Ivydene Gardens Plants: Ground-Cover Plant Name: E
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.
 

Echinops bannaticus
'Blue Globe'

Echinops species are well suited to herbaceous borders and shrubberies.
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

36 x 24
(90 x 60)

Spiny, Hairy, Grey-Green.

Dark Blue in
August-September

"Blue Globe Thistle" have prickly, dissected foliage, and spherical flower heads on spiky strong stems. Clump-forming. Vigorous
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Well-drained dry chalky or sandy soil. Native to southeast to eastern Europe.

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

Echinops companions - rudbeckia, helenium, hemerocallis, campanula, echinacea, monarda, smaller miscanthus, phlox, allium, nepeta, santolina, perovskia, verbascum. Echinops flowers attractive to bees, last well in a vase, and are also suitable for drying (when cut before the flowers open).

Echinops ritro
'Veitch's Blue'

Globe thistles could make a good apiary hedge or boundary plant if given 2 wires for support, the dead stalks being left in position through the winter.

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

36 x 18
(90 x 45)

Spiny Dark Green above, White-downy below

Dark Blue in
September

"Small Globe Thistle". Good for cutting. Clump-forming and reliably repeat-flowering
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Well-drained soil.

Echinops do not like being disturbed.

Echinops sphaero-cephalus

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

72 x 36
(180 x 90)

Spiny Grey-Green

Silvery-Grey in
August-September

"Great Globe Thistle, Chapman Honey Plant". Clump-forming, and vigorous
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Well-drained soil. Native to south and central Europe through to Russia and naturalized in western Europe.

Echium wildpretii

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

72 x 24
(180 x 60)

Silver hairy, Light Green

Red in
June-August

A Canary Island species forming a multi-branched, shrubby biennial with soft, hairy, narrow leaves. The flowers, in thick pyramidal spikes up to 120 (300) tall, depart from the family tradition, for they are rich red in colour. Zone 9. Dry soil.

Elaeagnus angustifolia

Elaeagnus species
No HB, ST, LT

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

240 x 240 (600 x 600)

Silvery-Grey, narrow, willow-like leaves

Intensely fragrant, Creamy-Yellow in
June followed by small, inedible olive-like fruits

"Oleaster, Russian Olive". From southern Europe to China. The new branches coated in silvery scales. It will grow in areas where the rainfall is no more than 300mm/12 inches annually without irrigation, except in desert heat when it needs occasional deep watering; it does not thrive where the winters are warm.
Full Sun
Zones 7-9
Requires warm, dry summers to bring out its silvery foliage.

Elaeagnus commutata (Elaeagnus argentea)

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x 72
(360 x 180)

Intensely Silver, broad leaves

Yellow-White in
May followed by small, silvery, ovoid fruits

Zone 2
Elaeagnus grow freely in full sun and in almost any soil. Plant in March or from Sep-Nov, and cut out old wood when required.

Elaeagnus ebbingei
'Gilt Edge'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

156 x 96
(390 x 240)

Green, Yellow margins

Fragrant, Silvery-White in October-November

Use for hedging on any soil except chalk.
Plants associate well in yellow and cream flower schemes, and make a lively contrast to pure blue flowers; also blend with other evergreens in hedges and screens. The foliage coloration is vivid in sun or part shade. Any stems that revert to green should be pruned out. It is best to have plants on their own roots, since they live longer than grafted ones. Associate with Aconitum 'Ivorine', Berberis julianae, Euphorbia sikkmensis, Forsythia ovata 'Tetragold', Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea', Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Gold', Rosa 'Chinatown' and Syringa vulgaris 'Primrose'.

Elaeagnus ebbingei 'Limelight'

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 120 (300 x 300)

Silvery young leaves, become marked with Yellow and Pale Green in the centres

Creamy-White in
October-December

Use for hedging. It makes a fine shelter planting, withstanding salt winds

Zone 7

Enkianthus campanulatus

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x 144 (360 x 360)

Dull Green in Spring and Summer, Bright Red in Autumn

Creamy-Yellow in
May

"Redvein Enkianthus". From Japan and southern China.
Full Sun
Zones 6-9
Moist woodland with humus-rich but not too fertile, acid soil.

Epilobium angustifolium f. album
(Chamerion angustifolium)

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

60 x 36
(150 x 90)

Pale to Mid-Green

White in
August-October

"Rosebay Willowherb". Rapidly colony-forming plant best admired at a distance at roadsides, woodland margins and disturbed ground. Its root system should be confined and seedheads promptly removed to prevent rapid spread.
Full Sun or Part Shade
Found throughout the northern temperate zone.
Any soil.
It is not wise to plant this plant, since 80,000 wind-borne seeds can be produced by one plant

Rose Bay Willow Herb Epilobium angustifolium photo by Corke with its red flowers. This f. album plant has white flowers.

Epimedium pubigerum

Evergreen Rhizome Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Glossy Mid-Green

Creamy-White in
May-June

Unusually drought-tolerant plant making a compact clump
Part Shade
Zone 5-9
Found in damp beech woodland in southeast Bulgaria, Turkey.

Epimedium rubrum

Deciduous Rhizome Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Flushed Red when young, turning Red and Reddish Brown in Autumn, and remaining throughout Winter

Crimson and Pale Yellow in
May-June

Floriferous and clump-forming.
Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Well-drained moist soil

Epimedium companions - Anemone blanda, narcissus, muscari, hyacinthoides, arisarum, hosta, astilbe, ferns, pulmonaria, brunnera, helleborus, primula; under trees and shrubs. Spring mulch of leafmould or composted bark will help maintain vigour and protect the rhizomes in cold climates.

Epimedium x versicolor
'Neosulphureum'

Evergreen Rhizome Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

Reddish-Purple in Spring, Dark Green in Summer and Autumn

Pale Yellow in
April-May

Clump-forming
Part Shade
Zone 5-9
Well-drained soil.

Associate this with Dicentra eximia.

Epimediums - "Barrenwort, Bishop's-hat" - thrive in the light shade of other acid-soil plants such as the taller rhododendrons, camellias and ferns. Their roots compete well with tree roots, so plant them around trees such as crab-apple and magnolia.

Eranthis cilicica

Herbaceous Tuber Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 3
(5 x 7)

Glossy, Bronze-tinged, Mid-Green

Bright Yellow in
April

Cup-shaped flowers.
Eranthis are early-flowering perennials with buttercup-like flowers of deep yellow. Plant in a shady corner, or on the rock garden or along the fringe of a shrub bed in well-drained, moist sandy loam and leaf-mould. Plant in October, 2 inches (5cms) apart and 2 inches deep. Do not lift from the ground.

Eranthis hyemalis

No HB, ST

Herbaceous Tuber Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 2
(5 x 5)

Bright Green

Bright Yellow in
March-April

"Winter Aconite". Has bright green circles of leaves below large, bright yellow flowers in late winter and early spring.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.
Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.

Associate with light to mid-blue early-flowering scillas, but cannot compete with dense grass or lawns. All of these winter aconites can be underplanted in positions where they are later covered by deciduous foliage. Its flowers create a colour contrast behind the early-flowering Crocus tommasinianus 'Whitewell Purple'.

It has naturalised in woods scattered across Britain. It is worth cultivating this plant near a beehive as an early source of pollen. Once established it requires little attention and grows well under shrubs and trees where few other plants succeed. It is usually in flower for 4-6 weeks.

Eranthis x tubergenii
'Guinea Gold'

Herbaceous Tuber Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

4 x 2
(10 x 5)

Bronze-Green

Golden in
March

Erica arborea
'Albert's Gold'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

78 x 32
(195 x 80)

Golden

See its foliage and form in the summer. When it has flowered, it then creates seedheads which are usually brown and tend to obstruct the view of the foliage that this plant may have changed to for the periods that the seedheads stay.

White in
March-May

Have a look at my comments on the Heather Beds in the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley during 2015 about labels and heather bed maintenance and Valid Label Moved Elsewhere page - this page details how to photo heathers.

Since I cannot get validated photos from heather nurseries and I cannot rely on my own photos, then I see little point in continuing the work on the remaining 836 heathers in the 9 heather galleries using the 15,451 photos taken between August 2012 to May 2015 by Heather Kavanagh and myself.

"Tree Heath". Seldom bears flowers.

More Details can be had from Heather World as linked to in the last row in this table.

All Erica are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.

All heaths thrive best in sandy soil with humus, fully in the sun, but will grow in most soils, so long as they are not smothered with dead leaves in autumn and spoiled by overhanging tree branches.

Erica arborea
var. alpina

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

78 x 34 (195 x 85)

Mid-Green

White in
March-May

"Tree Heath".

I like heathers, but I have wasted from August 2012 to May 2015 taking photos and I could not validate those photos with their labels and I see no point in wasting further time, so see if you can find valid data somewhere else that can help you. Why cannot we have a proper plant database in the UK like the Missouri Botanical Garden and its map can show the visitor exactly where their plant is.

Erica arborea
'Estrella Gold'

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

48 x 30 (120 x 75)

Lime Green tipped bright Yellow

White in
April-May

"Tree Heath".

Erica carnea
'Ann Sparkes'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 10
(15 x 25)

Orange with bronze tips in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Crimson in Winter

Rose Pink in
February-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

"Erica carnea is one of the hardiest of all heaths, and very easy to grow in almost any soil. Exceptionally hardy, they are able to flower through snow and ice, and are also tolerant of lime. Their dwarf hugging habit make them ideal weed smotherers, and trimming is only required every few years." from Ashwood Nurseries

Maybe you will have more luck in finding heathers correctly labelled, identity validated and suitable for viewing by the public, so that you can decide whether you want them in your garden. Perhaps instead of allowing garden staff of gardens to plant and maintain plants, they should be planted by the nursery that raised them and then that nursery maintain their plants in gardens open to the public.

Since West Midlands, London, Parts of the South West, East Midlands, East of England and South East regions of England are at risk of running out of water by 2030, gardens in England will then be abandoned as its 35,000,000 population has to leave. Since the privatised water companies in England are so much in debt (due to asset stripping and borrowing to pay the high dividends and payments in salary and bonuses to their staff during the 30 years of privatisation), it is extremely doubtful if anything has been done about it for the last 30 years or for the next 7, except for them and the government to blame the increasing population in overusing the decreasing rainfall water resource. Further details concerning the involvement of the government in this fraud; is on the Welcome Page; for those from abroad who will experience the loss in their retirement pension value from the future market crash in the UK.

Erica carnea
'Barry Sellers'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Yellow in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Orange in Winter

Deep Pink in
January-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath, Snow Heath". From the mountains of central and southern Europe, this frost-hardy species will thrive in chalk soils.
Erica carnea is an ideal groundcover between taller shrubs or beneath deciduous trees, or in rock gardens.
Full Sun
Zones 5-9
Well-drained, chalk soil. Prune after flowering to keep plants bushy and compact.

Erica carnea 'Challenger'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Dark Green

Magenta in
January-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

'Though the 'carnea' group of Ericas do not mind lime, they like humus, and lime-hater's does them all; dressings of bone meal are appreciated in spring, as they take quite a bit out of the soil. These directions apply to all Ericas (except the greenhouse species sold in bloom at Christmas), and those who wish to plant a winter-flowering window-box can select among the many varieties of Erica carnea or space out the varieties with Erica mediterranea, from March to May, Erica cinerea to follow it, and Erica tetralix and Erica vagans until the circle of the year is complete" from Alpines without a Garden by Lawrence D. Hills. Published by Faber & Faber in 1953.

Erica carnea
'December Red'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Mid-Green

Pink in
December-February

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Eileen Porter'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 8
(20 x 20)

Dark Green

Magenta with Cream sepals in
January-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath". This gives so much bloom for its space at the dead time of the year that it earns its room in any alpine trough in an inside or outside window-box, as well as in a garden bed.

Erica carnea 'Foxhollow'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 16
(25 x 40)

Yellow with Bronze tips in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Orange/Red in Winter

Heliotrope in
January-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".
Winter Heaths are effective when massed in beds, although care should be taken to avoid any colour clash between flowers and foliage, which is sometimes a problem with coloured-leaved forms; especially when they have different foliage colours in different seasons. They look fine when underplanted with late winter and early spring bulbs, such as snowdrops, hardy cyclamens and Crocus tommasinianus. Associate with gaultherias, vacciniums, Leiophyllum buxifolium, daphnes and prostrate brooms; bergenias offer dramatic contrasts of leaf shape and texture, then dwarf junipers will make a natural heathland association.

Erica carnea 'Heathwood'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 14
(25 x 35)

Dark Bronze Green

Lilac Pink in
February-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Plant Erica in October or in April and early May in sunny or semi-shaded position in any light (Sand) garden loam without lime (Chalk) in it, and plenty of leaf-mould added, or in well-drained sand and peat. Do not prune, but keep the bushes in shape by removing dead blooms from the spring-flowering species in June, from the sumer and autumn bloomers in March, and from winter-flowerers in April. This removal of all shoots that have flowered is essential. However carefully trimmed, the plants become straggly after 5 or 6 years and should then be removed, being replaced by younger and smaller specimens.

Erica carnea
'March Seedling'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Mid-Green

Heliotrope in
February-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Myretoun Ruby'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Dark Green

Pink in
January-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Pink Spangles'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Mid-Green

Shell Pink in
January-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'R.B. Cooke'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Mid-Green

Pink/Mauve in
December-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Springwood Pink'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 16
(25 x 40)

Bronze in Spring, Mid-Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Pink in
December-May

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Springwood White'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Bright Green

White in
February-March

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Vivellii'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 14 (25 x 35)

Bronze

Purplish-Pink in
January-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica carnea
'Westwood Yellow'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Yellow

Shell Pink in
February-April

"Alpine Heath, Winter Heath".

Erica ciliaris
'Corfe Castle'

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

9 x 14
(23 x 35)

Mid-Green, turns Bronze-Green in Winter

Rose-Pink in
August-October

"Dorset Heath".

Erica ciliaris
'David McClintock'

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 18 (40 x 45)

Dark Green above, White beneath

White Base with Purplish-Pink mouths in
August-October

"Dorset Heath".

Erica cinerea
'C.D. Eason'

See others in
Erica cinerea Gallery

Erica cinerea species
Yes HB, ST, LT, SOL
 

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

11 x 20 (27 x 50)

Dark Green

Magenta in
June-September

"Bell Heather, Twisted Heath". Good Ground Cover.

"Erica cinerea species are commonly found on drier moors and heathlands, well worth growing for the great richness and range of their flowers. They enjoy an open, sunny position, and should be planted with plenty of peat. Acid soil is essential to grow this species successfully. Only taller varieties require pruning." from Ashwood Nurseries

Zones 5-9

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

As the Bell Heather flowers so much earlier than heather, it is often possible to obtain its honey in a pure or relatively pure state. Bell heath honey is not the best winter foods for bees, being inclined to granulate in the comb, but does not cause bee dysentery as heather may do.

Erica cinerea
'Fiddler's Gold'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 18 (25 x 45)

Golden Yellow that deepens to Red

Lilac Pink in
July-August

"Bell Heather".

Erica cinerea
'Golden Hue'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 28 (35 x 70)

Pale Yellow in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Yellow with Orange tips in Winter

Amethyst in
July-October

"Bell Heather".

Erica cinerea
'Pink Ice'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 14
(25 x 35)

Deep Green that is Bronze when young and in Winter

Rose Pink in
July-November

"Bell Heather".

Erica darleyensis
'Ada S. Collings'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 18
(20 x 45)

Dark Green

White in
December-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

"Erica x darleyensis cultivars are exceptionally hardy plants and vigorous growers. Easy to grow, they are also ideal as weed smotherers. They are lime tolerant and will flower over a long period." from Ashwood Nurseries

Zones 6-9

Erica darleyensis
'Darley Dale'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 22 (30 x 55)

Mid-Green with Cream tips in Spring, Mid-Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Shell Pink in
November-April

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica x darleyensis is a natural hybrid between Erica carnea and the tree heath Erica erigena. It is a little larger than Erica carnea, forming a vigorous, bushy shrub with textured blooms of young growth, and it likes similar sites in sun or part shade with moist but well-drained soil. Erica x darleyensis cultivars are natural companions for Erica carnea, their greater height and bulk making them most effective as a backdrop to their more compact relatives. They combine equally well with the associates recommended for Erica carnea, together with smaller gorses and dwarf spruces.

This 'Darley Dale' could be associated with Euoynmus fortunei 'Variegatus' to provide a carpet for bright-stemmed dogwoods Cornus alba 'Sibirica' and Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'. Erica x darleyensis 'White Perfection' (see below) would also be effective here.

Erica darleyensis
'Furzey'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 24 (35 x 60)

Dark Green with Pink tips in Spring, Dark Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Lilac Pink in
December-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'Ghost Hills'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 25 (30 x 62)

Light Green with Cream tips in Spring, Light Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Pink in
November-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'J.W. Porter'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

Mid-Green with Cream tips in Spring, Mid-Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Heliotrope in
January-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'Jack H. Brummage'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

Yellow-Orange

Heliotrope in
January-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'Kramers Rote'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 24 (35 x 60)

Dark Bronze-Green

Magenta in
January-April

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'Margaret Porter'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 18
(20 x 45)

Mid-Green with Cream tips in Spring, Mid-Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Lilac in
December-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'Silberschmeize'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 32 (35 x 80)

Faintly Cream-tipped Deep-Green in Spring, later Deep Green, Tinged Red in Winter

Ashen White in
December-May

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica darleyensis
'White Perfection'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 28 (40 x 70)

Bright Green

White in
December-April

"Darley Dale Heath".

Erica erigena
'Golden Lady'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 16 (30 x 40)

Bright Golden Yellow

White in
February-April

"Irish Heath, Mediterranean Heath".

"Erica erigena are a lime tolerant species, with a shapely habit making a good architectural inclusion in the heather garden. This group provides a valuable link between the main heather flowering seasons of winter and summer." from Ashwood Nurseries

Zones 7-9

Erica erigena
'Irish Dusk'

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

24 x 18 (60 x 45)

Dark Grey-Green

Rose Pink in
November-May

"Irish Heath, Mediterranean Heath".

Erica erigena
'W.T. Rackliff'

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

30 x 22 (75 x 55)

Rich Green

White in
February-June

"Irish Heath, Mediterranean Heath".

Erica stuartii
'Irish Lemon'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 32 (25 x 80)

Lemon Yellow in Spring, Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Mauve in
May-September

The low-growing heaths serve very well not only as ground covers but also as borders and edging plants. Deep and tightly woven roots help prevent soil erosion on banks and slopes. These plants tolerate salt-laden coastal air and exposed windy locations. The flowers dry and last many months indoors. Heaths are excellent low-maintenance ground covers, requiring almost no attention once established.

Erica tetralix
'L.E. Underwood'

Erica tetralix species
Yes HB, ST, LT, SOL

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 20 (25 x 50)

Grey-Green above, White beneath

Magenta in
August-October

"Cross-leaved Heath".

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

The numerous forms of heath are for the most part good bee plants. It is possible to make a selection so that some will be in flower at all times of the year including the early spring -

• Erica arborea in Mar-May,
• Erica stuartii May-Sep,
• Erica cinerea Jun-Nov,
• Erica tetralix Aug-Oct,
• Erica vagans Aug-Nov,
• Erica erigena in Nov-May,
• Erica darleyensis Nov-May,
• Erica carnea Dec-May.

Erica tetralix
'Pink Star'

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 14
(20 x 35)

Grey-Green above, White beneath

Lilac-Pink in
August-October

"Cross-leaved Heath". Due to white colour below the leaf, it is advisable to put this plant above your eye-level vision, into a rock garden, to appreciate that.

Erica vagans
'Cornish Cream'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 26 (35 x 65)

Bright Green

Off White in
August-November

"Cornish Heath, Wandering Heath".

"The Cornish heath - Erica vagans - make a vigorous, spreading / creeping shrub with attractive flowers in late summer and early autumn. The faded flowers add colour in winter, with shades of brown and russet. It prefers an open sunny position in any well drained soil. It will require pruning each spring to keep plants in shape." from Ashwood Nurseries

Zones 8-9

Erica vagans
'Mrs D.F. Maxwell'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 18 (30 x 45)

Dark Green

Rose Pink in
August-October

"Cornish Heath, Wandering Heath".

Erigeron 'Charity'

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

24 x 18 (60 x 45)

Dark Green

Lilac-Pink in
July-August

"Fleabane'.
Erigeron thrive in sunny borders or in the rock garden and in ordinary soil.
Full Sun
Zone 4
Moist, fertile, free-draining soil.
Grows well in coastal conditions in raised beds. Divide every 2 or 3 years and replant.

Erigeron karvinskianus

Erigeron species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL
They produce their flowers in July and August when there may be rather few other sources for bees in gardens.

Deciduous Rhizome Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 36
(30 x 90)

Hairy Grey- Green

Yellow centred flowers opening White and fading through Pink to Purple in
July-September

"Mexican Daisy". Excellent for softening stone edges and naturalizing using seeds into cracks in the hottest, sun-baked walls or swarming about the boles of the cherry and peach trees.
Cut back clumps in the autumn to keep it neat and tidy. Considered a serious weed in New Zealand, where its sale is prohibited.
Zone 8-10
Found in very dry rocky places from Mexico to Panama.

Erigeron companions - lavandula, coreopsis, iris, rudbeckia, stachys, anaphalis triplinervis, heuchera, oenothera, plox, smaller grasses, eryngium, sedum, artemisia, kniphofia.
Butterflies love the flowers

Erinacea anthyllis

Evergreen Sub-Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 36
(30 x 90)

Dark Grey-Green

Violet-Blue
in May-June

"Hedgehog Broom". This low-growing sub-shrub requires well-drained soil and it has small leaves on green stems.

Eriobotrya japonica

Evergreen Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

300 x 300 (750 x 750)

Dark Green

Fragrant White flowers in clusters through
October-April followed by small, pear-like, edible fruits in late spring in warm-winter areas

"Loquat, Japanese Plum, Japanese Medlar". Native to China and Japan. A shapely conical tree.
Full Sun
Zones 8-10
Tolerates dry soil as well as coastal conditions. Fertile, well-drained soil. It is hardy in zone 9 for fruit, and down to zone 8 if grown for foliage. The largest and most striking leaves are borne by non-fruiting trees. Once established, it tolerates periods of drought.

Eriophyllum lanatum
(Bahia lanata)

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Silvery-Grey, finely cut leaves

Bright Yellow in
June-September

"Golden Yarrow, Woolly Sunflower, Oregon Sunshine". Clump-forming. Cutting back after flowering will help to maintain a compact habit.
Full Sun
Zone 5-8
Dry, infertile sandy or gravelly, extra well-drained soil. Apt to die out in damp soil. From western North America.

Easy in dry or rocky places, it looks well with Artemisia stelleriana and nepeta as companions.

Erodium manescavii

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 8
(45 x 20)

Masses of Mid-Green, carrot-leaved leaves

Never-ending succession of Magenta-Purple flowers on 18 (45) stems in
July-October

"Heron's Bill, Stork's Bill" are easy in dry soil in sun. Clump-forming. Ideal for the front of a border, rock garden and as a small-scale ground cover which takes no traffic (ie do not walk on it). Self-seeds, especially if mulched with gravel. Rather coarse.
From the Pyrenees.
Full Sun
Zone 6
Neutral sandy to limy soil with good drainage and rich in humus - plants suffer in winter if the soil is poorly drained.

Eryngium alpinum

Eryngium species. The coast leafcutter bee visits sea-holly and other flowers that occur in coastal habitats.
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

28 x 18
(70 x 45)

Mid-Green

Steel-Blue or White flower on 30 (75) flowering stem in
August-October

"Sea Holly".
All Eryngiums can be used for Flower Arranging - see other Flower Arranging Plants.
Full Sun
Zone 5-8
Well-drained poor dry sandy soil

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

Eryngium companions - Ornamental grasses, late alliums, helenium, artemisia, echinacea, brodiaea, anthemis, achillea, alchemilla mollis, hardy fuchsias, phlox paniculata, aster, galtonia; the summer border; flowers loved by bees and butterflies. Flowers can used fresh or dried (pick before all the florets are finished opening and hang them to dry).

The flowerheads of this plant are most effectively displayed against a simple, contrasting background, such as Berberis thunbergii 'RoseGlow'.

Eryngium planum

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

36 x 18 (90 x 45)

Dark Green

Light Blue in spiky blue bracts in
August-September

"Sea Holly, Blue Eryngo". Comes from dry, poor soils in the wild
Full Sun
Zone 5-8
Well-drained poor sandy soil. Good cut flower.

Erysimum
'Bowles' Mauve'

Erysimum 'Single-flowered' species produce early in the year supplies of nectar and pollen for all the bees
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

30 x 24 (75 x 60)

Grey-Green

Mauve in
March-September

Upright, long-blooming, short-lived and can make a 48 inch high (120 cms) high hedge in the front of the border. Cut its flower stems before they finish flowering for arrangements to get it to rebloom. It also thrives in rock gardens, gravel gardens and even grows well in old walls.
Zone 6-9
Dry soil.

Erysimum companions - aquilegia, dicentra, viola, primula, scabiosa, knautia, tulips, narcissus, hyacinth, nassella.

Its flower colour can be associated with purple, silver or glaucous foliage, and contrasts effectively with yellow-green foliage and flowers. It also associates with euphorbias, pinks, catmints, artemisias, and alliums together with being grown in front of old roses.

Erysimum cheiri

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

23 x 12 (58 x 30)

Dark Green

Bright Yellow-Orange in
April-May

"Wallflower".

Erythronium
dens-canis

Herbaceous Bulb below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 5
(15 x 12)

Mid-Green marbled purplish-Brown

White, Pink or Lilac in
April-June

"European Dog's-Tooth Violet".

Escallonia
'Apple Blossom'

Escallonia species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

84 x 96 (210 x 240)

Glossy Dark Green

Pink in
June-July

"Chilean Gum Box".
Escallonia succeed in sheltered situations and in well-drained soil. Plant in Oct-Nov or in Mar-Apr. Cut out old wood, shorten lateral shoots after flowering (August), and trim to shape. The autumn-flowering species should not be pruned until the following March.

Escallonia
'Donard Radiance'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

84 x 96 (210 x 240)

Glossy Dark Green

Rose-Red in
June-July

Escallonia make good hedge plants or trained as wall shrubs on wire supports. Farly close pruning after the flowers fade is necessary to make a tight hedge and wall shrubs also need cutting, but bushes in the open require no regular pruning.

Escallonia
'Edinensis'

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

Pinkish-Red in
July-August

Escallonia 'Langleyensis'

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

Bright Rose-Red in
July-August

Escallonia
'Pride of Donard'

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

60 x 96 (150 x 240)

Glossy Dark Green

Light Red in
July-August

Escallonia rubra
var. macrantha

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 120 (300 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

Rose-Red in
June-August

Ideal for hedging and suitable for a coastal hedge if given some protection from direct sea-winds. Use Wind Break Netting on either side of the coastal hedge for wind protection.

Eucalyptus gunnii

Evergreen Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

840 x 240 (2100 x 600)

Silver-Blue in Spring, Blue-Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

White in
July

"Cider Gum Tree". It can be kept low and in the juvenile state by annual hard pruning, or allowed to develop to a tall tree with narrow, blue-green adult foliage, and small cream flowers.

Spring Foliage

Spring foliage on left, Summer foliage on right

All eucalyptus are evergreen; most are remarkably drought- and heat-tolerant, and grow rapidly, but they can be poor neighbours, with their hungry invasive roots. Until established, they appreciate deep periodic irrigation, but thereafter will grow well without extra water where the rainfall exceeds 10 (25 cms) annually

Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophil

Evergreen Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

240 x 360 (600 x 900)

Quite large, scimitar-shaped, grey-green or silvery leaves on orange stalks, patch-work bark of grey, cream and olive-green

Ivory

"Alpine Snow Gum". Grows at altitudes over 5,000 feet (150,000 cms) where snow lies through most of the winter.
Full Sun
Zones 7-9
Poor or degraded, well-drained, soil

Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Nymansay'

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Evergreen Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

480 x 300 (1200 x 750)

Dark Green above, paler beneath

White in
August-September

A small compact tree of narrow habit.
Tree in Full Sun, but the roots shaded
Zones 8-9
Requires humid microclimate and constant soil moisture combined with good drainage. Atlantic coastal districts of British Isles suits them well.

Euonymus fortunei
'Emerald and Gold'

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 24
(45 x 60)

Green edged Yellow in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Green edged Red in Winter

Greenish-White in
June-July

Euonymus fortunei spreads / creeps or climbs by aerial roots like ivy and can climb a brick or stone wall as high as 240 inches (600 cms). As a groundcover it has an indefinite spread, but it is mostly more compact forms that are grown in gardens.

All Euonymus are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.

All of Euonymus species are very poisonous in all parts. When ingested, then vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, chills, coma and convulsions can occur.

Euonymus fortunei
'Sarcoxie'

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

48 x 48 (120 x 120)

Glossy Dark Green

...

"Wintercreeper". Highly effective at trailing over walls or between rocks and stepping-stones.
Euonymus fortunei 'Colorata' is good as a groundcover and has good autumn foliage colour.

Euonymus fortunei does very well in very dry areas with some irrigation

Euonymus alatus
'Compactus'

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

36 x 120 (90 x 300)

Dark Green in Spring and Summer, Brilliant Dark Red in Autumn

Greenish-White in
June-August

"Winged Spindle, Winged Euonymus". From Japan, China and Korea. Spreading / creeping and much branched as a dwarf hedge.
Full Sun and sheltered from wind
Zones 5-9
Fertile, well-drained soil. Birds attracted to its seeds.

As this changes to its autumn foliage colour, it associates well with the weeping crab apple Malus 'Butterball's yellow fruits flushed with warm orange, which cascades in a curtain thus forming a colourful backdrop. It is a companion for large grasses such as pampas grass and miscanthus, Japanese maples, sorbus and deciduous hollies.

Whole plant is very poisonous.

Euonymus fortunei
'Silver Queen'

Evergreen Shrub above 2 feet in height

96 x 60 (240 x 150)

Yellow in Spring, Green with White margins in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Greenish-White in
April-May

This contrasts effectively with the sky-blue flowers of Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica). Other spring bulbs with blue, soft yellow, or white flowers could be added to enhance the scheme.

Eupatorium cannabinum

Eupatorium species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

60 x 48 (150 x 120)

Mid to Dark Green

Pink, Purple or White in
July-October

"Hemp Agrimony". Self-sows and considered a weed in Britain.
Zone 3-8
Grows in sunny, wet places in most of Europe, including Britain.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.
Companions - Grasses, sedum 'Herbstfreude', hydrangea paniculata, echinacea purpurea, helenium autumnale, aster, cimicifuga, solidago, rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'; attractive to butterflies and bees; flowers are good for both fresh and dried arrangements.

Euphorbia amygdaloides

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

30 x 12
(75 x 30)

Matt Dark Green above, Red beneath

Greenish-Yellow in
May-July

"Wood Spurge". Self-sows. Produces their flowers in the second year and then that flowering shoot dies to the base.
All Euphorbia are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Fertile soil rich in organic matter. May seed around and often forms large drifts. From woodland edges and glades in western Europe to Central Asia and the Mediterranean.

Euphorbia amygdaloides
var. robbiae

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 24 (45 x 60)

Shiny Dark Green

Lime-Green in
April-May

"Mrs Robb's Bonnet". It will grow in the driest soil and darkest shade beneath trees, lighting the gloom in spring with its 24 (60) spires of sharp green flowers over dark evergreen leaves. Cut out the flowered stems as they fade to keep the plant neat and well furnished: it spreads / creeps easily, but a build up of fungal disease over the years may cause the centre of the group to die out although the outer marghins will remain healthy.
Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Fertile soil rich in organic matter.

Interplant this with Geranium phaeum in front of it. It is a meandering plant that dies out and then moves elsewhere, best in an informal tapestry of low-growing plants in a woodland setting - perhaps infiltrating carpets of other flowers, such as aubretias or violas - rather than as ground cover in a border, where it is too invasive. It associates well with wood anemones, Bowles' golden grass and some evergreen sedges. Grown beneath aubretias on a dwarf wall, the yellow-green flowers of this plant provide a sharp colour contrast through mid- and late-spring.

Euphorbia companions -
Euphorbia characias stands alone or with large grasses and helleborus argutifolius;
Euphorbia schillingii, with helianthus, taller veronicas, geranium psilostemon, and Geranium 'Ann Folkard';
Euphorbia griffithii with geum 'Borisii', geranium phaeum, hemerocallis, carex, and iris sibirica.
Pair smaller varieties with heuchera and plantago and use as forground plants in rock gardens.

Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii

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

36 x 36 (90 x 90)

Grey-Green

Yellow-Green in
April-June

"Frog-spawn Bush".
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 7-9
Fertile, well-drained soil.
Remove flowering shoots as low as possible after seeds have been shed, or the crown of the plant may become very congested.
From dry rocky places in the Mediterranean region, but naturalized elsewhere in Europe, including Britain.

Contrast this with blue flowers of brunneras and omphalodes. Good companions include crown imperials, white-flowered cistus and phlomis.

Euphorbia cyparissias

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x indefinite (30 x indefinite)

Bluish-Green, turn Yellow in Autumn

Yellow-Green in
June-August

"Cypress Spurge, Plughman's Mignonette". Very aggressive - it produces runners below the soil, often secretly during the winter, and shoots can appear in the spring in the middle of its neighbours as much as 40 inches (100cms) from the original plant.
Full Sun
Zone 3-8
Fertile soil, but should never be planted near delicate plants. Naturalized in most of North America and cited as noxious in Colorado. Keep it contained within a pot and the pot's rim should be at least 1 inch above ground level - use up-ended concrete slabs to contain it in a larger area; or in contained crazy paving path and pull handfuls out where it gets too thick and let it repeat the performance.

Euphorbia griffithii

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Dark Green, turn Red and Yellow in Autumn

Yellow and Red in
July

"Griffith's Spurge". Good autumn foliage colour.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 6-9
Requires moist soil to stay more tightly clumped also with rich soil. From eastern Himalaya, Burma, Tibet and China.

Euphorbia myrsinites

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Blue-Grey

Greenish-Yellow
in April-June

"Donkeytail Spurge, Myrtle Spurge". Short-lived, self-sows.
Full Sun
Zone 5-9
Well-drained dry soil. Best grown in hanging baskets or containers with crown lasting for only 2 years. Naturalized in North America and a noxious weed in some states.

This plant is a sun-lover for hot, dryish sites. It is best planted in gravel, or where it can sprawl over the edge of beds, or it can be combined with aubretias, smaller fescues and small, sun-loving bronze sedges. Spreading clumps of this plant grown through gravel at the front of a bed, contrast with Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana' in late spring.

Euphorbia polychroma
(Euphorbia epithymoides)

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

20 x 20 (50 x 50)

Mid-Green

Bright Yellow in
April-May, then fades to greenish-yellow shades through the summer, followed by seed capsules with red protuberances in August

"Cushion Spurge". Extremely reliable, clump-former forming hemispherical domes. Requires staking to prevent it falling apart.
Full Sun
Zone 4-8
Any Fertile soil.

Autumn cuttings do not succeed, nor does it provide enough seed to propagate itself, but anyone who can bear to remove the stubby little shoots as soon as they are a few inches long can have a nice batch of plants by autumn.

Euryops acraeus

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Silvery-Grey needle leaves

Deep Yellow
in June-July

It has waxy silver leaves and bright yellow, daisy-type flowers. It needs a well-drained site protected from winter rain.

Exochorda x macrantha
'The Bride'

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

72 x 96 (180 x 240)

Light to Mid-Green

White in
May-June

Masses of white flowers on arching stems in spring.
Full Sun with shelter from wind
Zones 6-9
Well-drained soil. Prune older stems back to their bases after flowering for vigorous new growth and abundant flowers

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 Erigeron, Erinacea, Erodium and Erythronium 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.
 

From Annuals and Biennials chapter in Plants for Ground-cover by Graham Stuart Thomas - Gardens consultant to the National Trust. Published by J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd in 1970, Reprinted (with further revisions) 1990. ISBN 0-460-12609-1:-

"I think there is a case to be considered for annuals and biennials in ground-cover schemes so long as they will sow themselves freely.
These suggestions may be useful for large areas outside our gardens where a 'show' for a summer or two is needed, while shrubs and perennial ground-covers are being increased for later permanent planting.. They are easy to control if one studies the life-cycle with a view to allowing seed to develop if required or to remove it before it is shed.

Use

Plant

Comments

Lawn and ground-cover under conifer trees

Poa annua

The needles under a cedar tree were weekly swept away and the grass, despite fertilizers, top dressing, re-seading and re-turfing, simply would not grow. The needles were left alone and within 12 months the area became self-sown with a close and permanent sward of Poa nnua. This little grass regenerates itself constantly so that it makes a lawn, though each plant has only a short life.

Oxalis rosea

This is highly successful in the shade of conifers or any other tree

Cyclamen hederifolium

This is a perennial, though sowing itself freely when suited and it is here because plants to grow under cedars and yews, somewhat away from the trunks, are very few.

Temporary ground-cover under trees

Tropaeolum or Eschscholtzia

A sheet of 'Gleam' nasturtiums or eschscholtzia; both are free-flowering and easily pulled up, though like all annuals it may be a year or two later before all dispersed seeds have germinated.

Silene armeria and Iberis amara are equally successful, with Sett Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) creating a dwarf ground-cover carpet in late summer.

Ground-cover under trees with high rainfall

Claytonia sibirica (Montia sibirica)

This grows under trees where the grass is thin at high altitude and high rainfall. It covers the area - interpersed with primroses and Oxalia acetosella - with a mass of pinky-white stars a few inches (cms) above the ground.

Claytonia perfoliata is an annual; it is usually classed as a weed but is excellent cover in cool, acid soil, but far less conspicuous in flower

Streamsides, river banks and fringes of boggy ground

Impatiens glandulifera (Impatiens roylei, Annual Balsam)

It is a rapid colonizer because its seeds are ejected with some force from the ripe pods. It seeds with great abandon and grows to 72 (180) or more; its many pink flowers make a great show.

Full sun and drier soils than by streamsides

Angelica archangelica

It very quickly produces great green heads in spring, ripening quickly, with the result that the ground is thickly covered with seedlings in late summer.

Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) will colonize any sunny waste place and produce yellow blooms for weeks in the summer

Lychnis coronaria is a prolific seeder with rosettes of silvery basal leaves.

Erysimum linifolium (Wallflower) produces lilac flowers

Plants that seed about with abandon

• Phytolacca american Poke Weed) has great spikes of shing black seeds
• Geranium pratense, a soft blue flower, 36 (90) high, with a basal clump of divided leaves
• Myrrhis odorata (Sweet Cicely), old garden herb
• Borago laxiflora with pale blue flowers
• on neutral, well-drained soil, Lupinus hartwegii and Lupinus polyphyllus, with Lupinus arboreus (Tree Lupin) are useful
• temporary ground-cover of Lupinus angustifolius and Lupinus luteus, which are used agriculturally to enrich the land as a 'green manure'.
• Verbascum nigrum, produces yellow or white 36 (90) high spikes in summer and it makes good basal rosetttes while it sows itself freely.
• Foxgloves (Digitalis) and honesty (Lumaria) seed themselves freely and in a way will act as a ground-cover on account of their large basal leaves.

From Appendix II Lists of plants for special conditions in Plants for Ground-cover by Graham Stuart Thomas - Gardens consultant to the National Trust. Published by J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd in 1970, Reprinted (with further revisions) 1990. ISBN 0-460-12609-1:-

Plant

Plant

Plant

1. Plants requiring lime-free soils

On limy soils it is wiser not to attempt to grow the genera in this list. They are mainly woodland plants and thrive best in soil in which humus has been mixed.
Species of Ceanothus, Berberis, Chaenomeles, Cytisus, Iris, Lupinus, Pimelia and Myosotideum are not so dependent on humus so long as the soil is acid or neutral.

Arctostaphylos.
Azalea - this is poisonous to bees and its honey to humans.
Berberis thunbergii and varieties.
Blechnum.
Boykinia.
Bruckenthalia.
Calluna.
Camelia.
Carex pendula.
Cassiope.
Chaenomeles.
Claytonia sibirica.
Clethra.
Comptonia.
Cornus canadensis.
Cyathodes.
Cytisus scoparius prostratus (Sarothamnus).
Daboecia.
Dicentra.
Empetrum.
Epigaea.

Erica.
Galax.
Gaultheria.
Gaylussacia.
Houstonia.
Hydrangea macrophylla.
Iris douglasiana.
Iris innominata.
Leiophyllum.
Leucothoe.
Linnaea.
Lithospermum diffusum.
Lupinus.
Luzula.
Meconopsis.
Mitchella.
Myosotideum.
Ourisia.
Pachysandra.
Paxistima.
Pernettya.

Philesia.
Pieris.
Pimelia.
Pyrola.
Rhododendron - this is poisonous to bees and its honey to humans.
Sarothamnus, see Cytisus.
Schizocodon.
Shortia.
Skimmia.
Smilacina.
Soldanella.
Tanakaea.
Vaccinium.
Woodwardia.

2. Plants which will thrive in limy soils

While it may be taken that any genus not mentioned in 1 will tolerate lime, many, such as Rosa, prefer the soil to be neutral. The following will thrive in soil that is actively limy, even over chalk, though they will grow equally well without lime.

Acaena.
Acanthus.
Achillea.
Adiantum.
Ajuga.
Alchemilla.
Alyssum saxatile.
Anaphalis.
Anchusa.
Anemone.
Antennaria.
Arabis.
Armeria.
Asplenium.
Athyrium.
Aubretia.
Aucuba.
Ballota.
Berberis (except Berberis thunbergii and varieties).
Bergenia.
Brunnera macrophylla.
Caltha.
Campanula.
Cardamine.
Ceanothus.
Centaurea.
Cerastium.
Ceratostigma.
Choisya.
Cistus.
Clematis.
Convallaria.
Convolvulus.
Cornus alba.
Cotoneaster.

Cotula.
Crambe.
Crataegus.
Cyclamen.
Daphne.
Dianthus.
Dryas.
Dryopteris.
Epimedium.
Erigeron.
Erodium.
Euonymus fortunei.
Euphorbia.
Festuca.
Forsythia.
Fuchsia.
Genista hispanica.
Geranium.
Gymnocarpium.
Gypsophila.
Halimum.
Hebe.
Hedera.
Helianthemum.
Helleborus.
Hemerocallis.
Houttuynia.
Hydrangea villosa.
Hypericum.
Hyssopus.
Iris foetidissima.
Jasminum.
Juniperus.
Lamium.
Lathyrus.
Lavandula.
Liriope.
Lonicera.
Mahonia.
Nepeta.
Osmanthus.
Othonnopsis.

Paeonia.
Peltiphyllum (Darmera).
Phlomis.
Phlox.
Polygonatum.
Polygonum.
Potentilla.
Primula.
Prunus.
Pulmonaria.
Pulsatilla.
Pyracantha.
Pyrus.
Reynoutria.
Ribes.
Rodgersia.
Rosmarinus.
Rubus.
Salvia.
Sambucus.
Santolina.
Sarcooca.
Scabiosa.
Sedum.
Senecio.
Sorbaria.
Spiraea.
Stachys.
Symphoricarpos.
Symphytum.
Taxus.
Tellima.
Teucrium.
Thymus.
Vancouveria.
Viburnum.
Vinca.
Viola.
Waldsteinia.
Zauschneria.

3. Plants which tolerate clay.

Few plants establish quickly on very heavy soils over clay, though many of the following will luxuiriate in maturity, provided the area is reasonably well-drained.

Acanthus.
Aesculus.
Ajuga.
Alchemilla.
Anemone x hybrida.
Anemone tomentosa.
Aruncus.
Asarum.
Astilboides.
Aucuba.
Berberis.
Bergenia.
Brunnera.
Caltha.
Chaenomeles.
Clematis.
Convallaria.
Cornus alba.
Cornus stolonifera.
Cotoneaster.
Crataegus.
Daphne.
Epimedium.

Euonymus fortunei.
Forsythia.
Geranium.
Hedera.
Helleborus.
Hemerocallis.
Hosta.
Lamium.
Lonicera.
Mahonia.
Malus.
Peltiphyllum.
Petasites.
Phillyrea.
Polygonatum.
Polygonum.
Prunella.
Prunus.
Pyrus.
Reynoutria.
Ribes.

Rodgersia.
Rosa.
Rubus.
Salix.
Sambucus.
Sarcocca.
Sorbaria.
Spiraea.
Symphoricarpus.
Symphytum.
Telekia.
Tellima.
Trachystemon.
Vancouveria.
Viburnum.
Vinca.
Waldsteinia.

4. Plants which will grow satisfactorily in dry, shady places.

Apart from ill-drained clay, this combination of conditions is the most difficult to cope with in the garden.

* indicates those which will not tolerate lime.

Alchemilla conjuncta.
*Arctostaphylos.
Arundinaria.
Asperula.
Asplenium.
Aster macrophyllus.
Aucuba.
*Blechnum spicant.
*Camellia.
*Carex.
*Cornus canadensis.
Cyclamen.
Dryopteris filix-mas.
Duchesnea.
Epimedium.
Euphorbia robbiae.
Fatshedera.

Fragaria.
*Gaultheria shallon.
Geranium nodosum.
Hedera.
Hypericum. androsaemum.
Iris foetidissima.
*Linnaea.
Lonicera nitida.
Lonicera pileata.
Lunaria.
Mahonia.
Myrrhis.
Pachyphragma.
*Pachysandra.
Phyllostachys.
Polypodium.
Prunus laurocerausus varieties.

Reynoutria.
Ribes.
Rubus.
Sarcocca.
Skimmia.
Thalictrum.
Trachystemon.
*Vaccinium vitis-idaea.
Vancouveria.
Vinca minor.
Walsteinia.
Xanthorhiza.

5. Plants which thrive on moist soils.

Genera marked * are suitable for boggy positions.

Ajuga.
Aruncus.
*Astilbe.
Astilboides.
Athyrium.
Blechnum chilense.
*Caltha.
Clethra (no lime).
Cornus alba.

Cornus stolonifera.
Filipendula palmata.
Filipendula purpurea.
Gunnera.
Heracleum.
Houttuynia.
*Ligularia.
*Lysichitum.
Matteuccia.

*Onoclea.
Osmunda.
Peltiphyllum (Darmera).
Petasites japonicus.
*Primula florindae.
Primula various.
Ranunculus.
Rheum.
Rodgersia.
*Trollius

6. Plants which grow well in shady positions.

The bulk of these are woodland plants, growing well under shrubs and trees, but those marked * are not so satisfactory under trees, though thriving in the shade given by buildings. For those requiring lime-free soil, compare with List 1.

Adiantum.
Aegopodium.
Anemone.
*Arabis.
Arundinaria.
Asarum.
Asperula.
Asplenium.
Athyrium.
Aucuba.
*Berberis.
*Bergenia.
Blechnum.
Boykinia.
Brunnera.
Camellia.
Cardamine.

Carex.
Cassiope.
Chiastophyllum.
*Choisya.
Claytonia.
Comptonia.
Convallaria.
Cornus canadensis.
Cortusa.
Corydalis.
*Cotoneaster.
Cyathodes.
Cyclamen.
Cystopteris.
Dicentra.
Dryopteris.
Duchesnia.

Epigaea.
Epimedium.
Euonymus.
Euphorbia robbiae.
Fragaria.
*Fuchsia.
Galax.
Gaultheria.
Gaylussacia.
Geranium, most.
Gymnocarpium.
*Hebe.
Hedera.
Helleborus.

Helxine.
X Heucherella.
Hosta.
Houstonia.
Hydrangea.
Hypericum androsaemum.
Hypericum calycinum.
*Iberis sempervirens.
Iris foetidissima.
Jasminum nudiflorum.
*Jasminum others.
Juniperus x media.
Lamium.
Leucothoe.
Linnaea.
Lomaria.
Lonicera pileata.
Lunaria.
Luzula.
Lysimachia.
Mahonia.
Maianthemum.
Matteuccia.
Meconopsis.
Milium.
Mitchella.
Myrrhis.
Omphalodes.

Onoclea.
Ourisia.
Oxalis.
Pachyphragma.
Pachysandra.
Paxistima.
Patrinia.
Petasites.
Philesia.
Phyllostachys.
Pieris.
Polygonatum.
Polygonum.
Polypodium.
Polystichum.
Prunus laurocerasus.
Pseudosasa.
Pulmonaria.
Pyrola.
Rhododendron, larger-leaved kinds, it is toxic to bees and the honey from it is toxic to humans.
Ribes.
Rubus.
Sarcocca.
Saxifraga.
Schizocodon.
Selaginella.
 

Shortia.
Skimmia.
Smilacina.
*Soldanella.
Symphytum.
Tanakea.
Tellima.
Thalictrum minus.
Tiarella.
Tolmeia.
Trachystemon.
Vaccinium macrocarpum.
Vaccinium vitis-idaea.
Vancouveria.
*Viburnum davidii.
Vinca.
Viola.
Waldsteinia.
Woodwardia.

7. Plants which will thrive in hot, sunny places on dry soils.

Those marked * require lime-free soil.

Acaena.
Acantholimon.
Acanthus.
Achillea.
Alyssum.
Ampelopsis.
Antennaria.
Anthemis.
Arabis.
*Arctostaphylos.
Armeria.
Artemisia.
Aubretia.
Ballota.
Bolax.
Bupleurum.
Calamintha.
Campanula alliariifolia.
Campsis.
Ceanothus.
Centaurea.
Cerastium.
Ceratostigma.
*Chaenomeles.
Choisya.
Cissus.
Cistus.
Clematis flammula.
Clematis x jouiniana.
Convolvulus.
Coronilla.
Cotula.
Crambe.
*Cytisus.
Dianthus

Dimorphotheca.
Elaeagnus.
Elymus.
Ephedra.
Erigeron glaucus.
Erodium.
Erysimum.
Eschscholtzia.
Fascicularia.
Festuca.
Filipendula hexapetala.
Genista.
Geranium x magnificum.
Geranium renardii.
Gypsophila.
Halimocistus.
Halimium.
Hebe.
Helianthemum.
Hypericum calycinum.
Hypericum rhodopeum.
Hyssopus.
Iberis amara.
Iberis sempervirens.
Iris graminea.
*Iris innominata.
Iris japonica.
Iris ruthenica.
Jasminum parkeri.
Juniperus.
Lathyrus.
Lavandula.
Leptospermum.
Limonium.
Lupinus arboreus.

Lychnis coronaria.
Moltkia.
Muehlenbeckia.
Nepeta.
Oenothera biennis.
Ophiopogon.
Osteospermum, (see Dimporphotheca).
Othonnopsis.
Oxalis rubra.
Paronychia.
Parthenocissus.
Pennisetum.
Pterocephalus.
Ptilotrichum.
Raoulia.
Reynoutria.
Romneya.
Rosmarinus.
Ruta.
Salvia'
Santolina.
Saponaria.
Satureia.
Scabiosa graminifolia.
Sedum.
Senecio.
Silene.
Stachys olympica.
Teucrium.
Thymus.
Trachystemon.
*Vaccinium oxycoccus.
Viola labradorica.
Zauschneria.

8. Plants which thrive in maritime districts.

Many of the following will stand wind and salt-spray, particularly those marked *.

Those marked ** will provide shelter for others and shelter is highly important in seaside gardening.

For genera requiring, lime-free soil, compare with List 1.

Acaena.
Acantholimon.
Achillea.
Alchemilla.
Alyssum.
Antennaria.
Anthemis.
Arabis.
*Arctostaphylos.
*Armeria.
*Artemisia.
Arundinaria.
Asperula.
Asplenium.
Athyrium.
 

Aubretia.
*Aucuba.
*Berberis.
Bergenia.
Beschorneria.
Betula.
Blechnum.
Bolax.
Bruckenthalia.
**Bupleurum.
Calamintha.
*Calluna.
Camellia.
Campanula.
Campsis.

Ceanothus.
Centaurea.
*Cerastium.
Ceratostigma.
Choisya.
**Cistus.
Clematis.
Convolvulus.
Coprosma.
Cornus alba.
Cornus stolonifera.
Coronilla.
**Cotoneaster.
*Crambe.
**Crataegus.
*Cytisus.
*Daboecia.
*Dianthus.
*Dimorphotheca.
Dryas.
Dryopteris.
*Elaeagnus.
*Elymus.
Ephedra.
*Erica.
*Erigeron glaucus.
*Eriogonum.
*Eryngium.
Erysimum.
**Escallonia.
*Euonymus.
Euphorbia.
Fascicularia.
Festuca.
Filipendula hexapetala.
Forsythia.
*Fuchsia.
Garrya.

*Genista.
Geranium.
*Gypsophila.
Halimiocistus.
*Halimium.
**Hebe.
Hedera.
Helianthemum.
Hemerocallis.
Heuchera.
*Hydrangea.
Hypericum.
Hyssopus.
Iberis.
Ilex.
Iris.
Jasminum.
*Juniperus.
Lathyrus.
Lavandula.
*Leptospermum.
*Limonium.
Liriope.
**Lonicera.
*Lupinus arboreus.
Mahonia.
Myosotideum.
Osteospermum, (see Dimorphotheca).
*Othonnopsis.
Oxalis.
Penstemon.
Petasites fragrans.
Phlox.
Phyllostachys.
Polygonum.
Polypodium.
Polystichum.
*Potentilla.

Pulsatilla.
Pyrus.
Reynoutria.
*Romneya.
*Rosa.
*Rosmarinus.
Rubus.
Ruta.
**Salix.
Salvia.
Santolina.
Satureia.
Saxifraga.

*Sedum.
**Senecio.
Silene.
Skimmia.
Sorbaria.
Spiraea.
Stachys.
Symphoricarpus.
Teucrium.
Thymus.
Vaccinium.
Vinca.
Waldsteinia.

9. Plants which create barriers.

The following by their dense or prickly character will deter small animals and human beings as well as weeds.

Arundinaria anceps.
Berberis.
Chaenomeles.
Clematis montana.
Clethra.
Cornus alba.
Cornus stolonifera.
Cotoneaster conspicuus.
Cotoneaster conspicuus 'Decorus'.
Crataegus.
Forsythia suspensa sieboldii.
Gaultheria shallon.
Juniperus x media.
Lonicera nitida.

Mahonia japonica.
Pernettya.
Pyrus.
Rosa 'Macrantha'.
Rosa 'Max Graf'.
Rosa x paulii.
Rosa x polliniana.
Rosa 'Raubritter'.
Rosa rugosa.
Rosa virginiana.
Rosa woodsii fendleri.
Spiraea douglasii.
Spiraea menziesii.

10. Plants for town gardens.

Genera marked * prefer acid soil;

those marked £ will thrive in impoverished soils. Soil in towns is usually deficient in humus.

£Acanthus.
£Alchemilla.
Anemone.
£Asperula odorata.
£Aucuba.
£Bergenia.
Campanula.
Clematis montana.
Corydalis.
*Dicentra.
£Epimedium.

Euonymus.
£Fatshedera.
£Ferns.
£Geranium.
£Hebe.
£Hedera.
*Hosta.
Nepeta.
Parthenocissus.
Polygonatum.
£Potentilla.

Ribes.
Salix.
Saxifraga, Robertsonia section.
Spiraea.
Tellima.
£Vancouveria.
£Vinca.
Waldsteinia.

EXPLAINATION OF WHY SOIL IN UK TOWNS IS USUALLY DEFICIENT IN HUMUS.
That is because when a flower bed is weeded, then the weeds are thrown away. This means that the minerals that weed used up from the soil are also thrown away, and the soil has not received any replacement.

Humus is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays.
When plants drop leaves, twigs, and other material to the ground, it piles up. This material is called leaf litter. When animals die, their remains add to the litter. Over time, all this litter decomposes. This means it decays, or breaks down, into its most basic chemical elements. Many of these chemicals are important nutrients for the soil and organisms that depend on soil for life, such as plants. The thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed is called humus. Earthworms often help mix humus with minerals in the soil. Humus contains many useful nutrients for healthy soil. One of the most important is nitrogen. Nitrogen is a key nutrient for most plants. Agriculture depends on nitrogen and other nutrients found in humus.When humus is in soil, the soil will crumble. Air and water move easily through the loose soil, and oxygen can reach the roots of plants. Humus can be produced naturally or through a process called composting. When people compost, they collect decaying organic material, such as food and garden scraps, that will be turned into soil.

The humus provides the organic polymers to interact with the clay domains and bacterium to stick the 2 grains of sand together. This soil molecule of 2 grains of sand, organic polymers, clay domains and bacterium will disintegrate by the action of the bacterium or fungal enymatic catalysis on the organic polymers. So if a continuous supply of humus is not present, then the soil molecules will break up into sand and clay.
Because the idiots in the UK do not know about this, this is why they weed a bed, throw away the weed, not provide anything in return and expect the soil to take care of itself.
When you go to view gardens open to the public how many times can you see bare earth between plants in a flower bed? There needs to be either a green manure or an organic mulch between the plants, so that leaf litter etc can decompose and become humus to provide the minerals and humus for the plants. That is what you see when you visit a forest where the fallen leaves, branches, animals and birds are left to their own devices, except when a newly qualified university student came to look after a local authority controlled wooded park, when she got the local population to help her and her staff to remove all the undergrowth, leaving bare earth!

Cultural Needs of Plants
from Chapter 4 in Fern Grower's Manual by Barbara Joe Hoshizaki & Robbin C. Moran. Revised and Expanded Edition. Published in 2001 by Timber Press, Inc. Reprinted 2002, 2006. ISBN-13:978-0-88192-495-4.

"Understanding Fern Needs
Ferns have the same basic growing requirements as other plants and will thrive when these are met. There is nothing mysterious about the requirements - they are not something known only to people with green thumbs - but the best gardeners are those who understand plant requirements and are careful about satisfying them.
What, then, does a fern need?
 

1. Water - All plants need water. Water in the soil prevents roots from drying, and all mineral nutrients taken up by the roots must be dissolved in the soil water. Besides water in the soil, most plants need water in the air. Adequate humidity keeps the plant from drying out. Leaves need water for photosynthesis and to keep from wilting.
2. Light - All green plants need light to manufacture food (sugars) by photosynthesis. Some plants need more light than others, and some can flourish in sun or shade. Most ferns, however, prefer some amount of shade.
3. Photosynthesis - For photosynthesis, plants require carbon dioxide, a gas that is exhaled by animals as waste. Carbon dioxide diffuses into plants through tiny pores, called stomata, that abound on the lower surface of the leaves. In the leaf, carbon dioxide is combined with the hydrogen from water to form carbohydrates, the plant's food. This process takes place only in the presence of light and chlorophyll, a green pigment found in plant cells. To enhance growth, some commercial growers increase the carbon dioxide level in their greenhouses to 600ppm (parts per million), or twice the amount typically found in the air.
4. Oxygen - Plants need oxygen. The green plants of a plant do not require much oxygen from the air because plants produce more oxygen by photosynthesis than they use. The excess oxygen liberated from the plants is used by all animals, including humans. What do plants do with oxygen? They use it just as we do, to release the energy stored in food. We use energy to move about, to talk, to grow, to think - in fact, for all our life processes. Although plants don't talk or move much, they do grow and metabolize and must carry on all their life processes using oxygen to release the stored energy in their food.
5. Air with roots - Roots need air all the time. They get it from the air spaces between the soil particles. Overwatering displaces the air between soil particles with water, thereby removing the oxygen needed by the roots. This reduces the root's ability to absorb mineral nutrients and can foster root-rot. These gases need free access to the roots:-
   • Nitrogen Cycle -
     Nitrogen is the most commonly limiting nutrient in plants. Legumes use nitrogen fixing bacteria, specifically symbiotic rhizobia bacteria, within their root nodules to counter the limitation. Rhizobia bacteria fix nitrogen which is then converted to ammonia. Ammonia is then assimilated into nucleotides, Amino Acids, vitamins and flavones which are essential to the growth of the plant. The plant root cells convert sugar into organic acids which then supply to the rhizobia in exchange, hence a symbiotic relationship between rhizobia and the legumes.
   • Oxygen Cycle -
     No nutrient absorption occurs at the root zone unless oxygen is present.
   • Carbon Dioxide -
     Plant roots uptake carbon dioxide to provide carbon for parts of the foliage.
6. Minerals - Plants need minerals to grow properly. The minerals are mined from the soil by the plant's root system. If a certain mineral is missing, such as calcium needed for developing cell walls, then the plant will be stunted, discoloured, or deformed.
7. Temperature - Some plants tolerate a wide range of temperatures, whereas others are fussy. If the temperature is too high or low, the machinery of the plant will not operate satisfactorily or will cease entirely.
   
   The basic needs of plants are not hard to supply, but growing success depends on attending to these needs with care and exactitude. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of these requirements, with the exception of mineral needs, which are discussed in Chapter 5."

Only Earthworms provide the tunnels which transport water, gas and nutrients to and from roots.

When the roots of the plant requires the mineral nutrients dissolved in soil water, oxygen and nitrogen intake and waste gases output, it gets it through the action of the earthworm continously making tunnels to provide the transport system.
6000 species of Earthworm have no special respiratory organs. Gases are exchanged through the moist skin and capillaries, where the oxygen is picked up by the hemoglobin dissolved in the blood plasma and carbon dioxide is released. Water, as well as salts, can also be moved through the skin by active transport.
When the earthworms are denied access to the air above ground as in the case of pavements, driveways and patios; then they die and the system round them dies as well. Since the roots are not getting their requirements; then they also die off, and you are left with insufficient live root to support the tree or other plants.

11. Plants suitable for covering rose-beds.

The following are all small plants that will not be strong-growing for the purpose, and will help to make the beds more attractive during the 7 months when Hybrid Teas and Floribundas are not in flower. Small spring-flowering bulbs can be grown through them. The more vigorous shrub roses will tolerate many others among the shorter growing plants in this 1000 ground cover table.

Acaena.
Alyssum saxatile.
Arabis.
Aubretia.
Campanula carpatica.
Campanula portenschlagiana.

Cardamine trifolia.
Corydalis lutea.
Corydalis ochroleuca.
Dianthus.
Lysimachia nummularia.
Phlox subulata.

Primula auricula.
Primula vulgaris sibthorpii.
Pulsatilla.
Saponaria ocymoides.
Saxifraga.
Viola.

There are 180 families in the Wildflowers of the UK and they have been split up into 22 Galleries to allow space for up to 100 plants per gallery.

Each plant named in each of the Wildflower Family Pages may have a link to:-

its Plant Description Page in its Common Name in one of those Wildflower Plant Galleries and will have links

to external sites to purchase the plant or seed in its Botanical Name,

to see photos in its Flowering Months and

to read habitat details in its Habitat Column.

It is worth remembering that especially with roses that the colour of the petals of the flower may change - The following photos are of Rosa 'Lincolnshire Poacher' which I took on the same day in R.V. Roger's Nursery Field:-

Closed Bud

Opening Bud

Juvenile Flower

Older Juvenile Flower

Middle-aged Flower - Flower Colour in Season in its
Rose Description Page is
"Buff Yellow, with a very slight pink tint at the edges in May-October."

Mature Flower

Juvenile Flower and Dying Flower

Form of Rose Bush

There are 720 roses in the Rose Galleries; many of which have the above series of pictures in their respective Rose Description Page.

So one might avoid the disappointment that the 2 elephants had when their trunks were entwined instead of them each carrying their trunk using their own trunk, and your disappointment of buying a rose to discover that the colour you bought it for is only the case when it has its juvenile flowers; if you look at all the photos of the roses in the respective Rose Description Page!!!!

Plant Selection by Flower Colour

Blue Flowers

Bedding.
Bulb.
Climber.
Evergr Per.
Evergr Shrub.
Wild Flower.
 

Orange Flowers

Bedding.
Wild Flower.

Other Colour Flowers

Bedding.
Bulb.
Climber.
Evergr Per.
Evergr Shrub.
Wild Flower.

Red Flowers

Bedding.
Bulb.
Climber.
Decid Shrub.
Evergr Per.
Evergr Shrub.
Herbac Per.
Rose.
Wild Flower.

White Flowers

Bedding.
Bulb.
Climber.
Decid Shrub.
Decid Tree.
Evergr Per.
Evergr Shrub.
Herbac Per.
Rose.
Wild Flower.
 

Yellow Flowers

Bedding.
Bulb.
Climber.
Decid Shrub.
Evergr Per.
Evergr Shrub.
Herbac Per.
Rose.
Wild Flower.
 

Fragrant Plants adds the use of another of your 5 senses in your garden:-
Sense of Fragrance from Roy Genders

Fragrant Plants:-
Trees and Shrubs with Scented Flowers.

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Leaves.

Trees and Shrubs with Aromatic Bark.

Shrubs bearing Scented Flowers for an
Acid Soil.

Shrubs bearing Scented Flowers for a
Chalky or Limestone Soil.

Shrubs bearing Scented leaves for a
Sandy Soil.

Herbaceous Plants with Scented Flowers.

Herbaceous Plants with Scented Leaves.

Annual and Biennial Plants with Scented Flowers or Leaves.

Bulbs and Corms with Scented Flowers.

Scented Plants of Climbing and Trailing Habit.

Winter-flowering Plants with Scented Flowers.

Night-scented Flowering Plants.

Scented Aquatic Plants.

Plants with Scented Fruits.

Plants with Scented Roots.

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Wood.

Trees and Shrubs with Scented Gums.

Scented Cacti and Succulents.

Plants bearing Flowers or Leaves of Unpleasant Smell.
 

Flower Perfume Group:-

Indoloid Group.

Aminoid Group with scent - Hawthorn.

Heavy Group with scents -
Jonquil and
Lily.

Aromatic Group with scents - Almond,
Aniseed, Balsamic,
Carnation, Cinnamon, Clove,
Spicy and
Vanilla.

Violet Group.

Rose Group.

Lemon Group with scent -
Verbena.

Fruit-scented Group with scents -
Apricot,
Fruity,
Green Apple,
Orange, Pineapple,
Ripe Apple , Ripe Banana and
Ripe Plum.

Animal-scented Group with scents -
Cat,
Dog,
Ferret,
Fox,
Goat,
Human Perspiration,
Musk,
Ripe Apple and
Tom Cat.

Honey Group.

Unpleasant Smell Group with scents -
Animal,
Fetid,
Fishy,
Foxy,
Fur-like,
Garlic,
Hemlock,
Manure,
Nauseating,
Perspiration,
Petrol,
Putrid,
Rancid,
Sickly,
Skunk,
Stale Lint,
Sulphur and
Urinous.

Miscellaneous Group with scents -
Balm,
Brandy,
Cedar,
Cloying,
Cowslip,
Cucumber,
Damask Rose, Daphne,
Exotic,
Freesia,
Fur-like,
Gardenia,
Hay-like,
Heliotrope, Honeysuckle,
Hops,
Hyacinth,
Incense-like, Jasmine,
Laburnham,
Lilac,
Lily of the Valley, Meadowsweet, Mignonette,
Mint,
Mossy,
Muscat,
Muscatel,
Myrtle-like,
Newly Mown Hay, Nutmeg,
Piercing,
Primrose,
Pungent,
Resinous, Sandalwood, Sassafras,
Seductive,
Slight,
Soft,
Stephanotis,
Sulphur,
Starch,
Sweet,
Sweet-briar,
Tea-rose,
Treacle and
Very Sweet.