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

Laburnum alpinum 'Pendulum'

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Glossy Dark Green

Bright Yellow in
June-July

"Scotch Laburnum". Poisonous seeds. A good small tree for a cottage garden, which can also be trained as a hedge.

Lamium galeobdolon
(Lamiastrum galeobdolon)

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

24 x indefinite (60 x indefinite)

Mid-Green marked Silver

Brown-spotted Yellow in
July-September

"Yellow Archangel". Good Ground Cover among shrubs or taller perennials as a weed-excluding or living mulch. Invasive in woods.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Moist, cool soil

Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.

Lamium companions - Under trees and shrubs with pulmonaria, spring bulbs, dicentra, asarum, helleborus, hosta, ferns, iris foetidissima, polygonatum, smilacina.

The colourful leaves of these plants make them useful for highlighting shaded or quiet corners and for contrasting with the solid green leaves of surrounding plants. Lamiums prefer shady spots but tolerate full sun if the soil holds enough water.

Lamium galeobdolon
'Silver Angel'

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

20 x indefinite (50 x indefinite)

Silver

Brown-spotted Yellow in
July-September

"Deadnettle".
Good Ground Cover among shrubs or taller perennials.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3
Moist, cool soil

Lamium maculatum
'Aureum'

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 36
(20 x 90)

Matt Mid-Green mottled silvery White or Pink

Purple, White or Pink in
July-September

"Deadnettle". Good carpet, rooting Ground Cover among shrubs or taller perennials. Do not allow it to dry out. Lights up a border.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Moist, cool soil

Lamium maculatum
'Beacon Silver'

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 36
(20 x 90)

Silver narrowly margined Green

Pale Pink in
July-September

"Deadnettle". Good Ground Cover among shrubs or taller perennials. Mildew prone, requires shade.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Moist, cool soil

Cultivars with almost entirely silver leaves, such as 'White Nancy' and 'Beacon Silver' tolerate shade and are effective with white-variegated or darkest green foliage. Associate with heucheras, saxifrages, ivies, asarums, tiarellas, sedges, hostas and bugles.

Lamium maculatum
'White Nancy'
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 36
(15 x 90)

Silver narrowly margined Green

Pure White in
July-September

"Deadnettle". Good Ground Cover among shrubs or taller perennials. Tolerate sun if kept moist.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Moist, cool soil

Larix kaempferi
(Larix leptolepis)

Deciduous Conifer above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

1200 x 180 (3000 x 450)

Grey-Green

...

"Japanese Larch". Fast-growing Japanese species.
Full Sun
Zones 4-9
Well-drained, light or gravelly soil; resents waterlogged soil.

Lathyrus gmelinii

Lathyrus species are particularly useful to bumblebees
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

36 x 12 (90 x 30)

Mid-Green

Brown-striped, Orange-Yellow in
June-August

"Everlasting Pea". Cut Lathyrus down in the autumn after first frost, when the foliage dies back.
Full Sun to dappled Shade
Zone 5
Rich, but well-drained soil.
Slugs in spring - Slugs are deterred by Lithocarpus densiflorus, rosemarinus officinalis, helleborus niger, artemesia absinthum, or artemesia frigida (see Pest Control using Plants).
Lathyrus sativus - Grass Pea has beta-N-oxalyl-diamino propionic acid which paralyzes from the waist down. If pea is soaked in water for a long time before eating, it poses little risk.

Lathyrus vernus
(Orobus vernus)

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Mid to Dark Green

Purplish-Blue in
April-June

"Spring Vetchling". Non-invasive, makes a large clump in a woodland, scrub and on rocky ledges in most of Europe.
Full Sun to dappled Shade
Zone 4-9
Rich, but well-drained soil.

Lathyrus companions - trillium, rhododendron, narcissus, aquilegia, meconopsis, euphorbia, pulmonaria, primula, chaerophyllum, 'Negrita' and 'Queen of the Night' tulips.

Laurus nobilis

Evergreen Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

480 x 360 (1200 x 900)

Glossy Dark Green

Greenish-Yellow in
April-June

"Bay Laurel, Sweet Bay, Laurel". Broadly conical tree which is suitable to clipping and shaping. Tolerant of drought, but apt to scorch in very hot, exposed desert sites.
Sheltered positions in Full Sun or Part Shade
Zones 7-10
Fertile, well-drained soil

Photo of Laurus nobilis 'Angustifolia Bay' taken by Garnon-williams on 11 June 2013.

Lavandula angustifolia
'Hidcote'

Lavandula angustifolia
Yes HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Silver-Grey

Deep Purple in
August-September

"Lavender, English Lavender". Lavandula angustifolia makes an edging or attractive low hedge and can be trimmed after flowering.
Full Sun
Zones 6-10
Fertile, well-drained soil; they will thrive in both acid and alkaline soils.

This plant makes a telling contrast with gold-variegated sage - Salvia officinalis 'Icterina'. The partnership is useful equally in a herb garden, at the front of a border, or alongside a path, where passers-by will brush against the plants, releasing their aromatic scent.

Lavender needs to be grown in full sun and does best on light (sandy) or chalky well-drained soils. Along with the orange and rosemary, it is 1 of the 3 most important honey plants in parts of Spain.

Lavandula angustifolia
'Munstead'

Evergreen Herb below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 24 (45 x 60)

Grey-Green

Blue-Purple in August-September

"Lavender, English Lavender".

As a ground cover, english lavender is an excellent choice being a natural choice for borders and in rock and herb gardens.

Lavandula angustifolia
'Rosea'

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Grey-Green

Lavender-Pink in
July-August

"Lavender, English Lavender".

Lavandula angustifolia associates with mauve, pink, purple, or blue flowers, and with purple or silver foliage, and contrasts well with yellow-green foliage and flowers.

All lavender varieties provide cut flowers and are more or less weed-proof, but are apt to become rather open with age unless clipped over every spring; removing most of the previous year's growth and maintaining a natural rounded form..
They often need replanting after 10 years or so, and cuttings will root in the open ground in September, if pulled off with a 'heel' and planted deeply.

Lavandula dentata

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Dark Green

Slightly fragrant Purple-Blue in August-September

"Fringed Leaved Lavender". Densely packed, soft spikes of flowers remain on this shrub from autumn through to late spring in warm climates. Native of the western Mediterranean and Atlantic islands. Use as an edging plant to soften the harsh lines of paving.
Full Sun
Zones 8-10
Fertile, any well-drained soil.

Lavandula stoechas

Evergreen Herb below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Powerfully aromatic, Grey-Green leaves

Fragrant Deep Purple in
May-August

"French Lavender, Spanish Lavender". Native to the western Mediterranean. Neat. A dense, bushy shrub. Weed in Australia.
Full Sun
Zones 7-10
Fertile, any well-drained dry soil

Lavatera maritima
(Lavatera bicolor)

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

60 x 36 (150 x 90)

Vine-shaped, Grey-Green leaves

Pink, or White in
September-November

Suitable for dry garden.

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

Lavatera thuringiaca 'Barnsley'

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Green

Pale Pink in
June-November

Full Sun
Zone 8
Well-drained soil. From eastern Europe and western Asia. Plunge pot in late spring and replace in frostproof greenhouse in October for plants north of southern Britain.

It rapidly fills gaps in a border, where it blends with purple, silver or glaucous foliage, and makes an excellent partner for old roses or a backdrop of clematis. Frost can cut growth to below ground level, so apply a 4 inch (10cm) mulch of chopped leaves in the early autumn to protect the roots. As long as they are not severely frosted, plants will regenerate from the roots, although they do then revert to the original clone, the deeper coloured 'Rosea'.
Later clematis, such as Clematis 'Perle d'Azure' make an ideal backcloth for this plant. Planted nearby, the odd trail of clematis, perhaps Jackmanii, Viticella, or Texensis cultivar in carmine, crimson, or burgundy, can be allowed to weave itself through the lavatera.

Ledum groenlandicum

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

36 x 48 (90 x 120)

Dark Green above, densely rusty-felted beneath

White in
June

"Labrador Tea". From Greenland and northern North America. Resembles a small version of rhododendron.
Shade or morning sun
Zones 2-8
Cool, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil

Leptospermum scoparium
'Red Damask'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 120 (300 x 300)

Dark Green

Dark Red in
June-July

"New Zealand Tea-tree, Manuka". From New Zealand and Tasmania. It self-ows.
Full Sun
Zones 8-10
Well-drained dry soil, but is not tolerant of chalk. In cool climates they can be grown as conservatory plants or placed outdoors in tubs in summer.

Leucanthemum x superbum

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
July-October

"Shasta Daisy". Clump-forming.
Good for cutting - smell a bit so admire from a distance.
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Rich, fertile, well-drained soil

Leucanthemum x superbum
'Wirral Supreme'

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

36 x 30 (90 x 75)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
July-October

Full Sun
Zone 5
Rich, fertile, well-drained soil

Leucanthemum Companions - achillea, nepeta, echinacea, rudbeckia, allium, heliopsis, grasses. Divide clumps every 2 or 3 years to help retain flowering potential.

Leucojum aestivum

Herbaceous Bulb below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 3
(45 x 7)

Glossy Dark Green

Chocolate-scented White in
April-June

"Summer Snowflake".

Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giant' grows well in moist borders and beside water. It is best fronted by shorter neighbours to disguise the imbalance between foliage and flowers. Associate with Jonquilla narcissi, trollius, early-flowering Candelabra primulas, snake's head fritillaries and with the contrasting foliage of early-leafing ferns, corydalis, brunneras and symphytums.

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

Leucojum vernum

No HB and is a useful early source of pollen for the honeybee

Herbaceous Bulb below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 3
(30 x 7)

Glossy Dark Green

Green-tipped White in
April

"Spring Snowflake".

Leucojum are hardy bulbs, with pretty bell like blossoms, which thrive in part shade in any garden soil, and are useful for edges or the rock garden. Plant in September, 3 or 4 inches (7.5-10) deep and 5 inches (12.5) apart; lift every 7 years.

Leucothoe fontanesiana
(Leucothoe catesbaei)

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

48 x 120 (120 x 300)

Dark Green

White in
April-June

"Switch Ivy, Pearl Flower, Drooping Leucothoe". From southeastern states of the USA. Superb foliage plant with arching stems and beautiful in flower.
Sheltered position in Full Sun, Part Shade
Zones 6-10
Moist, acidic, well-drained soil with humus.

Leycesteria formosa

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Dark Green

White with Red bracts in
July-September

"Himalayan Honeysuckle, Partridge Berry".Remarkable for its bottle-green, hollow stems, smooth, heart-shaped leaves and drooping bunches of white flowers, surrounded by claret-coloured bracts. Later these turn to reddish-purple, juicy berries in October, which are taken by the birds. Take out old branches in March and cut back the rest for sturdy plants.

Photo of Leycesteria formosa 'Purple Rain' taken by Kavanagh from the Mixed Borders at RHS Wisley on Monday 29 July 2013.

Libertia grandiflora

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Dark Green - Narrowly sword-like, upright leaves arranged in fans make a striking feature in themselves. Mulch with spent mushroom compost, or bark in the autumn to reduce frost damage.

White in
June-July

"New Zealand Satin Flower" forms weed-excluding clumps of narrow, dark green leaves. They will grow even in the dry shade beneath high-limbed pines, where their stark white flowers on 36 (90) high stems stand out against the dark trunks of the trees.

Flowers followed by spherical seed pods which turn black when mature. From stream banks and open woodland in New Zealand.
Full Sun
Zone 8
Moist, fertile soil, and dry soil.

Companions - nepeta, sedum, bronze carex, haloragis.

Ligularia dentata
(Ligularia clivorum,
Senecio clivorum)

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Mid-Green
 

Orange-Yellow in
July-September

"Golden Groundsel". Clump-forming. From wet mountain meadows in Burma, central and western China, and Japan. Statuesque foliage plants for a bog garden or moist border, with the bonus of summer flowers
Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Rich, moist soil

Grow this in waterside plantings where it should receive morning sun, but needs some shade in the afternoon to prevent the leaves wilting. It associates well with purple foliage and contrasts with the foliage of daylilies, irises, ferns and grasses.

Ligularia dentata
'Desdemona'

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

36 x 36 (90 x 90)

Brownish-Green above, Deep Maroon-Purple beneath

Deep Orange in
August-October

Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Rich, moist soil

Companions - grasses, ferns, largehostas, aruncus dioicus, telekia, petasites, iris pseudacorus as a foliage contrast, shrubby cornus, inula, rumex, lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker', carex elata 'Aurea'. Ligularia planted en masse, they never fail to amaze visitors.

Ligularia
'Gregynog Gold'

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

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Dark Green

Golden-Orange in
September-October

With its richly coloured flowers it makes it one of the most striking plants for a moist border in late summer.
Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Rich, moist soil

Ligustrum delavayanum

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Dark Green

White in
July

"Privet".
Blue-Black berries.

Plant Ligustrum from Nov-Mar; clip hedges several times in summer and cut out dead wood.

Whole plant is poisonous, to cattle as well.

Ligustrum japonicum

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 96 (300 x 240)

Glossy very Dark Green

Sprays of White flowers in
August-October

"Japanese Privet". Bushy and dense from Asia. Can be used as a hedge plant. It grows to medium size if unclipped, or can be clipped back
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zones 7-11
Moist, well-drained soil - the roots are very greedy and usually make growing anything else within their reach frustrating. Birds feast on the blue-black berries and can easily overpopulate the whole district with privet seedlings.

Whole plant is poisonous, to cattle as well.

Ligustrum vulgare

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 120 (300 x 300)

Dark Green

White in
July-August

"Common Privet, European Privet". Bushy shrub from Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia. If using as a hedge, prune back hard for the first few years of growth then trim regularly.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zones 4-10
Moist, well-drained soil.

Whole plant is poisonous, to cattle as well. It has tannic acid in its bark.

Limonium latifolium
'Blue Cloud'
(Limonium platyphyllum 'Blue Cloud')

Limonium species is a useful late source of nectar, for it is available when most other sources, except heather, are over.
Yes HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

24 x 18 (60 x 45)

Mid to Dark Green, tough, coarse foliage

Many minute Mauve flowers on branching 12 (30) stems in
September are long lasting and good for drying

"Sea Lavender". From steppes and dry grassland in southeast Europe.
Use in dried flower arrangements.
Full Sun
Zone
Makes clumps in any free-draining dry soil.

Photo of Limonium platyphyllum taken in the Dry Garden at Hyde Hall on 4 May 2019 by Garnons-Williams

Linnaea borealis

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 36
(7 x 90)

Glossy Dark Green above , Buff to Pale Green below

Pale Pink in
July-September

"Twinflower". Sub-Shrub that forms a low carpet of paired, shiny leaves with bell-shaped flowers in good conditions, otherwise sparse.

Linum arboreum

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

Bluish-Green

Deep Yellow in
June-September

"Flax" makes a low mound of leaves contrasting with the satiny, bright yellow cup-shaped flowers on dry sandy soil.
Linum will need replacing after 3 years.
Zone 6.
Companions - stachys byzantina, liatris, scabiosa columbaria subsp. ochroleuca, papaver atlanticum; wherever a wilder look is desired.

Linum narborense

Biennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Mid-Green

Rich Blue in
July-August

"Narbonne Flax". Clump-forming, short-lived and long-blooming. Cutting the plants back to about 8 inches (20 cm) after flowering will often promote rebloom.
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Well-drained soil

The blue flowers of this background plant contrasts with the yellow-flowered, prostrate broom Genista sagittalis. An attractive spurge Euphorbia characias gives bold architectural form to the planting beside them both.

Liquidamber styraciflua
'Lane Roberts'

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

960 x 480 (2400 x 1200)

Green in Spring and Summer, Blackish-Red in Autumn

...

"Sweet Gum". From eastern USA and Mexico.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zones 5-11
Fertile, deep, loamy soil with adequate water during spring and summer. They will not thrive in shallow, sandy soil. The trees are best allowed to develop their lower branches to ground level.

Liriope muscari

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 18 (30 x 45)

Dark Green

Violet-Mauve in
October-December

"Lilyturf" is a spreading, weed-excluding plant forming dense tufts of dark grassy leaves, decorated with 12 (30) grape hyacinth-like spikes of bright purple flowers. Glossy black berries, long-blooming. Dense clumps. Wild in China, but long cultivated in Japan.
Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Part Shade
Zone 6-10
Well-drained dry soil, and will grow against south facing walls.
Companions - aster divaricatus, brunnera, hosta, ferns, helleborus, arum; good for edging (Liriope muscari) or massing under trees and shrubs (Liriope spicata).

Liriope spicata

Semi-Evergreen Rhizome below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

Glossy Dark Green

Pale Lavender in
September

"Creeping Lilyturf" is invasive, glossy black berries. The most effective species for ground cover. From China and Vietnam.
Part Shade
Zone 6-10
Well-drained dry soil.

These plants are excellent as borders along paths, under trees, and in rock gardens, or as fill-in ground cover in small areas. Associates well with Nerine bowdenii.

Lithodora diffusa
'Heavenly Blue'
(Lithospermum diffusum 'Heavenly Blue')

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 24
(15 x 60)

Deep Green

Azure-Blue in
June-September

Evergreen Shrub that quickly forms a low hummock from the Mediterranean.
Full Sun
Well-drained sand. Use as an edging in a gravel garden, rock garden or plant in a windowbox.
Photo of Lithodora diffusa from Wikimedia Commons

Lithodora rosmarinifolia

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

12 x 16 (30 x 40)

Dark Green

Gentian-Blue in
July-September

Lithodora zahnii

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 16 (30 x 40)

Dark Grey-Green

Blue or White in
July-October

Lobelia cardinalis 'Bees' Flame'

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

30 x 12 (75 x 30)

Reddish-Purple

Bright Crimson in
August-September

Clump-forming. Short-lived
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Moist border or damp soil alongside a pool. Native to North America from Canada to Mexico.

Companions - dahlia, tall ferns, aconitum, hemerocallis, grasses, iris siberica foliage; Lobelia laxiflora with heuchera and cotinus.

Lobelia cardinalis

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

36 x 12 (90 x 30)

Bronze-tinged, Bright Green

Scarlet-Red in
July-October

"Cardinal Flower". North American native, requires constant moisture
Full Sun, Part shade
Zone 3-9
Moist border or damp soil alongside a pool.

Slugs are deterred by Lithocarpus densiflorus, rosemarinus officinalis, helleborus niger, artemesia absinthum, or artemesia frigida (see Pest Control using Plants).

Loiseleuria procumbens

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 12
(7 x 30)

Glossy Dark Green

Rose-Pink to White in
July

"Alpine Azalea, Trailing Azalea".

Lomatia tinctoria

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

36 x 60 (90 x 150)

Dark Green

Fragrant Creamy-White in
August.

Lonicera fragrantissima

Lonicera species
No HB, ST, LT

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Dull Dark Green above, Blue-Green beneath

Very Fragrant Creamy-White in
January-April

"Honeysuckle, Winter Honeysuckle". All Lonicera are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
All Lonicera can be used for Flower Arranging - see other Flower Arranging Plants and plants with scented flowers.
Dull Red berries follow in late spring. From China.
Full Sun, Light Shade
Zones 4-10
Not fussy about soil - benefits from regular pruning to keep them from becoming hopeless tangles. Try Pruning Group 12.

Lonicera heckrottii
'Gold Flame'

Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

180 x 144 (450 x 360)

Blue-Green

Orange and Pink in
June-August

"Honeysuckle". Most honeysuckles are content in any fertile soil.
Red berries.

The berries of Lonicera are slightly poisonous.

Lonicera henryi

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x indefinite (900 x indefinite)

Glossy Dark Green

Yellow throated, Purplish-Red in
July-August

"Honeysuckle".
Purple-Black berries. Evergreen varieties of honeysuckle should be planted in the spring when the soil is warming up.

Contrast it with Humulus lupulis 'Aureus'. The hop dies back in winter, allowing the honeysuckle, which should be planted some distance away, to be prunmed or retrained. The hop's vigorous new shoots need to be trained out sideways from the time they emerge, and thinned occasionally later.

Lonicera hildebrandiana

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x indefinite (900 x indefinite)

Dark Green

Very Fragrant Creamy-White in
July-September

"Giant Burmese Honeysuckle".
Red berries.

Lonicera plants are useful for any informal, medium-to-large area where they cannot strangle shrubs or climb trees. After flowering, cut away old wood and trim back shoots.

Lonicera japonica 'Halliana'

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x 240 (900 x 600)

Dark Green

White then Yellow in
June-November

"Japanese Honeysuckle, Hall's Honeysuckle" is valued by gardeners in droughty areas for its vigour and willingingness to adapt to difficult conditions, including poor soil, hot winds and sun.It is fine on a fence or pergola, but it can be a danger to a tree, choking the host branches with its twining stems.
This should be clipped severely in spring if it gets untidy.
Cultivars of Lonicera japonica are not reliably evergreen in cold districts or cold winters.
zone 5.
Blue-Black berries.

Lonicera nitida

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

132 x 120 (330 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

Creamy-White in
April-June

"Honeysuckle, Box Honeysuckle".
Blue-Purple berries. Dense bush, often used for hedging on account of its willingness to grow even from slips stuck in the ground where a hedge is to be, but needing frequent clipping.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zones 6-10
Not fussy about soil
Does not flower in most parts of the UK.

Lonicera nitida
'Baggesen's Gold'

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Bright Yellow

Creamy-White in
April-June

"Honeysuckle".

Annual pruning back to a billowing mound or a geometric shape will encourage feathery shoots to develop in the following season. It can then support climbers such as tropaeolums and clematis, in contrasting or harmonious colours - contrasting flower of Clematis 'Venosa Violacea' to bright yellow foliage of this Lonicera.

Lonicera periclymenum 'Belgica'

Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

264 x indefinite (660 x indefinite)

Mid-Green

White that turn Yellow in
August-September

"Early Dutch Honeysuckle".
Lonicera periclymenum apreciates shade at the roots, but is tolerant of dry soil.
Bright Red berries. 'Belgica' and 'Serotina' refer to forms which have been selected to prolong the flowering season

The berries and leaf of Lonicera periclymenus are acrid and bitter, since they contain a glucoside. Strongly emetic; makes mouth sore.

Lonicera periclymenum 'Graham Thomas'

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

264 x indefinite (660 x indefinite)

Mid-Green

White that turn Yellow in
August-September

"Common Honeysuckle".
Bright Red berries. Fragrant flowers.

This harmonizes with cream Lilium Roma', both growing well in full sun or part shade. The less formal Lilium martagon var. album might better match the honeysuckle's semi-wild habit.

Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina'

Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

264 x 240 (660 x 600)

Mid-Green

Dark Purple in
July-September

"Late Dutch Honeysuckle".
Bright Red berries. The flowers are fragrant, especially in the evening.

Lonicera pileata

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

24 x 48 (60 x 120)

Bright Green in Spring, Dark Green in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Creamy-White in
May followed by translucent violet berries

"Honeysuckle".
Violet-Purple berries. It tolerates quite dense shade and makes useful ground cover for difficult places, where it is not particular about soil, thriving in sun or shade. Zone 6

Small-leaved ivies (hedera) make handsome hanging plants indoors. Several containers staggered at different heights can provide privacy or eliminate an unattractive view. Hang some inside and outside the same window to create a sense of depth.
Let a variety of Vincas tumble out of pots tucked into the drawers of an old chest or worktable.
Pot some honeysuckle (Lonicera) and hang it outdoors to create a living hummingbird feeder.

Lonicera sempervirens

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x indefinite (360 x indefinite)

Dark Green above, Blue-Green below

Red/Yellow/Orange in
July-November

"Coral Honeysuckle".

Lonicera tellmanniana

Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

180 x 180 (450 x 450)

Deep Green

Yellowish-Orange in
May-July

"Honeysuckle". It has a single flush of flowers. It contrasts well with purple flowers andharmonizes with cream, yellow, orange or red flowers. Ideal trained on a shady wall, provided the root run is cool and moist. This and Hedera colchica 'Sulphur Heart' make a pleasing partnership, but are best planted some distance apart to avoid root competition. The ivy will cling to a wall, so plant at least 2 fence panels away from the house, allowing the honeysuckle to be trained over it in fence panel 2 with its roots in fence panel 1 from the house.

Lunaria rediviva

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

30 x 12 (75 x 30)

Light to Mid-Green

Fragrant Lilac-White in
June-July on
24 (60) high stems

"Perennial Honesty, Money Plant, Moonwort". Self seeds prolifically. Clump-forming, flat elliptical seedpods. Cut to basal growth after leaves die in autumn. Valuable in wildflower gardens.
Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun, Light Shade
Zone 6-9
Any fertile, moist or dry soil

Companions - helleborus, primula, hosta, phlox stolonifera, pulmonaria, polygonatum, spring bulbs, ferns; under tall shrubs or trees.

Lupinus 'Thundercloud'

Lupinus species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

36 x 30 (90 x 75)

Mid-Green

Deep violet-Blue in
July-August

"Lupin". Best in acid soil.
All Lupinus can be used for Flower Arranging - see other Flower Arranging Plants and plants with scented flowers.
All Lupinus are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun
Zone 4
Well-drained acidic sandy soil.

This is one of the best purple-flowering lupins to associate with blue cranesbills or contrast with yellow-green flowers or foliage, and with soft yellow flowers such as some achilleas.

Companions - Papaver orientale (both in terms of contrast of shape as well as colour combinations), alchemilla mollis, salvia nemerosa, salvia x superba, geranium; yellow lupine with sisyrinchium striatum, anchusa. Feed lupins with bonemeal and do not mulch. Weed out self-sown seedlings, which over generations revert to plants with blue, gappy spikes. Screen with late-flowering perennials such as asters or Japenese anemones against the tired after flowering lupins.

Lupinus arboreus

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

30 x 24 (75 x 60)

Grey-Green

Clear Yellow in
June-August

"Tree Lupin". An ideal 'filler' for new gardens is this fast-growing, loose-habited shrub with green, fingered leaves and spikes of sweetly-scented flowers.
Full Sun
Zone 4
Well-drained acidic sandy soil.

Associate with brooms and cistus to contrast with flowers of different shapes such as the plates of Achilleas. Purple smoke bush, backlit by the sun, contrasts with the yellow vertical spikes of the lupin and the alchemilla mollis in front. A single white-flowered species of rose provides the background.

Lupinus is a good cut flower for fresh arrangements. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Luzula nivea

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

24 x 18 (60 x 45)

Deep Green

White in
July-August

"Snowy Woodrush". Underplant with shrubs. From mountain woods and scrubland throughout central Europe.
Part Shade to Full Shade
Zone 5
Fertile moist soil enriched with leafmould. The flower heads can be dried for floral arrangements.

Luzula sylvatica
(Luzula maxima)

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

30 x 18 (75 x 45)

Glossy, broad, hairy Dark Green

Chestnut-Brown in
May-July on 18 (45) stems

"Greater Woodrush" originates in Central and Northern Europe. Slowly spreading to form thick tussocks, looking rather like the top of a pineapple. Eventually makes a weed-proof carpet in damp or dry shade and is a handsome ground cover with wild spring flowers. Common in damp woods and moorland among rocks, usually on acid soil in Britain and Europe.
Zone 4

Luzula sylvatica 'Aurea'

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

30 x 18 (75 x 45)

Yellow-Green in Summer, Bright shiny Yellow in Winter

Chestnut -Brown in
May-July

Useful dense ground cover.
Zone 5

Lychnis chalcedonica

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

36 x 12 (90 x 30)

Mid Green

Scarlet in
July-August

"Jerusalem Cross, Maltese Cross". Self-sows, long-lived, keep moist.

Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4-8
Well-drained soil

Companions - kniphofia, nepeta 'Six Hills Giant', salvia, aster, centranthus, heuchera, artemisia, geranium, phygelius, miscanthus and other grasses, perovskia.

Lychnis coronaria

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

32 x 18 (80 x 45)

Silver-Grey

Purple-Red in
September

"Dusty Miller, Rose Campion" makes rosettes of white-felted leaves, topped by flowers on grey 36 (90) high stems. Self-sows, acts more like a biennial, drought tolerant. After each set of 3 years, pull out oldest plants in favor of the much more vigorous young plants.
Full Sun
Zone 4-9
Well-drained dry soil, intolerant of winter wet. From southern Europe.

It is best used as an edging and also succeeds in gravel gardens since it prefers good drainage - in heavier soils it tends to have a shorter life. Lychnis coronaria 'Alba' combines with a lemon daylily Hemerocallis 'Baroni'.

Lychnis flos-cuculi

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

30 x 32 (75 x 80)

Mid to Bluish-Green

Purplish Pink or White in
June-July

"Ragged Robin, Cuckoo Flower". Clump-forming, seeds aggressively.
Full Sun
Zone 3-9
Moist wild garden. From wet meadows in Europe, the Caucasus and Siberia; naturalized in eastern North America.

Lychnis flos-jovis

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Grey-Green

Pink, White or Scarlet in
July-
September on 18 (45) stems

"Flower of Love, Flower of Jupiter". Short-lived, self-sows.
Full Sun
Zone 4
Well-drained dry sandy soil.

Lychnis viscaria 'Splendens Plena'

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Dark Green

Bright Pinkish-Magenta in
July-August

"German Catchfly".
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-9
Moist, slightly acidic soil.
It thrives with heaths and heathers. This makes quite a sensation against the grey-blue of Nepeta 'Souvenir d'Andre Chaudron' or the slaty flowers of Scutellaria canescens. Even the fleeting spikes of Veronica gentianoides look imressive with it.

Lysimachia ciliata

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

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Mid-Green

Yellow in August

"Fringed Loosestrife". North American native, invasive. Compact colonies.
Full Sun if soil moist otherwise Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Thrives in most soils, though native to damp woods and lake and river margins in North America.

Companions - heuchera, plantago, hosta, siberian iris, echinacea purpurea, rudbekia, ligularia, anthemis, grasses. Plant lysimachia in pots to control spreading- plunge pots in ground leaving an inch (2.5cm) of the top above ground.

Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x indefinite (5 x indefinite)

Golden Yellow

Bright Yellow in
July-September

"Golden Creeping Jenny". Evergreen perennial, which turns brown in hot sun. Mat-forming.
Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Highly adaptable as ground cover, in a pot or hanging-basket plant inside or out, or even as a short-term aquarium plant. Usually found in wet grassland, ditches, and lake shores in the wilds of Europe, including Russia

Grow Lysimachia in moist, shady places where other plants, such as grass, will not grow. A natural place would be around small pools with rock sites for the foliage to creep over.
The foliage of this carpeting plant makes an effective foil around symmetrical clumps of ferns. A cottage garden plant which is quite at home on the shady side of a wall.

The above is Lysimachia nummularia (Moneywort) with green foliage whereas Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' has golden yellow foliage.

Lysimachia punctata

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Dark Green

Yellow in
July-August

"Yellow Loosestrife". Invasive Spreader / creeper, long-bloomer.
Part Shade
Zone 4-8
Moist soils in eastern Europe

Lysimachia vulgaris

No SOL

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Mid to Bright Green

Yellow in
July-September

"Yellow Loosestrife". Rapid colonizer. Part Shade. Zone 5.
Native to permanently wet ground throughout most of Europe, including Britain.

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

The feature that makes the yellow flowers unusual is that they secrete a fatty oil from glandular hairs on the stamens in the centre of the flower and at the base of the petals inside the flower. The oil attracts an unusual mining bee. Adult females visit the flowers to collect oil, which is used for nest provisions and to provide a waterproof lining to the cells of the nest. In flight, the bee transfers oil and pollen to special structures on the hind legs to form a pollen-oil mixture. About 60 visits over 10-15 minutes are needed to collect a full load. The oil can remain in a liquid state for a long time, but it rapidly forms a solid mass on contact with bees or pollen. The full load of the pollen-oil mixture is taken back to the nest.

Lythrum virgatum

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

36 x 18 (90 x 45)

Dark Green

Purple-Red in
July-September

"Purple Loosestrife". Clump-forming.
Full Sun
Zone 4
Moist or even wet, humus-rich, sandy soil. From marshes and wet places in Asia and southern and eastern Europe. Plant out in March.

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 Leucojum, Limonium, Linum and Lysimachia 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.
 

CREATING A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IS EASIER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK!
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• Then maintain your garden using their Maintaining your border instructions.

If the only garden that you have is a strip of concrete, tarmac or pavers with full sun; then you can still use this Garden on a roll by placing a section of Equigrow Organic Green Compost bags on that ground surface in rows. Cut into 2 inches (5 cms) from each side in the top of each bag and remove that plastic. Lay columns of Equigrow Soil Conditioner bags at 90 degrees to the rows and repeat the removal of that top plastic bag section. Turn the bag carefully upside down and repeat the bag cutting. You then end up with a contained flower bed the depth of those 2 bags. Then follow the instructions for the Garden on a Roll and hey presto for someone who does not have to have any knowledge about gardening, you will end up with a garden. Remember to irrigate once a day in the morning and if it is very hot that day, then again as dusk comes.
Hedera Screens provides these for gardens with soil and for those without:-

• health benefits of internal and external Living Walls in the UK.
• Mobilane Green Screens on a concrete base.
• Noistop Acoustic Barrier, a sedum green roof, soil stabilisation, or wildflower matting.
• Roadvent has been scientifically verified to reduce roadside human exposure to vehicle emissions by 91%.

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

These come 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

Comments

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.
   

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.

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.