with jute twine around tall plants. A few twiggy sticks suffice for dwarf types.

Delphinium 'Blue Bees'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 18
(120 x 45)

Green

Clear Bluein
July-September

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone
Free-draining soil.

For delphiniums, choose an open site away from shrubs, trees and walls and interplant small groups of 2 or 3 delphiniums with later-flowering phlox and dahlias. To complement delphinium colours, plant with herbaceous perennials such as yellow thalictrums or purple salvias, alstroemerias, or, for a structural contrast too, drifts of flat-topped achilleas - for example these butter-yellow achillea millefoilium 'Taygetea'.

Delphinium 'Casa Blanca'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Green

White in
July-September

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone 3-8
Free-draining soil.

Delphiniums like a sunny site and a deep, highly enriched and well-drained friable loam, and need ample water in hot dry weather. If flower stalks are cut down as soon as they have bloomed, a second crop of bloom will be obtained in early autumn.

Delphinium 'Cliveden Beauty'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 18
(120 x 45)

Green

Sky-Blue in
July-September

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Free-draining soil.

Delphinium 'Moerheimii'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Green

White in
July-September

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Free-draining soil.

Delphinium 'Piccolo'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 18
(120 x 45)

Green

Bright Gentian-Blue in
July-September

Single-flowered variety.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Free-draining soil.

Desfontainia spinosa

Evergreen Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

72 x 72
(180 x 180)

Glossy Dark Green

Yellow-tipped Red in
August-November

From Andes of South America.
Part Shade
Zones 8-9
Mild, rainy conditions. Pollinated by hummingbirds.

Deutzia gracilis

Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 36
(90 x 90)

Bright Green

Fragrant White in
April-July

Deutzia require a good loam soil, plenty of moisture and will grow in part shade. When the blooms fade, remove any old worn-out or overcrowded shoots. Do not shorten the remaining stems or you will lose the flowers.

Deutzia x kalmiiflora

Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 48
(120 x 120)

Dark Green in Spring and Summer, Purple in Autumn

White in
April-May

Photo of Deutzia scabra 'Pride of Rochester' taken by Foord in July 1978 to show you the form and density of deutzia flowering.

Deutzia
'Mont Rose'

Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 48
(120 x 120)

Dark Green

Pinkish-Purple in
June

Dianthus 'Doris'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 6
(30 x 15)

Grey-Green

Scented Pale Pink in
June-August

"Pinks" grow best in well-drained soil, preferably limy, in full sun The small species are best on the rock garden and all are very fragrant.
Vigorous and long-lived. One of the most popular and best of the modern pinks.
Used for path edging.
Grow mixed with nigella papillosa - love-in-a-mist.
Full Sun
Zone 3-10
Well-drained chalk.
Space Dianthus plants 10-12 inches (25-30cm) apart and mow after flowering to maintain even, compact growth. There are at least a 100 species of Pinks, which are used for classic edging and rock garden plants - also have been favoured as bouquets for at least 300 years.

Dianthus erinaceus

Herbaceous Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 26
(5 x 65)

Mid-Green

Pink
in July-September

"Hedgehog Pink". Forms a dense cushion that looks a bit like a hedgehog, with thin leaves and star-like flowers.
Full Sun
Zone
Well-drained chalk.
With a few exceptions, dianthus are lime-lovers, tolerant of drought, poor soil and solid chalk, best in full sun, they will tolerate a considerable amount of shade, but this greatly cuts down the bloom display.

Dianthus companions - Stachys byzantina, roses, erigeron karvinskianus, diascia, and over-the-wall floppers.

Dianthus gratiano-politanus

Herbaceous Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 16
(25 x 40)

Grey-Green

Deep Pink
in July-September

"Cheddar Pink". Very fragrant flowers. Mat-forming and long-lived.
Full Sun
Zone 3-9
Well-drained chalk.
From western and central Europe.

Dianthus
'Mrs Sinkins Pink'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 6
(30 x 15)

Blue-Grey

Scented Pink in
June-August

One of the best old-fashioned pinks.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Well-drained chalk.

Dianthus
'White Ladies'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 6
(30 x 15)

Dark Green

Pale Pink in
June-August

An old, fragrant white double - often raised from seed.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Well-drained chalk.

Dianthus deltoides

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 12
(20 x 30)

Blue Green grasslike leaves

White, Deep Pink or Red in
June-August

"Maiden Pink". Self-sows, long-blooming, Mat-forming.
Good for the front of a border.
All its cultivars are intended to be raised from seed.
Full Sun
Zone 3-9
Well-drained chalk. Excellent carpet which can kept between 2-3 inches by mowing.

Diascia rigescens

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 20
(30 x 50)

Dark Green

Mid to Deep Pink in
July-September

May be very specialized for garden situation. Robust and vigorous.
Full Sun
Zone 7-9
Rich, well-drained soil. Try in pots and transfer to cold greenhouse during late autumn, winter and early spring.

Diascia companions - Silver-foliaged plants such as artemisia (less aggressive forms), lavender and blue campanulas, viola cornuta and other violas, gaura, geranium. Try them with Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' for all-summer flowers.

See Diascia Photo Album for other diascias.

Dicentra spectabilis

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

30 x 20
(75 x 50)

Mid-Green

Pinkish-Red and White in
May-July

"Common Bleeding Heart, Dutchman's Breeches" dies down by mid-summer to be an effective ground-cover in areas with hot summers, but its foliage lasts longer in moist, cool growing conditions.
Both the cut foliage and flowers are useful indoors for long-lasting arrangements.
Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Rich, moist, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

Associate to create a contrast with the yellow-green flower-heads of spurge Euphorbia polychroma.
Dicentra companions - Narcissus, hosta, asarum, epimedium, astilbe, brunnera, ferns, pulmonaria, primula, helleborus, tiarella; the woodland garden. They also combine well with wildflowers.

Dicentra spectablis 'Alba'

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

24 x 24
(60 x 60)

Light Green

White in
May-July

Good cut flower.
Dicentra does well in cottage gardens because it has shelter and peace. Although hardy in most positions it is too fragile to be buffeted by cold winds and its roots are very brittle and cannot bear to be disturbed.
Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Rich, moist, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

Digitalis laevigata

Herbaceous Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Mid-Green

Brown-Yellow in
August

"Foxglove". Do not try to grow with Hollyhocks.
Clump-forming
Full Sun but tolerate Part Shade
Zone 7-9
Fairly rich, ordinary garden soil - it is native to the Balkan peninsula.

Digitalis companions - dicentra, hosta, ferns, aruncus, cimicifuga, iris, astilbe, paeonia, aquilegia.
All parts of all foxgloves are poisonous.

Dionysia involucrata

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 4
(7 x 10)

Dark Green

Violet or Violet-Purple
in July

Forms a tight cushion with large, rosy pink, red-centred flowers

Disporum hookeri

Deciduous Rhizome Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Bright Green

Greenish-Cream in
May

Orange-Red Berries and
Clump-forming in woodland conditions of part shade, in well-drained, humus-rich soil.
Zone 4-9

This is from forest clearings in northwest North America.

Disporum companions - hosta, astilbe, ferns, trillium, astrantia, paris, helleborus orientalis, helleborus argutifolius 'Janet Starnes' with disporum sessile 'Variegatum'

Doronicum austriacum

Doronicum species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Deciduous Rhizome Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

48 x 48
(120 x 120)

Dark Green

Yellow in
June-July

"Leopard's Bane". Daisy-like flowers that are good for cutting.
Dappled Shade
Zone 5
Reasonably fertile, free-draining soil.
Cut down the Doronicum shoots that have flowered, and dress with well-rotted manure to encourage a second crop of bloom.
Interplant amongst deciduous shrubs and small trees. Traditional cottage garden favourite.

Doronicum pardalianches

Deciduous Rhizome Perennial 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 24
(90 x 60)

Dark Green

Light Yellow in
June-August

"Great Leopard's Bane". Ideal for naturalizing in open woodland. From woods in western and central Europe, naturalized in Great Britain.

Doronicum companions - spring bulbs, primula, brunnera, pulmonaria, hosta, viola, myosotis, dicentra, milium effusum 'Ayreum'

Dryopteris affinis

Evergreen Fern 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 36
(90 x 90)

Pale Green, Dark Green when mature

...

"Golden Male Fern". Good where a large fern is required as background in dry shade
Dappled Shade in a border
Zone 4
in a woodland with humus-rich, preferably acidic soil.

Dryopteris ferns are not used to cover large areas but to accent or complete a landscape. They are best in natural or native gardens.

The emerging yellow-green, orange-flushed fronds of this fern create a striking contrast with the bronze-tinted foliage of Rodgersia podophylla.
These ferns are best grouped in irregularly scattered colonies, allowing each plant space to develop its distinctive shape. In late winter, surviving fronds should be cut off to make way for new spring growth.

See further details and photos in Fern Nursery page and Fern Gallery.
The Fern Nursery garden is open on Saturdays from May until September. They have events, talks and ferns photo gallery.

Dryopteris carthusiana
(Dryopteris spinulosa)

Deciduous Fern 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

24 x 12
(60 x 30)

Pale Green and finely cut

...

"Narrow Buckler Fern" is a Spreader / creeper.
Dappled Shade
Zone 3
Moist soil. Native to marshes and fens in much of Europe.

Dryopteris erythrosora

Deciduous Fern 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

24 x 15
(60 x 37)

Copper-Red when young, turning shiny dark Green

...

"Autumn Fern". Grows in woodland in northeast Asia.
Dappled Shade
Zone 6.

See further details and photos in Fern Nursery page and Fern Gallery.
The Fern Nursery garden is open on Saturdays from May until September. They have events, talks and ferns photo gallery.
 

Dryopteris
filix-mas

Deciduous Fern 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 36
(90 x 90)

Mid-Green

...

"Male Fern" forms clumps. Grows in woodland and more open habitats in Europe, Western Asia, and North America, and is the most common British native fern.
Zone 4
It succeeds in dry and even sunny positions in poor soils

Useful "filler" under trees

Dryopteris wallichiana

Deciduous Fern 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

36 x 30
(90 x 75)

Dark Green but Yellow-Green when young

...

"Wallich's Wood Fern". Creates an eye-catching effect.
Moist Shade
Zone 6
Humus-rich soil. Native to forests in Asia from Himalaya to China and Japan.

See further details and photos in Fern Nursery page and Fern Gallery.
The Fern Nursery garden is open on Saturdays from May until September. They have events, talks and ferns photo gallery.
 

Site design and content copyright ©December 2006. Page structure changed September 2012. Height x Spread in feet changed to Height x Spread in inches (cms) May 2015. Data added to existing pages December 2017. Zone and Companion Data added April 2022. The 1000 Ground Cover plants detailed above will be compared in the Comparison Pages of the Wildflower Shape Gallery and in the flower colour per month comparison pages of Evergreen Perennial Gallery starting in November 2022. Chris Garnons-Williams.

DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site.  

Height in inches (cms):-

25.4mm = 1 inch
304.8mm = 12 inches
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
914.4mm = 1 yard

I normally round this to
25mm = 1 inch
300mm = 30 cms = 12 inches =1 foot,
900 mm = 3 feet = 1 yard and
1000mm = 100 cms = 1 metre = 40 inches

Details of smaller Daphne, Dianthus, Dionysia and Disporum and which container to grow the plant in:-

• A. The plant can be grown in sinks, trough, pans or scree beds
• B. The plant is best accommodated in a trough or sink.
• C. Suitable for peat beds and raised beds (suitable for alpine rhododendrons) - remember that rhododendrons are toxic to honey bees

I have included within these pages on 1000 Ground Cover Plants information from other pages within this PLANTS Topic like

• Poisonous Plants
• Flower Arranging
• Rabbit Resistant
• Bee Forage
• Attracts Bird/Butterfly

and links to Rock Garden Plants Suitable for Small Gardens Index Gallery.

Any of these 1000 Ground Cover Plants may well have further details about them in the remainder of the pages in this PLANTS Topic linked to from the PLANTS PAGE MENU above.
 

Welcome to Heather World

Heather World extends a very warm welcome to everyone entering the world of heathers, especially to newcomers who have recently developed an interest in these attractive shrubs. The four heathers groups, Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia and Erica are shown in the cultivar lists, together with images of many.

Every aspect of heathers, from the wild heathers of European heaths and moorlands to the rare and unusual splendours of South African or “Cape” heaths can be seen here. Cultivation tips, including choosing, growing and propagating heathers, to scientific studies and nomenclature, are available. Here is the Publications published by The Heather Society.

The website was also home to the old Heather Society, a group of heather enthusiasts who were dedicated to enhancing the interest in heathers to the world. The society closed at the end of 2020, but their Yearbooks and Newsletters can be viewed here.

Light Sandy Soil is usually fairly infertile, and it also dries out quickly. In such cases, use drought-tolerant plants, such as ones that grow in dry soil conditions (see plants in the Dry section of the Moisture column of the soil type, aspect and moisture list page) and also do the following actions, since any nutrients in the soil are usually washed out very quickly.

Acid soil is most common in places that experience heavy rainfall and have moister environments. Areas in red have acidic soil, areas in yellow are neutral and areas in blue have alkaline soil in the World Map. Find Me Plants has further details on other plants for acidic soils, when you set Soil Type in Part 1: Surveying the planting area to Sandy/Gritty, or Light Sand or Stony/Sub-Soil.

Action to assist in Light Sandy soil maintenance:-

• Mulch the beds with a 4 inch (100mm) deep layer of Spent Mushroom Compost to improve fertility and drainage; preferably in the Autumn in between the existing plants, and top it up each year after that with a Bark Mulch instead (available from garden centres or Gardenscape). This will stop the Light Sandy soil from drying out through the action of sun and wind on its surface, and to provide carbon to aid in soil formation and fertility. Adding clay in water solution as a spray will also greater improve the soil structure.
• If starting a new lawn or bed, add the 4 inch layer of Spent Mushroom Compost mulch and rotovate that in. If you also add an inch deep of clay, before rotovating that in as well, then that will provide part of the glue in creating a better soil from the sand. Heel and rake the ground for a new turf (or to be seeded) lawn, before laying or seeding it. Insert plants in new bed, before installing the irrigation system and then applying a 4 inch layer of this mulch on top of it.
• Spread 5Kg of Dolodust (Dolomitic Lime), with 2Kg of Maxicrop Seaweed Meal over a 25 square yard or 25 square metre lawn area, each April. This will improve the fertility of the lawn by providing calcium and the trace elements (See What is Soil Texture Page and How are chemicals stored and released from soil Page in the Soil Section for further details). Spreading the same amount of Dolomitic Lime and Maxicrop Seaweed Meal on the flower/vegetable beds at the same time would also be beneficial.

Sources of further information:-

• Notcutts Catalogue of 1994 - retail catalogue of their plants for sale. It has Plants for a Purpose pages including one on Light sandy dry soil including trees for gravel workings.
   
• The Royal Horticultural Society Gardeners' Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Editor-in-Chief Christopher Brickell. Published by Dorling Kindsley Limited. Reprinted and updated 1990, 2/1990, 3/1990. ISBN 0-86318-386-7. The Planter's Guide suggests lists of plants that are suitable for growing in particular situations, or that have special uses or characteristics including Plants for Sandy Soil.
   

Gardening in Sandy Soil by C.L. Fornari. A very useful book and one you can have on a Kindle in December 2017. A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin with this Index:-

• The benefits of Sandy Soil
  • Drainage
  • Root Penetration
  • Air Circulation
  • Digging
• The disadvantages of gardening in sand
  • Rapid water loss
  • Nutrient loss
• Strategies for Success: using amendmentss
  • Soil amendments
  • Green amendments
  • Amending new beds
  • Amending established beds
• Fertilizing
• Mulch
  • Mulching materials
  • How much mulch
  • Problems with mulch
• Choosing plants
  • Sandy soils and pH
  • Moisture-loving plants in sandy soil
  • Vegetables in sandy soil
• Plants for sandy soils - I have bought the book and read it, but unfortunately I have not added its recommended plants.
  I would at least recommend that its list is carefully looked at by the Americans; for whom it was written.
  • Ground covers and Grasses
  • Annuals
  • Perennials
  • Shrubs and Trees

Action to assist in other soil types in:-

• Read 'Explaination of how soil works' and 'Negative impacts on the soil food web' for Any and Peat
• Chalk
• Clay
• Acid (Lime-Free)

The following is from "A land of Soil, Milk and Honey" by Bernard Jarman in Star & Furrow Issue 122 January 2015 - Journal of the Biodynamic Association;_

"Soil is created in the first place through the activity of countlesss micro-organisms, earthworms and especially the garden worm (Lumbricus terrestris). This species is noticeably active in the period immediately before and immediately after mid-winter. In December we find it (in the UK) drawing large numbers of autumn leaves down into the soil. Worms consume all kinds of plant material along with sand and mineral substances. In form, they live as a pure digestive tract. The worm casts excreted from their bodies form the basis of a well-structured soil with an increased level of available plant nutrients:-

• 5% more nitrogen,
• 7% more phosphorous and
• 11% more potasium than the surrounding topsoil.

Worms also burrow to great depths and open up the soil for air and water to penetrate, increasing the scope of a fertile soil.

After the earthworm, the most important helper of the biodynamic farmer is undoubetdly

• the cow. A cow's digestive system is designed to make use of roughage such as grass and hay. Cow manure is arguably the most effective and long lasting of all the fertilizing agents at the farmer's disposal and has been found to have a carry over effect of at least 4 years. It is also one of the most balanced and it contains no grass seeds, since they have been completely digested.
• Pig manure is rich in potassium, attractive to earthworms and beneficial on sandy soils.
• Horse manure increases soil activity and stimulates strong healthy growth, but it does contain grass seed and other seeds."
   

Plant Combinations for Sandy Soil

Action to assist in Light Sandy soil maintenance is given in the row above and this is required annually.

Plants

Comments

Sun lovers - You can achieve a design with grey-leaved plants, interspersed with smaller or larger groups of taller perennials and a single shrub. Because the grey-leaved plants predominate they are used as a basis, with suggestions for plants which can be combined with them.

Grey Foliage with white and yellow flowers and plants that combine with these

• Yarrow (Achillea chrysocoma),
• pearl everlasting (Anaphalis),
• mouse ear (Cerastium),
• Raoulia,
• catchfly (Silene uniflora 'Robin Whitebreast') and the
• bunnies' ears (Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet')

all have grey leaves and either white, yellow or inconspicuous flowers.

If the above plants are planted together; the effect of different heights and size of leaf will be rather messy and unclear. Plant the above as the background ground cover and the ones in the next column within that background.

• Acaena buchanii and Acaena magellanica being silver-leaved species of the pirri-pirri-bur form pretty vigorous ground cover. Add a few groups of grey-leaved grasses for their contrasting shape to make an interesting picture. The ground-covering Festuca glauca and Koeleria glauca are especially suitable, to which can be added the tall, also grey-leafed blue oat grass Helictotrichon sempervirens, for a striking feature.
• Gypsophila, with its delicate flowers, can best be planted next to a plant which has a strong leaf structure, for example Geranium renardii.
• For a taller feature among the grey-leafed ground cover you can choose one of the beautiful cultivars of the common German flag, Iris germanica. The tall, sword-shaped leaves which are grey-green, stand out very well here.
• The Yucca has a similar structure, forming a stout clump of leaves with tall sprays of white flowers.
• The tall mulleins, especially Verbascum bombyciferum, with splendid rosettes of grey, felty leaves and yellow flowers like huge torches that can easily reach 60 inches (150 cms), a real must.
• Annuals that deserve a place in this predominantly grey planting include Gazania pinnata with yellow flowers and the white Senecio cineraria.

The above comes from Ground Cover. How to use flowering and foliage plants to cover areas of soil by Mineke Kurpershoek. Published by Rebo Productions Ltd in 1997. ISBN 1 901094 41 3

Contents

• Chapter 1 What are ground-cover plants?
• Chapter 2 Plant combinations for normal garden soil
• Chapter 3 Plant combinations for sandy soil
• Chapter 4 Plant combinations for clay soil
• Chapter 5 Woodland, heaths and wet soil
• Chapter 6 Shrubs for slopes and large beds
• Chapter 7 The A to Z of plants for ground cover.
   

Narcissus has both Daffodils and Narcissi:-
The distinction lies in the formation of the flower itself:-

• Daffodils being that branch of the family which have their coronas or trumpets nearly as long or longer than the perianth segments, while the
• Narcissus, the family name of the tribe, have their coronas or cups shorter than the perianth segments.

"It would not perhaps be out of place here to mention one way in which Sir J.L. Cotter utilised both Daffodils and Tulips, where a spring show of bloom and a summer one as well had to be maintained, and at the same time an eye on economy. In front of a house where Sir Cotter resided some years ago, there were several large beds which always caused a considerable amount of difficulty, and no little expense, to keep in constant or nearly continuous bloom. Finally he hit on the plan of planting them out with dwarf polyantha roses, one variety to a bed, 9 inches (23 cms) apart, and in the intervening spaces Daffodils or Tulips , chosen so that all the beds were in flower, the roses were pruned so closely to the ground as to be quite unnoticeable. Afterwards, when the bulbs were over, the roses had attained their full size of 12 inches (30 cms) or more, and closely covering the beds with their foliage, completely hid the dying leaves of the bulbs. The beds are in bloom for practically the whole season. There is a vast economy in labour." from The Culture of Bulbs, Bulbous Plants and Tubers Made Plain by Sir J. L. Cotter. Published by Hutchinson & Co.

"Daffodils, unlike Tulips, appear to thrive year after year on the same ground, though where ground which has been occupied by a different subject is available, he prefers it. His own system when he grew bulbs commercially was to alternate Daffodils and Tulips for 3 years, then move both of them to completely fresh ground, preferably that which had been under vegetables; here they again remained for another 3 years, shifting backwards and forwards every 3 years." R.V. Roger did a 7 year rotation system, so that the same type of plant did not occupy the same position until 8 years later - roses put a chemical in the ground to kill off new roses, which lasts for 7 years. Other plants have similar defense systems.

Dry Garden Maintenance
Ground cover plants can be very useful in a dry garden.

Everything starts with the soil, and dry gardening is no exception.

In sandy or gravelly, fast-draining soils organic matter helps to retain moisture; while in dense clay, which often lies wet in winter but sets concrete-hard and cracks open in summer drought, organic matter helps to open the soil, making it more friable, better drained in winter and more moisture-retentive in summer.

Soils in arid zones - whether dense, or fast-draining sand or gravel - are often very low in organic matter. Worse still, they may be excessively alkaline or saline, or both, or sodic, when soils becomes pasty and impervious to air and water. Sodic (of, relating to, or containing sodium) soils can be improved by adding gypsum (calcium sulfate). Add sulphur of iron to high-calcium soils, including caliche. Caliche or coffee rock is the name given to the impenetrable hardpan, a layer of cement-hard calcium, as much as 80 inches (200 cms) thick, lying beneath a thin layer of topsoil in some calcareous soils (Caliche is a sedimentary rock, a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate that binds other materials - such as gravel, sand, clay and silt). (Sandy, acid soils also sometimes have their own hardpan of accumulated salts). The roots are unable to penetrate to search for moisture and nutrients, while irrigation water cannot drain away, leaving standing water about the roots and causing still further accumulation of salts. It is essential to break up the hardpan, or at the very least to excavate the largest planting holes you can manage, breaking up the caliche enough to ensure irrigation water does not lie stagnant.

Another type of hardpan is sometimes found in soils that have been long cultivated to the same depth with a plough, causing an accumulation of salts on the unbroken subsoil, exacerbated perhaps by the subsoil becoming compacted. This can usually be cured by deep cultivation with a ripper plough, or on a small scale, with a pickaxe. This will help deep-rooting plants to search for moisture in the lower soil levels, and help to improve the drainage.

Then,

Once the above hardpan is broken up, it is time to mulch with 11 inches (28cms) of a made up soil with its sand, clay, bacterium and humus (Organic Polymers) as shown in the figure below. Using the burgundy colour typing components, you could create the following soil mix:-

"The mix to change clay soil into a friable useful soil in less than 4 months for the above domestic garden problem was in royal blue colour typing. Using the burgundy colour typing components, you could create the following soil mix to cover these hardpan areas:

• 4 cubic metres of Peat (to provide the Organic Polymers/Organic Matter and Carbon.)
• 2 cubic metres of Sharp Washed Sand (to provide the sand for the production of microaggregates).
• 2 cubic metres of Horticultural Grit (to provide larger particles for aggregation)
  752,000 tons of glass are now recycled annually in the UK. Crushed glass (cullet) is used in Agriculture and landscape applications, such as top dressing, root zone material or golf bunker sand, so you could replace the Sharp washed Sand and the Horticultural Grit with cullet.
• 25kg of Garden Lime (to provide Calcium for the plants and allow clay minerals to bond together to form domains. Once clay minerals are stacked together to form domains, they can then bond with organic matter to form microaggregates).
  Poultry litter - Uric acid and organic nitrogen (N) in the bird excreta and spilled feed are converted to ammonium (NH4+) by the microbes in the litter. Ammonium, a plant-available N form, can bind to litter and also dissolve in water. Ammonium is a highly reactive ion that bonds with sulfates, nitrates and phosphates to form ammonium salts that improve the nutrient value of litter when land applied as fertilizer.
  Plasterboard (is gypsum - Calcium sulfate dihydrate normally pressed between a paper facer and backer) wastage in the UK is estimated to be 300,0000 tonnes per year. You could replace the Garden Lime with the reaction of the poultry litter on the gypsum.
  The recommendations stated in the RHS article are for the finely ground garden lime (calcium carbonate) sold in garden centres in kilograms (kg) per square metre or ounces per square yard. They are based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recommendations for incorporation into the top 20cm (8in) of soil and are enough to raise the soil pH to pH6.5. This is considered the best all-round pH for the majority of garden plants.
• 25 kg of Sulphate of Iron (to provide Iron to act as a trace element and to create soil colloid for buffering chemical nutrients in the soil for later use by plants)
• 25Kg of Sulphate of Potash ( to provide fertilizer for the plants)

If water with 150 kgs of clay was first added to the Concrete TruckMixer and then the required volume of cullet followed by the required volume of waste plasterboard, the mixture is then mixed for an hour. If the cullet/waste plasterboard mixture is passed through the poultry houses to mix with the poultry litter on the litter floor before being collected into the next Concrete TruckMixer, then the houses would be cleaner and smell less. The required volume of waste from beer making could replace the Peat above and the requisite Sulphate of Iron and Sulphate of Potash could be added to the Concrete TruckMixer before that mixture from the Poultry Farm litter floor is added.

That soil mixture could then be mixed for 30 minutes before applying it to the hardpan areas to an 11 inch (27.5 cms) depth. The resulting mixture would then integrate with the clay and create a deep topsoil within 3 months. This mixture would also be suitable for hardpan of sand, since there is clay in the mixture made.

All the requirements for a soil as shown in the figure above would then have mixed together and time will increase the bacteria and get a new soil structure created.

The following type of turf could then be laid over the proposed lawn areas a fortnight later:-

RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), bred by Barenbrug Research USA, produces rhizomes (an underground stem) that send a shoot up to the soil surface while extending new roots downwards. In fact, RTF can root to 1.5 metres deep giving it a chance to tap into water reserves that normal lawn turf cannot reach.
Because RTF is suited to almost all soil types and needs little maintenance and minimal irrigation, gardeners will be rewarded with beautiful lawns, rich in colour and disease resistant, not only in the summer but all year round. During the winter months, the lawn will hold its lush green colour and can resist frost and darker corners. With the onset of spring the rapid germination and quick spring green-up means that lawns are greener earlier." from the POSSIBLE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SOIL BEFORE YOU PLANT GROUND COVER PLANTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT table on the extreme right.

Within 3 years the lawn would have got through the respective hardpan and further broken that up.

There is other compostable waste that could be used in the above mixture - The following is from a farmer who runs Riverford Organic Farmers who deliver weekly boxes of vegetables, meat etc from their farms to the homes of members of the public in Britain in his weekly epistle dated Monday 4th December 2017:-

"So why now, in my 57th year, have I seen the light?

• Firstly, given the environmental impact of livestock, we need a more sustainable source of fertility than muck.
• Secondly, I met a man who sent 10 tonnes of cooked crab waste, packed with valuable nutrients, to landfill every week at huge cost to him and the environment,
  then another bloke in the pub looking for a home for 1000's of tonnes of wood chip;
  the perfect high carbon material to mix with the nitrogen-rich crab.
• Thirdly, our agnostic and practical farm team attest to compost soil and its crop improving properties.
• Fourthly, I met Milan, a highly practical Bulgarian organic grower and compost expert who, with alchemist wizardry, seems to be able to make compost from almost anything given a thermometer and loader. Milan brewed up a little crab, wood chip and spent wool insulation and tried some of the resulting compost on my cardoons and artichokes; they love it.

So, I have seen the errors of my youth and come inside. Milan tells me we have only just started.

It is shocking how much compostable material is wasted at such cost to our environment:

• food waste,
• sewage sludge,
• whey,
• wood chip,
• hedge trimmings,
• seafood waste,
• abattoir waste.

The reasons are:-

• Partly the unintended consequences of well-meaning environmental and health legislation;
• partly the chronic failing of businesses and our market economy to solve complex long-term problems involving bulky, perishable, highly variable and locally specific raw materials; and
• partly that the alternatives are just too cheap.

Time is running out; we cannot afford 100% safety when environmental destruction is 95% certain if we continue on our current path."

If the above waste was turned into compost that would last as a mulch like spent mushroom compost, which lasts for 2-3 years with 25-35% loss replenishment each year in the autumn, then it could be sold to the above home owners in bags to put alongside their hedges, in planted pots and in the flower beds throughout the year. For these hardpan areas, the compost could be mixed with water and sprayed over the hardpan areas every 2 months to help prevent the wind and sun from drying out the soil.
The present system of commercial composting of the garden waste taken from the domestic Brown Bins by the refuse collectors each week in England produces a soil conditioner to provide nutrients for the soil instead of a mulch material. The weeds as well as the purchased cultivated plants happily eat it and it is treated as a richly fertilized earth under it instead of a seaparate mulch; as I discovered in a client's garden. It does not provide the benefits that a mulch does of stopping the germination of weed seeds and a reduction of moisture loss.
Jersey Royals Potatoes are grown using seaweed harvested from Jersey beaches as a natural fertilizer. If the soil conditioner detailed in the previous paragraph was spread first and natural non-dried seaweed was added on top as a mulch, then the advantages of a mulch would occur and reduce the garden owner's time in weeding his/her garden. This mulch could be added - onto the new soil created from the waste ingredients above - after 2 months from when that soil had been installed and annually after that. Jersey seed potatoes could be planted in this mulched area to provide many health benefits to its garden owners in the form of their own organically grown food.
Builders could then sell new houses with healthy soil by

• including red clover green manure seeds sown 2 months after the new soil has been installed to fix nitrogen from the air, weed suppression and improve the soil structure and
• the promise of the new owners producing their own potato crop!!!

If you cannot be bothered to buy the commercially produced soil conditioner and collect your own seaweed to be harvested from beaches, then the following could still provide these other benefits in the same time slots as in above paragraph:-
To promote healthy growth of potted indoor and outdoor plants and to provide the trace elements (that other soil stimulants do not provide) ; you might consider using the following from Burncoose Nurseries:-
"All-purpose Seaweed Stimulant
All-purpose organic concentrated seaweed feed that is a ready to use, derived from sustainable harvested kelp, that can be used on all outdoor and indoor plants, except acid loving plants, use our Ericaceous seaweed stimulant instead.
The product contains very high levels of auxins and cytokins that are naturally plant growth promoters.
The natural hormones in Empathy All Purpose Seaweed are taken up by the plant and promote faster and stronger root and shoot growth. They will also promote the development of beneficial bacteria, microbes and the Mycorrhizal Fungi in the soil."
You can incorporate seaweed into your own diet to give you Iodine for proper thyroid function, if nothing else appeals.

To locate mail-order nursery for plants from the UK in this gallery try using search in RHS Find a Plant.

To locate plants in the European Union (EU) try using Search Term in Gardens4You and Meilland Richardier in France.

To locate mail-order nursery for plants from America in this gallery try using search in Plant Lust.

To locate plant information in Australia try using Plant Finder in Gardening Australia.

To see what plants that I have described in this website see
Plant Botanical Index
...A, B, C, D, E,
...F, G, H, I, J, K,
...L, M, N, O, P, Q,
...R, S, T, U, V, W,
...X, Y, Z