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

Pachyphragma macrophyllum

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

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

Glossy Dark Green

Scented White in
April

Slow-growing ground cover.
Part Shade
Zone 7
Rich, yet well-drained soil with plenty of humus. From northeast Turkey and the Caucasus

Pachysandra terminalis

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x indefinite (20 x indefinite)

Glossy Dark Green

Scented White in spikes in
July

"Japanese Spurge, Japanese Pachysandra".
Pachysandra terminalis is good ground cover with diamond-shaped, toothed leaves at the end of stems with greenish-white flowers.
Filtered Shade to Full Shade
Moist, acidic sandy soil encourages rapid colonizing. Zone 5

This is the perfect ground cover to use as a large-scale planting under trees or, on a small scale, in the shade of evergreen shrubs.

Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Carpet'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 24
(15 x 60)

Glossy Dark Green

Scented White in spikes in
July

Good spreading / creeping ground cover

Whole plant of Pachysandra terminalis is poisonous.

Pachysandra terminalis "Variegata'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 24 (25 x 60)

Glossy Dark Green margined-White

Scented White in spikes in
July

Good spreading / creeping ground cover

Paeonia 'Dresden'

See other Paeonia in
UK Peony Index and
Peony

Paeonia species - only the single-flower peony cultivars are of use to the bee
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

32 x 32 (80 x 80)

Deep Green, turn Red in Autumn

Ivory-White in
July

"Peony".

The Peony Group is a specialist group of the Hardy Plant Society formed in 1987, and exists to stimulate greater and more specialist interest in growing all types of peonies; bringing together amateur and professional enthusiasts worldwide. It also provides members with information about less well-known species, and aims to make peonies in general available to a wider audience.

Paeonia companions - aquilegia, campanula persicifolia, digitalis, iris sibirica, spring bulbs, viola, chaerophyllum, astrantia maxima; the spring cottage garden

Paeonia emodi

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

30 x 30 (75 x 75)

Dark Green

Fragrant, Pure White in
June

"Himalayan Peony".
Full Sun
Zone 3-8
Well-drained soil

Associations with this plant are trollius, smilacinas, dicentras, columbines, corydalis, epimdiums and earl-flowering canesbills, together with shrubs like early-flowering yellow roses, Potentilla cultivars, and kerrias. Some shade is preferred, but full sun is tolerated where summers are cool.

Paeonia lactiflora
'Jan Van Leeuwen'

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Dark Green

White in
May-June

"Peony".
Full Sun
Zone 7
Well-drained soil

Paeonia lactiflora is the parent of several thousand cultivars in a wide range of floral forms - single, semi-double, double and 'Imperial' cultivars; and in flower colours from white to deep red and soft yellow. Remember that if you wish to attract bees only the single floral form is the form that they can use to get at the pollen or nectar. The rich spring leaf tints of this paeonia associate with forget-me-nots and make a setting for gold foliage and bright spring bulbs, especially crown imperials and tulips.

Paeonia lactiflora
'Pink Delight'

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Dark Green

Pink in
June-July

"Peony".
Full Sun
Zone 7
Well-drained soil

Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

96 x 96 (240 x 240)

Bright Green

Yellow in
May-June

"Tree Peony".
The paeonies are divided into 2 classes, the herbaceous, and the tree or shrubby. They are mostly hardy and thrive in sun or part shade in sheltered beds, in well-dug loam enriched with rotted cow-dung, but they will grow in almost any soil.
Herbaceous - transplant as little as possible, never oftener than every 5 years, and if root divisions are required, they should be cut out with the plant in situ. Mulch with well-decayed manure each spring.
Tree or shrubby - Plant in September or early October, and protect from frost.

Paeonia mascula

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

30 x 30 (75 x 75)

Bluish-Green above, paler Green below

Deep Purplish-Red in
July

"Male Peony". From southern Europe
Full Sun
Zone 8
Well-drained soil

Paeonia mlokose-witschii

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

30 x 30 (75 x 75)

Bluish-Green

Lemon-Yellow in
June-July

"Caucasian Peony, Molly the Witch". Erect, short flowering season, good seedpods. Orange-brown autumn foliage
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 3-8
Plant beneath deciduous shrubs or trees. From the Caucasus.
Its golden flowers can be associated with early-flowering yellow and cream roses, Siberian wallflowers, geums, columbines, brooms, chaenomeles, kerrias and Potentilla fruticosa cultivars. For contrast use brunneras, ompalodes and frget-me-nots for their blue flowers.

Paeonia officinalis
'Rubra Plena'

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

30 x 30 (75 x 75)

Deep Green

Crimson in July

"Common Peony, Female Peony, Pianet".
Full Sun
Zone 3-8
Well-drained soil
Paeonies are wonderful plants for labour-free gardens

Paeonia suffruticosa

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

84 x 84 (210 x 210)

Dark Green above, Blue-Green beneath

Scented White, Pink, Red or Purple in
June-July

"Moutan".

Whole plant of Paeonia suffruticosa is poisonous.

Paeonia x lemoinei

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Dark Green

White to Yellow in
July

"Tree Peony".

Papaver orientale

Papaver species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

24 x 30 (60 x 75)

Mid-Green

Orange-Scarlet in
June-August

"Oriental Poppy" with hairy foliage that quickly dies down.
Self seeds, clump-forming, summer dormant, bristly stems and erect.
Full Sun
Zone 3-9
Well-drained, dry, deep, rich soil.
Companions - aquilegia, allium, galium (tall forms), anchusa, nepeta, euphorbia, salvia x superba; that distant wasteland that can go scruffy in summer. Use as a cut flower, pick with the bud just splitting open. Stand cut ends in 12 inches (30 cms) of hot water for a short time, and then add cold water, keeping them cool over night. You can also singe the bottom of cut stems with a matich and put them in cold water. Arrange them the next morning.Use the single flower hybrids of this for the bees. Plant poppies in drifts, flanked by annuals or summer bedding plants that later grow into the vacant space left by the die back of this plant: dahlias, nicotianas, osteospermums and cosmos.

Papaver croceum

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 6
(30 x 15)

Blue-Green

White-and-Yellow in July-September

"Ice Poppy". Needs partial shade in pasture, meadows, rocky slopes and landfill areas.

Papaver perennials hate disturbance and should not be lifted oftener than every 3 or 4 years.

Parahebe catarractae

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

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

Dark Green tinged Purple when young

White in
July-September

Companions - grasses, artemisia. Plant on a wall or small bank, or atop a rock garden. In a perfect year, these make good container plants, but do not allow them to dry out.

Parahebe hookeriana

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

6 x 20
(15 x 50)

Mid-Green

White to Lavender-Blue in
July-September

Parahebe lyallii

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

10 x 20 (25 x 50)

Dark Green

White to Pink in
July

Parahebe perfoliata

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

30 x 18 (75 x 45)

Blue or Grey-Green

Blue in
July-September

"Diggers Speedwell". Arching stems, will sprawl but looks odd if staked, semi-evergreen
Full Sun
Zone 8-10
Well-drained soil. From Australia

Parahebe x bidwillii 'Kea'

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

4 x 6
(10 x 15)

Dark Green

White in
July-September

Paris polyphilla

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

30 x 12 (75 x 30)

Mid-Green

Green and Yellowish-Green in
July-September

Deep Shade
Zone 6
Cool, humus-rich soil - protect from spring frosts.

Companions - trillium, helleborus, omphalodes, polygonatum, and other woodlanders. Slugs attack new growth.

Paronychia capitata

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 12
(5 x 30)

Silvery Grey-Green

Green in
July-September

"Whitlow-wort" ia a carpeting plant making good ground-cover among dry rocks.
Zone 5

Paronychia kapela subsp. serpyllifolia

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 10
(5 x 25)

Silvery Bluish-Green

Greenish-White in
July-September

"Whitlow-wort".

Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Veitchii'

Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

840 x 240 (2100 x 600)

Bright Green then Red-Purple in Autumn

...

"Boston Ivy". If a newly planted Boston Ivy is unwilling to cling to its intended support, the suckers tipping the tendrils may have dried up; cut it back hard to encourage soft new growth.
Full Sun
Rich, moist soil. It will grow in dry soil.

It readily climbs trellises and drapes over walls, attaching itself to objects by means of adhesive discs. Do not plant where it can smother shrubs or trees. It is best used to cover large, barren, rocky areas where little else grows and makes an excellent slope cover.
This forms a striking contrast with scarlet-tinted foliage in the autumn

Passiflora caerulea

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x indefinite (900 x indefinite)

Rich Green

White in
July-October

"Blue Passion Flower". The Spanish priests fancied that the blooms of the Passion Flower, growing in South America, represented the instruments of Christ's passion. The 10 teals are 10 apostles, the corona or ring of filaments within the tepals is the crown of thorns, the 5 stamens stand for the 5 wounds and the 3 stigmas the 3 nails. This plant will grow in dry soil in Zone 7

Passiflora mollissima

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

160 x indefinite (150 x indefinite)

Mid-Green

Coral-Pink in
August-December

"Banana Passion Flower".

Paxistima canbyi

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

16 x 36 (40 x 90)

Glossy, tiny, Dark Green, bronzed in winter

Greenish-White in
July-September

"Canby, Pachistima". Native hummocks in the mountains of Virginia and the Carolinas of USA.
Full Sun, Part Shade - denser in full sun.
Zone 5
Native to rocky soil, but any well-drained, slightly acidic peaty garden soil is satisfactory.
It grows well under trees and as a low hedge. It is also a good choice for naturalistic and rock gardens.

Pelargonium zonal horticultural group

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

Dark Green

Scarlet, Purple, Pink, White, Orange, Yellow in
May-September

"Zonal Pelargonium, Bedding Geranium". The Zonal Pelargoniums are normally used for Summer bedding in pots or beds, since they are frost-tender.
Full Sun. Zones 10-11
Light, well-drained, neutral soil. If grown in pots, fertilize regularly and cull dead heads. Avoid over-watering; Zonals in particular rot at the base if soil remains wet.
All pelargoniums survive periods of drought and neglect, even on dry soil. The term "pelargonium" includes all half-hardy greenhouse and bedding plants and the show varieties. All pelargoniums need a light, airy position, but no draughts, and only sufficient artificial heat to keep ot frost is needed.

Penstemon cardwellii

Penstemon species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Mid-Green

Deep Purple in
July

Use as edging in the short or low border.

Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.
Companions - heuchera, aquilegia, kniphofia, smaller euphorbias, smaller cocosmias, artemisia, eryngium, salvia, phlox. Loved by bees and many are good cut flowers

Penstemon davidsonii

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

8 x 16
(20 x 40)

Mid-Green

Deep Pink to Purple in
June-July

Use as edging in the short or low border. This is a small, woody-stemmed penstemon for rock gardens and raised beds, where its blooms are very large in proportion to the plant. Grows on dry soil.
Zone 6

Penstemon digitalis

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

36 x 18 (90 x 45)

Mid-Green

White in
July-September

"Foxglove Beardtongue". Dense clumps.
Full Sun
Zone 3
Well-drained, fairly rich soil. From USA.

Penstemon fruticosus

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

16 x 16 (40 x 40)

Glossy
Mid-Green

Purplish-Blue in
June-July

"Shrubby Penstemon".
The dwarf species of Penstemon are excellent for the rock garden, while the taller species make beutiful bed plants if treated as half-hardy biennials. All kinds thrive in the sun and in a warm, sandy loam with a third part humus in it.

Penstemon rupicola

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

4 x 18
(10 x 45)

Blue-Green

Deep reddish-Pink in
June-July

"Rock Penstemon". Evergreen sub-shrub. Use as edging in the short or low border.

Perovskia atriplicifolia
'Blue Spire'
(Salvia 'Blue Spire')

Flowering takes place in late summer at a time when there are few other sources for bees. It is drought resistant.
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Silver-Grey

Violet-Blue in
August-October

"Russian Sage" is a soft-wooded shrub with turpentine-aromatic, toothed, grey-green leaves, white beneath, and 48 (120) open steeples of bright violet-blue flowers. 'Blue Spire' is a hybrid; it has dissected leaves and branching spikes of violet-blue flowers. Upright and grows on dry soil.
Zone 4-9

It likes full sun and a well-drained garden loam with leaf-mould. February and early March are the best times for planting. The best flower spikes are produced when the growths of the previous year are cut well back each year in February or March, all dead wood being at the same time removed. Put dead wood cuttings on lawn, mow them and use mowings as a mulch in other parts of the garden.
Companions - grasses, crocosmia, artemisia, lavandula, gaura, salvia, rudbeckia, penstemon, phlox, nepeta, echinaops, echinacea; the prairie garden. Russian sages tend to fall forward into a semi-prostrate state so are well sited at tops of walls and stairways or banks, where this habit can be used to advantage.

Persicaria affinis

Persicaria species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 24 (25 x 60)

Dark Green turning Red-Bronze in Autumn

Bright Rose-Red in
August-November

"Himalayan Fleeceflower". Vigorous and Mat-forming - a good edger.
Zone 4-9
Companions - grasses, aster, aconitum, lilium, hosta, rodgersia, monarda, filipendula, chelone, knautia, anemone japonica, fuchsia magellanica. Problems with snails and slugs.

Persicaria amplexicaulis
(Polygonum amplexicaule)

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

48 x 48 (120 x 120)

Mid-Green

Bright Red to Purple or White in
August-October

"Bistort, Mountain Fleece". Strong clumps, long-blooming.
Part Shade. Zone 4-9.
Moist soil among grass or in forests from the Himalaya to western China
It is best combined with plants of bold form - rodgersias, ligularias, or white-flowering hostas, or with contrasting foliage such as grasses, ferns and crocosmias.

Persicaria capitata
(Polygonum capitatum)

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 20
(7 x 50)

Dark Green; each with a Purple V-shaped band

Pink in
July-September

Good ground cover, which is a fast-spreading / creeping, prostrate plant with rooting stems.
In moist conditions it grows lush and green, but in dry soils it is more compact, and the pointed leaves, zoned with a dark chevron, take on pink and crimson tints as a pretty complement to the small spherical heads of candy pink flowers, appearing for most of the year.

Persicaria vaccinifolia

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

8 x 20
(20 x 50)

Glossy Mid-Green turning Red in Autumn

Deep Pink in
September-November

Petasites fragrans

Honeybees visit the flowers when the weather is suitable

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

12 x 60 (30 x 150)

Light Green, large, rounded leaves

Scented Pale Lilac daisies in
February in heads on 9 (22) stem

"Winter Heliotrope" because of its scent. It is a spreader / creeper. Good cut flower.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 7
Deep, moist, fertile soil.
Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants.
Companions - ferns, aster, japanese iris, typha angustifolia (cattail), equisetum hyemale (common horsetail), primula japonica and other candlebra primroses, lobelia siphilitica, lobelia vedrariensis, lobelia cardinalis, taller astilbes. The flowers arrive in late winter, offering food for bees at a time when it is needed. Suffers from snails and slugs.

Petasites japonicus

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

42 x 60 (105 x 150)

Light Green

Yellowish-White daisies in dense cone on 6 (15) stem in
March-April

Petasites grow in full sun or shade. They are rampageous spreaders / creepers in damp soil, preferably heavy (clay). Not fit for use in gardens: ideal where large areas are to be covered and where a vigorous colonizer can be given an area to beautify and save all work

Petrophytum caespitosum

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

2 x 12
(5 x 30)

Bluish-Green

Creamy-White in
July-September

Petrophytum hendersonii

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

4 x 8
(10 x 20)

Blue-Green

White to Creamy-White in
July-September

Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey'

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

60 x indefinite (150 x indefinite)

Light Green with broad White stripes

Pale Green Spikelets in
July-August

"Reed Canary Grass" is best in soil that does not dry out in the summer.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4
Moisture-retentive fertile soil.

In a garden, plant Phalaris arundinacea in containers such as a section of concrete or clay pipe 30 inches (75 cm) long (width depends on the size of the clump required, which blocks the runners and prevents the plant from taking over. Once established, it is difficult to eradicate, unless contained.

Use as backdrop for other plants, since the foliage is striking from spring to midsummer.

Phalaris arundinacea var. picta

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

36 x 12 (90 x 30)

Green with White Stripes

Brown spikelets in
June-July

"Gardeners' Garters" is best in soil that does not dry out in the summer.
Full Sun, Part Shade. Zone 4. Moisture-retentive fertile soil.
Its plants are best in moist, rich situations: in poor or dry soil in the sun, the foliage can become untidy in summer.
Its bright variegation contrasts boldy with the dark foliage of Berberis thunbergii 'Rose Glow'. Behind put Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon' to harmonize with the berberis.

Philadelphus
'Belle Etoile"

Philadelphus species with 'single flowers'
No HB, ST, LT

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

48 x 96 (120 x 240)

Mid-Green

Very Fragrant White in
May-June

"Mock Orange". Narrow, tall shrub with stems that arch at the top.
Full Sun, Light Shade
Zones 5-9
Moist, well-drained soil
This plant associates well with early flowering species of roses, cranesbills, pale columbines, early single peonies and pink cor parsley.
Use as an informal billowing hedge with its large white 'single flowers' in a position near to the house for its strong flower scent.

Philadelphus
'Manteau d'Hermine'

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

30 x 60 (75 x 150)

Pale to Mid-Green

Very Fragrant Creamy-White in
July-August

"Mock Orange".

This has fragrant, fully double blooms and is no use to bees.

Philadelphus
'Aureus'

No HB, ST, LT

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

96 x 60 (240 x 150)

Golden-Yellow in Spring, Yellow-Green in Summer, Greenish-Yellow in Autumn

Creamy-White in
May-June

"Mock Orange".

Philadelphus ‘Aureus’ is an upright mock orange cultivar with foliage that is yellow when young, maturing to an apple green. It bears fragrant single blooms, which make it particularly well suited to growing in a large container or in the ground near a path or seating area. For best results grow in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. To keep philadelphus in shape, cut back flowered shoots to a strong buds every year after flowering.

Phlomis fruticosa

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

36 x 60 (90 x 150)

Grey-Green

Golden-Yellow in
June-July

"Jerusalem Sage". From southern Europe. New shoots white. Invaluable in mixed herbaceous border, and tolerates coastal areas. The Mediterranean species are found in the driest areas where few other shrubs persist. This plant has greyish, woolly foliage, and whorls of hooded, bright yellow flowers in spiky frills. Plant in March or October. Cut out dead shoots and trim back to shape in March.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 7-9
Moist, well-drained soil
Phlomis fruticosa associates with sages, white cistus, and ornamental grasses; it makes an effective contrast with blue and mid-purple; and with silver or purple foliage. It can become leggy unless pruned almost back to the previous year's growth in early spring; alternatively, large portions can be cut out every 1 or 2 years.
Companions - grasses, nepeta, salvia, macleaya cordata, helenium, kerria japonica 'Picta', artemisia, olearia, carex.

Phlomis italica

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

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

Grey-Green

Lilac-Pink in
August

Erect. Invaluable in mixed herbaceous border. A suckering, soft-wooded shrub with white-woolly foliage and whorls of hooded, pink flowers in spiky frills.
Zone 8-10

Phlomis purpurea

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Grey-Green

Purple to Pink in
July-September

It has narrow, grey-felted foliage, white beneath, and whorls of hooded, rose-purple flowers in spiky frills. There is also a white form.
Zone 8

Phlox paniculata 'Sandringham'

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Dark Green

Pale Pink in
July-October

"Border Phlox". Use in middle or back of border.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4
Rich, moist soil - from rich deciduous woods, clearings, floodplains and roadsides from USA and naturalized elsewhere.
Companions - eupatorium, salvia, aster, echinacea, geranium, hardy fuchsias, aconitum. Good cut flower

Phlox bifida

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 6
(20 x 15)

Dark Green

Fragrant Lavender-Blue to White in
May-July

"Sand Phlox".

Phlox carolina

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

48 x 18 (120 x 45)

Dark Green

Purple to Pink in
July-September

"Thick-leaf Phlox, Carolina Phlox". Lance-shaped long pointed leaves on tall straight stems.
Full Sun, Light Shade
Zone 4
Moist, rich soil from USA

Phlox divaricata

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

14 x 20 (35 x 50)

Dark Green

Lavender-Blue to Pale Violet and White in
July

"Blue Phlox, Wild Sweet William". Cut back in early spring. Use in woodland garden like under rhododendrons and other woodland shrubs
Zone 4-9

Phlox douglasii

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 12
(20 x 30)

Dark Green, tiny, narrow leaves

White, Lavender-Blue or Pink flowers, singly borne in
June-July

The border ploxes need rich living to do well, looking miserable in dry soils, but some of the smaller species commonly grown in rock gardens are tolerant of drought.
Phlox douglasii is a perky little carpeting plant making little mounds of tufty foliage, with lavender, white, carmine-rose or pink flowers. Zone 5.
The moss phloxes, Phlox subulata are also suitable for dry soils.

Phlox nana

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 12
(20 x 30)

Grey-Green

Pink, Purple or White in
July-November

"Santa Fe Phlox".

Phlox requires perfect drainage and an open position sheltered from strong winds.

Phlox paniculata
'Brigadier'

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

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Deep Green

Orange-Red in
July-November

Use in middle or back of border.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Rich, moist soil
 

Phlox stolonifera

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

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Dark Green

Pale to deep Purple in
July

"Creeping Phlox".
Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Use in middle or back of border.
Light Shade to Full Shade
Zone 2
Humus-rich, moist soil

Phlox subulata

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

4 x 20
(10 x 50)

Bright Green, small, narrow leaves

Purple or Red in
June-July in heads on 6 (15) stems

"Moss Phlox" is a Mat-forming perennial that produces a carpet of brilliant flower colour from late spring to midsummer, which cover the needlike foliage completely. Individual plants grow in clumps, spreading / creeping rapidly by trailing stems. Different cultivars are available including 'White Delight', Red Wings' and 'Emerald Blue'. In spring set out new plants 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) apart. To stimulate growth and keep plants compact, mow them about halfway to the ground after flowering.
Zone 2
Use in banks, rock garden, accent plant and in large-scale planting.

Phormium cookianum 'Sundowner'

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Green with Red margin

Yellow-Green in
July-
September flowers on 48 (120) stems

"Mountain Flax" has upright arching sword-like foliage.
Use at back of large border or in gravel
Part Shade
Zone 8
Moisture-retentive soil

Phormium tenax
'Bronze Baby'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

30 x 30 (75 x 75)

Wine-Red in Spring and Summer, Bronze in Autumn and Winter

Red in
June-July

"New Zealand Flax".
Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun. Zone 8. Happy in most soils though a wetland plant throughout its native New Zealand.
This is useful as a focal point in smaller gardens or for containers. Use as bedding to echo a focal point provided by a larger purple phormium or cordyline. A loose group may be underplanted with purple verbenas or petunias.

Phormium tenax
'Purpureum'

Evergreen Perennial above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

84 x 36 (210 x 90)

Reddish-Purple in Spring, Dark Copper in Summer, Reddish-Purple in Autumn, Bronze-Purple in Winter

Red in
June-July

"New Zealand Flax".
Full Sun
Zone 8
Happy in most soils though a wetland plant throughout its native New Zealand.

Phormium tenax
'Yellow Wave'

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

144 x 72 (360 x 180)

Yellow-Green with Mid-Green Stripe

Red in
July-September

"New Zealand Flax".
Full Sun
Zone 8. Happy in most soils though a wetland plant throughout its native New Zealand.

Phygelius capensis

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

48 x 60 (120 x 150)

Dark Green

Dusty Pink in
July-September

"Cape Figwort, Cape Fuchsia". Sprawling, vigorous.
Zone 7-10
Companions - perovskia, carex, hemerocallis, rudbeckia, salvia, penstemon, alstroemeria, crocosmia, dahlia, persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'. They are good cut flowers.

Phygelius x rectus

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Dark Green

Pale Red in
July-September

This plant and its cultivars tend to be fairly compact plants with large sprays of flowers. Best choice for gardens as they combine toughness with heavy flowering in compact, non-invasive plants.
Full sun, Part Shade
Zones 8-11
Fertile, well-drained soil that is not too dry.
Phygelius x rectus Companions - Achillea 'Lachsschonheit', Argyranthemum 'Peach Cheeks', Dianthus 'Doris', Diascia barberae 'Blchorn Apricot', Euphorbia seguieriana subsp. niciciana, Heuchera 'Smokey Rose', Kniphofia 'David'.

Phygelius x rectus
'Moonraker'

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Dark Green

Pale Creamy-Yellow in
July-September

Extremely vigorous. 5 petals in trumpet shape
Zone 7-9

Phyllodoce aleutica

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 10
(20 x 25)

Bright Dark Green

Pale Yellow-Green in June-July

Phyllodoce caerulea

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

9 x 12
(23 x 30)

Glossy Dark Green

Purplish Pink in
June-September

"Mountain Heath". Upright Shrub with bell-shaped flowers.

Phyllodoce empetriformis

Evergreen Alpine below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 16 (30 x 40)

Glossy Bright Green

Purple-Pink
in
June-July

"Pink Mountain Heather". Carpet-forming with bell-shaped flowers on long stems.

Physalis alkekengii

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

24 x 36 (60 x 90)

Mid-Green

Cream in
August followed by large, scarlet, balloon-like seed vessels, which are very decorative in winter.

"Chinese Lantern, Japanese Lantern". Bright Orange-Scarlet berries fully ripe is edible. Invasive so only grow in a pot.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 5-8
Well-drained rich soil in a sheltered bed.
All parts, except the ripe berries, are toxic, and contact with skin may cause a skin allergy.
Physalis alkelangii is not so ornamental nor so vigorous as ground cover Physalis franchetii.
Companions - Best grown alone in a cutting garden. Slugs eat new shoots.

Physocarpus opulifolius
'Dart's Gold'

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

84 x 96 (210 x 240)

Bright Yellow juvenile becoming Mid-Green

White/Pink in
July

"Ninebark". From eastern USA
Full Sun
Zones 2-10
Fertile, well-drained soil; but not chalk soil or roots becoming dry.

Purple foliage plants nearby produce a dramatic colour contrast. It also associates well with other yell-leaved plants such as euphorbias and decorative grasses.

Picea abies
'Nidiformis'

Evergreen Ground-cover Conifer 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

60 x 144 (150 x 360)

Dark Green

...

"Christmas Tree, Norway Spruce, Common Spruce". From Scandinavia. Shallow rooted, this tree can be upended by strong winds.
Full Sun
Zones 2-9
Moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil.

Picea pungens glauca
'Globosa'

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

600 x 180 (1500 x 450)

Grey-Blue

...

"Colorado Spruce". From west coast of USA. Pyramid shape. Prune regularly as fresh growth will not bud from dead wood.
Full Sun
Zones 2-10
Moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil.
Planted as a focal point it can be associated with junipers, and looks good as a speciman in a bed of heathers. It needs space to grow symetrically, so do not crowd it. It is effective surrounded by low-growing herbaceous plants - bugles, omphalods and other blue-flowered plants, or those with soft yellow flowers such as primroses.

Picea pungens glauca
'Koster'

Evergreen Columnar Conifer above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

600 x 180 (1500 x 450)

Silvery-Blue

...

"Colorado Spruce".

Pieris japonica 'Firecrest'

Pieris species - it provides a useful source of early nectar for bumblebees
No HB, ST, LT

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x 72 (360 x 180)

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

White in
April-May

"Lily-of-the-Valley, Japanese andromeda". From Japan
Part Shade
Zones 4-10
Moist, peaty, acidic soil in a sheltered position.

Pieris japonica is effective in mixed borders or in large containers, and also in woodland or wild garden settings. It can be associated with spring bulbs and heathers.

Whole plant of Pieris japonica is poisonous.

Pieris floribunda

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
April-May

Plant Pieris from Sep-Oct. Do not prune, but keep in shape by means of "stopping" and removing dead flowers in May.

Whole plant of Pieris floribunda is poisonous.

Pieris japonica
'Little Heath'

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Pink-flushed juvenile, Green with silvery-White margins later

White in
May-June

"Lily-of-the-Valley". From Japan
Part Shade
Zones 4-10
Moist, peaty, acidic soil.

Pileostegia viburnoides

Evergreen Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

216 x 36 (540 x 90)

Dark Green

White in
August-October

Pimelea prostrata

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 20
(20 x 50)

Grey-Green with Red margins

Fragrant, tiny, White flowers in small heads in
July-September

"Rice Flower". From Australasia. White or Red Fruit
Full Sun
On light, well-drained acidic soil enriched with organic matter, it will form a carpet on sheltered slopes of the rock garden. Not suitable for cold gardens.

Pimpinella major

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

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Mid-Green

White, Greenish-White or Pink in
May-June

"Greater Burnet Saxifrage". Best performance in its own space in clay. An effective plant for meadow plantings.
Full Sun
Zone 5
Moist clay - from rough grassland, woodland margins, and hedgerows in much of Europe, except the far north, and into the Middle East and the Caucasus.

Companions - grasses, campanula lactiflora, astrantia maxima, anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing', cryptotaenia, geranium, astilbe (early cultivars), delphinium, aconitum, paeonia, roses.

Pinus mugo 'Mops'

Evergreen Ground-cover Conifer above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

132 x 132 (330 x 330)

Green

Dark Brown cones.

"Dwarf Mountain Pine". From mountains of Europe.
Full Sun
Zones 2-9
Well-drained soil, including dry garden soil.
A slow growing pine with small, well-spaced, bright green leaves. It eventually produces dark brown female cones.

Pinus nigra

Evergreen Columnar Conifer above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

1200 x 300 (3000 x 750)

Dark Green
 

Yellow-Brown female cones.

"European Black Pine, Austrian Pine". From central and southern Europe. Open, conical habit.
Full Sun
Zones 4-9
Grow in chalk, clay and dry garden soil; tolerates coastal conditions
 

Pittosporum ralphii
'Wheeler's Dwarf'

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Deep Green above, White to Buff felted beneath

Dark Red in
June-July

"Mock Orange". Mounding growth habit.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 9
Most soils
Use as foreground for taller plants and edging plants, particularly along stepping-stone paths.

Pittosporum tenuifolium

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 60 (300 x 150)

Glossy
Mid-Green

Black-Red in
June-July

"Kohuhu, Tawhiwhi". From New Zealand. Its flowers have an intense honey perfume at night.
Full Sun
Zones 9-11
Fertile, well-drained soil and keep moist over summer. Requires sheltered position in colder areas

Pittosporum tenuifolium
'Silver Queen'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

96 x 72 (210 x 180)

Green with White margins in Spring, Summer and Autumn, Silvery-Grey Green in Winter

Purple in
June-July

Pittosporum make excellent hedges in coastal districts.

Pittosporum tenuifolium
'Tom Thumb'

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

36 x 24 (90 x 60)

Pale Green in Spring, Deep reddish-Brown in Summer, Autumn and Winter

Purple in
June-July

Companions for this plant are deep purple or pink Hydrangea serrata or Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars, corokias, crocosmias with smaller escallonias and phormiums.

Podocarpus alpinus

Ground-cover Conifer 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Dull Green

Yellow Male Flowers,Green Female cone-like flowers in
 

"Tasmanian Podocarp".
Both male and female plants required to produce the Bright Red Fruit.

A good plant for stony sites or scree beds.

Polemonium
'Lambrook Mauve'

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

Dark Green

Lilac-Blue in
June-July

"Jacob's Ladder, Sky Pilot". Reddish stems, compact mounds. Sterile so is never a nuisance.
All Polemonium are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 4-8
Well-drained soil.

Companions - ferns, artemisia, euphorbia, campanula, hosta, helleborus, geum, potentilla, pulmonaria, brunnera. Divide clumps every 3 years to rejuvenate the plant.

Polygala calcarea

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 8
(5 x 20)

Mid-Green

Deep Blue in
June-July

"Milkwort".

Polygala calcarea
'Lillet'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

2 x 8
(5 x 20)

Mid-Green

Blue in
June-August

Polygonatum hirtum

Polygonatum species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Mid-Green

Green-tipped White in
June-August. Flowers often hidden by the foliage

"Solomon's Seal". Black fruit. Effective in containers with erect stems.
Light Shade
Zone 5
Cool, humus-rich, moist soil

Companions - ferns, galium odoratum, hosta, omphalodes verna, brunnera, helleborus, tiarella, trillium, paris, saruma, smilacina. Lovely cut flowers.

Polygonatum multiflorum

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

36 x 10 (90 x 25)

Mid-Green, smooth leaves on arching stems

Green-tipped White in
June hanging bell flowers

"Common Solomon's Seal". Blue fruit.
Light Shade
Zone 4-9
Cool, humus-rich, moist soil

Polygonatum multiflorum
'Striatum'

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

36 x 10 (90 x 25)

Mid-Green striped Creamy-White

Green-tipped White in
June

Black fruit
Light Shade
Zone 4-10
Humus-rich, moist soil

Polygonatum x hybridum

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Mid-Green

Green-tipped Creamy-White in
June

"Common Solomon's Seal". Vigorously spreading / creeping colonies with lance-shaped mid-green leaves
Blue-Black fruit
Zone 4-9
Humus-rich, moist soil

Polypodium vulgare

Evergreen Fern below 24 inches (60 cms) in height.
<--- Polypodium vulgare slide taken by Mr or Mrs Foord at Kidwelly Castle on 13 7 1967

12 x indefinite (30 x indefinite)

Dull dark Green

"Common Polypody". Polypodium are hardy and drought resisting. Often spreads / creeps on tree trunks as an epiphyte.
Dappled Shade
Zone 3
Well-drained soil - native mainly on acid rocks and soils, and on trees in much of Europe and western Asia.

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

Polypodium vulgare
'Cornubiense'

Evergreen Fern below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x indefinite (35 x indefinite)

Bright Green and lacy

...

"Common Polypody". Excellent ground cover
Dappled Shade
Zone 3
Well-drained soil

Polystichum aculeatum

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

<--- Polystichum aculeatum sori

24 x 36 (60 x 90)

Dark Green

...

"Hard Shield Fern".
Part Shade
Zone 4
Well-drained soil - Grows in woods, hedgebanks and streamsides in much of Europe.
Use Polystichum in shady woodlands and rock gardens.
See further details and photos in Fern Nursery page and Fern Gallery.
The Fern Nursery garden is open on Saturdays from May until September. They have events, talks and ferns photo gallery.

Polystichum munitum

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

36 x 48 (90 x 120)

Dark Green

...

"Sword Fern".
Full Sun
Zone 6
Well-drained soil - grows in moist woodland in western North America.

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

Polystichum setiferum

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Dark Green

...

"Soft Shield Fern". Part Shade. Zone 5. Well-drained soil - Native to damp woodland and shady hedgebanks in much of Europe.
Associate with acaenas, bugles, or small spreading ivies, or with ferns of contrasting form - hart's tongue.
See further details and photos in Fern Nursery page and Fern Gallery.
The Fern Nursery garden is open on Saturdays from May until September. They have events, talks and ferns photo gallery.

Potentilla
'William Rollison'
(May be listed wrongly as 'William Robinson')

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

18 x 24 (45 x 60)

Mid-Green

Yellow or Red-Orange in
June-September

Clump-forming
All Potentilla are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Full Sun
Zone 5-9
Cool, moist, well-drained, open border. Once the flower blooms have faded, remove the flower stems at ground level.

Companions - grasses, hemerocallis, iris, geranium.

Potentilla alba

Potentilla species
No HB, ST, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 12
(7 x 30)

Deeply divided, Light Green above, Silver-Hairy beneath

White in June-July

Clump-forming
Full Sun; thrives also in shade and is the best ground-covering species.
Zone 5
Cool, moist, well-drained, open border. Once the flower blooms have faded, remove the flower stems at ground level. From central and southern Europe

Potentilla atrosanguinea
 

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Dark Green

Yellow, Orange or Red in
July-November

"Himalayan Cinquefoil". Sprawling. Full Sun. Zone 5-9. Cool, moist, well-drained, open border. Once the flower blooms have faded, remove the flower stems at ground level.

Potentilla fruticosa
'Abbotswood'

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

30 x 48 (75 x 120)

Dark Blue-Green divided leaves, softly hairy, and dense twiggy growth

White in
June-November

"Bush Cinquefoil, Shrubby Cinquefoil".
Potentilla fruticosa is a dwarf to small deciduous shrub having many cultivars, with leaves varying from green to silver, and strawberry-like flowers ranging from white to deep yellow, tangerine, and orange-scarlet, with clear pink. It is very hardy and ideal for gardens in cold climates.

Full Sun and away from overhanging trees
Zones 2-9
Any well-drained, fertile soil, but they thrive best in one that does not dry out, where they will continue to produce flowers from june to October if well nourished.

They do not respond to cutting back or reducing in height, so it is important to choose a variety of the right height of growth at the start. They respond to an occasional removal of old wood from the base

Potentilla eriocarpa

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 12
(7 x 30)

Bright Green

Deep Yellow in
July

The tall border varieties of Potentilla are clump-forming and are scarcely ground-covers
whereas these short varieties are good ground-covers -
alba, argyrophylla, cuneata, ambigua, cuneifolia, montana, splendens and verna.

Potentilla fruticosa
'Beesii'

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

24 x 48 (60 x 120)

Silver-Hairy

Golden Yellow in
June-November

Many of the Potentilla fruticosa varieties produce rich brown seadheads to add to the winter scene.

Potentilla fruticosa associates with old shrub roses, lavenders, lavender-blue or white hebes, hydrangeas, olearias, catmints, buddleias and hypericums.

Potentilla fruticosa
'Elizabeth'

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

36 x 60 (90 x 150)

Dark Green

Bright Yellow in
May-October

All Potentilla do well in full sun or part shade, in the border or rock garden (dwarfs), in deep, sandy soil. The old and dead wood should be thinned out in September.

Potentilla fruticosa
'Longacre'

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Dark Green

Sulphur-Yellow in
May-October

Potentilla fruticosa
'Manchu'

Deciduous Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 30 (30 x 75)

Silvery-Grey

White in
May-October

Potentilla fruticosa
'Princess'

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

24 x 36 (60 x 90)

Dark Green

Pale Pink in
May-October

Potentilla fruticosa
'Red Ace'

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

36 x 60 (90 x 150)

Mid-Green

Vermilion-Red in
May-October

Potentilla fruticosa
'Sunset'

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

36 x 36 (90 x 90)

Mid-Green

Deep Orange in
June-October

Potentilla fruticosa
'Tilford Cream'

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

24 x 36 (60 x 90)

Dark Green

Creamy-White in
May-October

Primula auricula

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 10
(20 x 25)

Pale Green to Grey Green

Deep Yellow in
April-June

"Auricula, Bear's Ears"
All Primulas are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Dappled Shade
Zone 3-9
Moisture retentive, well-drained soil with well-rotted leafmould, grit and pulverized bark mulch. From limestone crevices in cliffs and boulders in the Alps, Jura, Appenines, and Carpathians, Europe.
Companions - The minor spring bulbs, kerria, hamamelis, rhododendron, ferns, brunnera, bergenia, corylopsis, ribes, meconopsis, hosta, myosotis, pulmonaria, trillium, omphalodes; the spring garden.
Primula auricula hybrids, denticulata, cashmiriana, florindae, x juliana, and vulgaris sibthorpii all grow best in a rather heavy retentive soil that does not dry out, and appreciate shade during the hottest part of the day. All of these will grow in the cool of a north-facing wall.
Primula auricula should be well away from overhanging branches; when luxuriating in the right soil its prolific garden hybrids make good ground-cover, full of character.
Primula florindae will grow well in boggy conditions and seeds itself prolifically, making excellent cover.
In some soils Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, and its blue and other coloured strains, with Primula x pru-boniciana (Primula x juliana), 'Wanda' and 'Garrarde Guinevere', will increase fast, are easy to divide and large plantations can be made. Primula vulgaris and its blue strains will seed themselves. They need to be moved on to fresh ground after a few years.
In the cool of some Scotish gardens Primula edgeworthii and others of the Petiolaris section are sufficiently permanent to be successful cover.
Candlebra species and hybrids such as Primula beesiana, bulleyana, x bullesiana, helodoxa, poissonii, prolifera, pulverulenta and strains, japonica and strains, when growing strongly will seed themselves. A good soil, preferably on the heavy side, neutral, suits them best, and they can stand full sun so long as the ground is permanently moist. Some thinning and hand-weeding are usually necessary, and occasional replanting in September or March.
They do not mind cold, but rain plays havoc with the delicate powdered surface of the flowers and leaves, and for the most part they were grown in frames in the 1600-1700's. If the frames could not be shaded, they would be hidden in a dark corner to avoid the glare of the sun, because direct sunlight at flowering time does harm them.

Primula bulleyana

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Mid-Green

Crimson fading to Orange in
July-September

Long-blooming, disappears in late autumn
Open or Part Shaded
Zone 5-8
Humus-rich, sheltered sites that never dry out, ideally by ponds or streams. From wet meadows in northwest Yunnan extending to southwest Sichuan, China

Primula florindae

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

48 x 36 (120 x 90)

Mid-Green

Fragrant Sulphur-Yellow in
July-September

"Giant Cowslip, Tibetan Primrose, Himalayan Cowslip". Good cut flower and long lived.
Full Sun
Zone 6-8
Moist soil that does not dry out and tolerant of considerable flooding in winter. Confined to a few wet river flood-plains high in relatively dry parts of southeastern Tibet.

Primula hirsutae

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

4 x 10
(10 x 25)

Mid-Green

Mauve-Pink in
June-July

The majority of Primula thrive in deep, rich,loam, and appreciate the admixture of leaf-mould and grit with the soil. They are all moisture-lovers, but must have a well-drained soil. The majority like part shade, unless unlimited moisture is available in hot weather. Plant out in September or early October.

Primula luteola

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

14 x 18 (35 x 45)

Mid-Green

Yellow in
April-June

Primula veris

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

7 x 7
(17 x 17)

Mid Green

Yellow in Spring

"Primula, Cowslip". Long-lived. Full Sun. Zone 4-8.
Fertile, well-drained soil. Often used for naturalizing in rough grass or meadows. From well-drained neutral to alkaline grasslands and scrub in the British Isles, from Norway to Spain, Turkey and eastern Siberia.
It harmonises with the apple-green flowers of Helleborus x sternii and some Helleborus x hybridus. It associates with the blue flowers of forget-me-nots, omphalodes or brunneras.

Primula vulgaris

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

8 x 14
(20 x 35)

Bright Green

Fragrant Yellow in
April-June

"Primrose, Common Primrose, Primula". Solitary flowers on stems
Part Shade
Zone 4-9
Good for naturalizing in woodland or shaded grassland. From deciduous woodlands, banks, and shaded grassland in Britain, southern Norway and northern Spain to north Africa, Lebanon, Iran and the Caucasus.

Prostanthera cuneata

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

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Glossy Mid to dark Green. Strongly Aromatic when crushed

White in
July-September

"Alpine Mint Bush". Compact shrub from southeastern Australia.
Full Sun sheltered from strong winds
Zones 8-9
Thrives in medium to heavy soils if kept moist over the summer. Prune after flowering.

Prunella grandiflora

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

6 x 36
(15 x 90)

Deep Green, hairy, small, pinnate leaves

Purple in
July-September

on 9 (22) stems

"Large Self-Heal". Forms dense, creeping patches of rooting foliage. Remove spent flowers to prevent prolific self-seeding.
Full Sun, Part Shade
Zone 5
Found usually on dryish, alkaline soils in continental Europe northwards to southern Sweden and central Russia

Prunella grandiflora
'White Loveliness'

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

6 x 36
(15 x 90)

Deep Green

Pure White in
July-September

Prunella grandiflora and its varieties are easy in any soil not sun-baked, preferring moist positions. It has several varieties , but if the seed-heads are not removed they sow themselves and other colours are likely to occur.

White flowers of above

Prunus 'Accolade'

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

300 x 300 (750 x 750)

Mid-Green in Spring and Summer, Orange-Red in Autumn

Deep Pink in
March

Prunus does best in a deeply dug and well manured soil rich in lime, or in localities with a chalk subsoil. Plant in November, in sunny positions sheltered from north and east winds. Prune out weak wood and dead flower shoots after flowering in the summer.

Prunus blireana

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x 144 (360 x 360)

Purple

Rose-Pink in
April

"Double Flowering Plum". Rounded shrub.
Full Sun but with protection from strong wind for the spring blossom
Zones 5-10
Moist, well-drained. Keep the base of trees free of weeds and long grass. Feed young trees with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Prunus cerasifera
'Pissardii'

No HB, ST, SOL

Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x 360 (900 x 900)

Red in Spring, Deeper Red in Summer, Purple in Autumn

Fragrant White in
April

"Cherry Plum, Myrobalan, Purple-leafed Plum". Native to Turkey and the Caucasus region.
Zones 3-10

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

One of the first deciduous trees to flower and is prized on this account for its nectar and pollen collected by the honeybees. This tree is cultivated on account of its foliage and often as a street tree. Use as hedge in a garden or trained on a fence or wall in a fan-shape at no higher than shoulder height to make maintenance easier.

Prunus laurocerasus
'Otto Luyken'

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Dark Green

White in
May

"Cherry Laurel, Laurel Cherry". Native to the Balkans, Turkey and the Caspian region. Commonly grown as a very dense and bushy hedge, but unclipped it can reach 600 inches (1500 cms) in height. In old woodlands it is as much a nuisance as Rhododendron ponticum.
Zones 6-10
In addition to visiting the flowers, honeybees may be seen visiting the plant more or less at any time, particularly when ordinary nectar is scarce. They visit for the nectar secreted from the extrafloral nectaries on the under surfaces of the leaves, particularly on the young growth.

Prunus laurocerasus is poisonous to horses, cattle, moose, sheep, swine, goats. Prunus laurocerasus contains prussic acid (Hydrogen cyanide), split off from amygdalin. Moth collectors know that laurel leaves put in a bottle will kill moths merely by their presence. Humans do not fare much better.

Prunus spinosa

No HB, ST, SOL

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

180 x 144 (450 x 360)

Mid to Dark Green

White in
April-May

"Blackthorn, Sloe". Edible Black Plum fruit. Flowers on black, leafless boughs. Common in woods, coppices and hedges throughout the UK.
Zones 4-9

Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

300 x 300 (750 x 750)

Dark Green in Spring and Summer, Yellow in Autumn

White in
December-February

"Higan Cherry, Rosebud Cherry". From Japan.
Zones 5-9

Prunus tenella
'Fire Hill'

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

72 x 72 (180 x 180)

Dark Green

Rose-Red in
April-May, borne along the stems

"Dwarf Russian Almond".

Prunus x cistena

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

60 x 60 (150 x 150)

Red in Spring, Reddish-Purple in Summer and Autumn

Pinkish-White in
April-May

Prunus 'Spire'

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

360 x 180 (900 x 450)

Bronze in Spring, Dark Green in Summer, Brilliant Orange-Red in Autumn

Soft Pink in
March-April

Pseudowintera colorata
(Drimys colorata)

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

36 x 60 (90 x 150)

Yellow-Green marked Pink and margined dark Red-Purple above, glaucous beneath

Greenish-Yellow in
May

"Alpine Pepper Tree, Horopito". Spreading / creeping bushy shrub from New Zealand.
Full Sun, Light Shade
Zones 8-10
Moist, well-drained soil
 

Pterocephalus perennis
(Pterocephalus parnassii, Scabiosa pterocephalus)

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 8
(7 x 20)

Grey-Green, small and downy leaves

Pale Pinkish-Purple in
July-
September with flat heads on 3 (7.5) high stems

Papery seed heads.
Full Sun
Zone 6
Well-draining soil to form a carpet in rock garden or top of retaining wall.
From Greece and Albania

Pulmonaria angustifolia

Pulmonaria species
No ST, LT, SOL

Deciduous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 18 (30 x 45)

Mid to Dark Green, hairy, long, narrow leaves

Rich Blue in
April-June in nodding heads on 8 (20) stems

"Blue Cowslip". Mildew resistant. Neat Clump-forming.
All Pulmonarias are Rabbit Resistant - see other Rabbit Resistant Plants.
Light Shade
Zone 3-9
moist, well-drained, from acid to neutral sand.

The Pulmonaria Hardy Plant Society Group was formed in 1992.

Companions - Early bulbs, dicentra, hosta, astilbe, forsythia, helleborus, polygonatum, epimedium, ranunculus ficaria, tiarella, hamamellis, corylopsis; pair the coral-coloured forms with daphne odora 'Aureomarginata', ribes sanguineum, and tulipa 'Toronto'.
Interweave with Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy" to have brassy yellow coming up amongst the rich blue flowers.

Pulmonaria longifolia

Deciduous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 18 (30 x 45)

Dark Green spotted Silvery-White

Blue in
March-June

"Spotted Dog". Clump-forming. Full Sun
Zone 3-9
Heavy clay. Apply annual mulch of leafmould or composted bark. From western Europe

Pulmonaria officinalis

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

10 x 18 (25 x 45)

White-spotted, Bright Mid-Green, hairy and heart-shaped leaves

Pink turning Blue in
April-June in nodding heads on 12 (30) stems

"Jerusalem Cowslip, Soldiers and Sailors, Spotted Dog, Common Lungwort". Clump-forming. Traditional Cottage Garden lungwort.
Part Shade. Zone 3-9. Fertile, humus-rich soil that is not too dry.
Pulmonarias seed quite generously and the clumps can be divided as they grow bigger. They look right anywhere in a cottage garden and they are perfect in a wild or woodland garden, for their leaves get bigger as the season advances and compete successfully with the toughest grass. In a spring garden plant at the back of the border, against a wall or hedge.

Pulmonaria officinalis
'Sissinghurst White'

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 18 (30 x 45)

White Spotted, Bright Mid-Green

Pure White in
April-June

White flowers of above. Pulmonaria angustifolia, officinalis, picta, rubra and saccharata prefer shade of part shade in woodland or under shrubs, or against north walls, on any soil that remains cool and moist in summer. Somewhat spreading / creeping by roots and seeds.

Pulmonaria saccharata

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

White-Spotted, Mid-Green

Violet or White in
March-June

"Jerusalem Sage, Bethlehem Sage". Clumps. Part Shade. Zone 3-9.
Fertile, humus-rich soil that is not too dry.
Pulmonaria saccharata 'Mrs Moon' has very good foliage and flowers that open pink then turn to blue.
Associate with polyanthus and primroses with blue, pink, crimson, purple or white flowers. Like all lungworts, it prefers spring sun, with dappled shade in summer, and is suitable for a woodland garden or for underplanting late-leafing deciduous shrubs.

Pulsatilla vulgaris
(Anemone pulsatilla)

No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Herbaceous Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

6 x 8
(15 x 20)

Light Green

Deep to Pale Purple, sometimes White in
April-June

"Pasque Flower" prefers full sun on well-drained soil in the rock garden or bed. its varieties include many different flower colours. Large feathery seedheads. Full Sun. Zone 6-8. Well-drained, fertile soil. From short grassland and mountain meadows in Europe, from eastern England to the Ukraine. Companions - viola, smaller grasses (festuca), paeonia (emerging foliage), aubretia, phlox subulata, lychnis viscaria, dwarf narcissus, crocus; a good rock garden plant, shows off well when backlit.

Putoria calabrica

Evergreen Shrub below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

3 x 12
(7 x 30)

Mid-Green

Pink in
July-September

"Stinking Madder".

Pyracantha
'Golden Dome'

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

72 x 120 (180 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
July

"Firethorn".
Golden-Yellow Berries.

Pyracantha thrive in any good, light loam (Sand) in sunny positions and against walls and fences. Their white flowers ae followed by bright scarlet or yellow berries in the autumn. Trim to shape in early spring, but clip as little as possible.

Pyracantha
'Orange Glow'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

180 x 120 (450 x 300)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
June

"Firethorn".
Orange-Red to Dark Orange berries that are very attractive to birds. Well suited to espaliering.
Full Sun
Zones 7-10
Wide range of moist soils.

Pyracantha
'Red Column'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

96 x 72 (210 x 180)

Glossy Dark Green

White in
July

"Firethorn". Red berries. Excellent as edging, rough thorny hedges or trailing down rocky slopes. The ripe fruits are edible and can be used to make a bland jelly.

Pyracantha
'Santa Cruz'

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

36 x 72 (90 x 180)

Dark Green

White in
July

"Firethorn".
Red berries.

Pyracantha
'Teton'

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

144 x 144 (360 x 360)

Glossy Bright Green

White in
July

"Firethorn".
Yellow-Orange berries.

Pyracantha rogersiana
'Flava'

Pyracantha species
No HB, ST, LT, SOL

Evergreen Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

120 x 120 (300 x 300)

Glossy Bright Green

White in
April-June

"Asian Firethorn".
Yellow berries.

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

Nectar is usually secreted very freely by the flowers, and pollen is also collected. In prolonged drought the nectar flow may cease. Pyracantha is grown against walls and grown this way it produces its attractive fruits more freely than in the open. It provides dense cover for birds, which eat the berries. This Asian Firethorn has the advantage of flowering earlier in the spring, so with the others flowering period can be extended from April to July.

Pyrola rotundifolia

Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height

8 x 6
(20 x 15)

Mid to Dark Green, glossy, rounded and flat leaves

Pure White in
July-
September small bells on erect stalk

"Round-leaved Winter-Green, Wild Lily-Of-The-Valley". These are choice plants taking some time to settle down and only creating spreading / creeping ground-cover when growing luxuriantly. Lime-free soil rich in humus, woodland conditions, or northern slopes of rock garden.

Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'

Deciduous Tree above 72 inches (180 cms) in height

480 x 240 (1200 x 600)

Glossy Dark Green in Spring and Summer, Red in Autumn

White in
April-May

"Callery Pear". From China. Tolerating heat, dry conditions, wind and poor soil, it makes an ideal street tree.
Full Sun
Zones 5-9
Having modest moisture needs they suit coastal areas with heavy, sandy loams and good drainage.

Also make Trees for Lawn. Narrow pyramid shape and recommended as Speciman. Plant in November in a sunny position sheltered from cold winds, in deeply dug and well-manured ordinary soil. Thin out the branches when overcrowded, and cut out dead wood and weak shoots after flowering

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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.  
Details of smaller Papaver, Penstemon, Petrophytum, Phlox, Phyllodoce, Pieris, Pimelea, Polygala, Potentilla, Primula and Pulsatilla and which container to grow the plant in:-

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

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

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

and links to Rock Garden Plants Suitable for Small Gardens Index Gallery.
Any of these 1000 Ground Cover Plants may well have further details about them in the remainder of the pages in this PLANTS Topic linked to from the PLANTS PAGE MENU above.

"Welcome to Barnhaven - the world-renowned hardy primrose specialists.
Florence Bellis began her famous hybridizing programme in the USA in 1936 and 84 years later, we are still committed to producing seeds and plants using her traditional hand-pollinating methods. We aim to keep the original Barnhaven strains going, to continue her creative work and to spread the enjoyment and delight that comes from growing beautiful primroses." It is superb dedication by family after family to keep the primrose breeding and its cultivars available to the world by these passionate people.

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.