Ivydene Gardens Plants: Ground-Cover Plant Name: W
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. Having transferred the Extra Index row entry to the relevant Extra Index row for the same type of plant in a gallery below; then
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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:-
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. 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.
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. |
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Plant Name Major source of honey in the UK Yes/No |
Type The key ingredients a bird needs from your garden are |
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 |
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 |
Waldsteinia ternata |
Semi-Evergreen Perennial below 24 inches (60 cms) in height |
4 x 24 |
Green in Spring and Summer, Purple-Green in Autumn and Winter |
Yellow in |
Vigorous and ideal carpeter, which is attractive throughout the year. Good planted in groups, will carpet slopes, naturalize under shrubs, or edge dry, north-facing borders You can buy it as already grown matting as Waldsteinia ternata Helix standard Mat.
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Weigela Weigela species |
Deciduous Shrub above 72 inches (180 cms) in height |
96 x 72 (210 x 180) |
Dark Green |
Dark Red in |
Grown for its flowers Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants. |
Weigela florida |
Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height |
60 x 60 (150 x 150) |
Dark Green |
Dark Crimson in |
Arching shrub from Japan, Korea and northeastern China |
Weigela florida |
Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height |
30 x 54 (75 x 135) |
Bronze-Green |
Dark Pink in |
This is excellent in full sun near the front of a shrub or mixed border, where it combines well with pink or crimson flowers and grey, glaucous or deeper purple foliage. Associate with pinks, old roses, cerise or carmine-pink achilleas, pink convolvulus, cistus, mauve-pink campanulas and mallows, cranesbills, heucheras and Tardiana hostas. |
Weigela florida |
Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height |
60 x 60 (150 x 150) |
White-margined Grey Green |
Dark Pink in |
Associate this plant in the front of a shrub or mixed border. In shade, flowering is suppressed so combine it with yellow-green foliage and flowers, or with cream, white or soft yellow flowers. When used in this fashion as a foliage plant, it can be pruned in mid-spring rather than at the usual time immediately after flowering. |
Weigela middendorffiana |
Deciduous Shrub 24-72 inches (60-180 cms) in height |
60 x 60 (150 x 150) |
Bright Green |
Pale Yellow in |
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Wisteria floribunda |
Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height |
336 x 60 (840 x 150) |
Mid-Green |
White in |
"Japanese Wistaria". Drought-tolerant once established in cool climates where winter rainfall is ample, wisterias need moderate to ample irrigation in desert conditions. Zone 5 Whole plant of Wisteria floribunda is poisonous. |
Wisteria floribunda |
Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height |
336 x 60 (840 x 150) |
Mid-Green |
Violet-Blue in |
"Japanese Wistaria" has clockwise-twining stems, and slender tresses of lavender-mauve flowers and both are suitable for dry gardens. |
Wisteria sinensis. In bright or warm weather bees visit the flowers for nectar at Kew Gardens, but when conditions are cool they seem to offer little attraction. In other warmer climates, the flowers of wisteria are known to be worked for nectar and pollen |
Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height |
1200 x 120 (3000 x 300) |
Dark Green |
Fragrant Lilac-Blue to White in |
"Chinese Wistaria" in Europe is even more vigorous than the Japanese, reaching as much as 1200 (300) and further distinguished by its anti-clockwise twining stems. Zone 5 Wisterias are ideal for training on pergolas or arches, where they provide welcome shade. On a wall, they need careful training to allow each of the tresses of flower to hang free. Wisterias can also be allowed to grow naturally into supporting trees, though their vigour calls for a host of matching size. The lilac-mauve varieties combine well with the yellow Banksian rose, which flowers at much the same season, and in mild climates can be grown free-standing or in host tree. Bee Forage Plants and UK Butterfly with Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly Usage of Plants. Whole plant of Wisteria sinensis is poisonous. |
Deciduous Climber above 72 inches (180 cms) in height |
1200 x 120 (3000 x 300) |
Dark Green |
White in |
"Chinese Wistaria". Associate this climber with the yellow flowers of laburnums. |
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Site design and content copyright ©December 2006. Page structure changed September 2012. Height x Spread in feet changed to Height x Spread in inches (cms) May 2015. Data added to existing pages December 2017. Zone and Companion Data added April 2022. The 1000 Ground Cover plants detailed above will be compared in the Comparison Pages of the Wildflower Shape Gallery and in the flower colour per month comparison pages of Evergreen Perennial Gallery starting in November 2022. Chris Garnons-Williams.
DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site.
Height in inches (cms):- 25.4mm = 1 inch I normally round this to
I have included within these pages on 1000 Ground Cover Plants information from other pages within this PLANTS Topic like
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. |
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Think Like A Bird
Balconies and WindowSills Small Gardens Suburban Gardens |
LAYERED PLANTING
Planning and Planting This is very similar to the 3 Sector Vertical Plant System for Climbers in Infill3 Plants:- THERE ARE 3 SECTORS UP A HOUSE WALL OR HIGH WALL:-
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Season - |
Layered Planting 1.Top Layer with link to its Ground Cover Page or Wildflower Botanical Page |
Layered Planting 2. Middle Layer with link to its Ground Cover Paor Wildflower Botanical Pagege |
Layered Layer 3. Bottom Layer with link to its Ground Cover Pageor Wildflower Botanical Page |
Birds you are likely to see |
Things to Do |
Spring |
Crataegus species (Hawthorn) are usually grown as hedges, but Crataegus schraderiana can grow as a small branching tree. Prunus species. Amelanchier species. |
Cornus species. Wisteria species |
Lawn flowers - Daisy Oenethera species in Wildflowers Anthriscus sylvestris in Wildflowers. Baptisia species. |
Tits, Finches, Thrushes and Sparrows are busy feeding broods of chicks. Summer visitors such as Swallows, House Martins, Goldfinches and Swifts start to arrive. Cuckoo |
An area of lawn untreated with chemicals and dotted with wildflowers is a huge boon to birds. Leave some areas to grow long and wild, and mow others to make space for sitting or games or as lawn paths to the garage or back gate, while still allowing flowers to bloom. Many plants such as Clover also cope with drought better than grass, meaning your 'lawn' will look healthier through the summer months. EccoDal Grass Grids can replace your parking area concrete or pavers, make paths and sitting area/ gamesarea in your garden and be filled with soil and grass/wildflower seed. Then, you have grass with wildflowers to help birds over the winter instead of concrete. Put out food for busy parent birds. Make sure there is water at hand for bathing and drinking as the weather gets warmer. Keep the water dish and birdbath freshly topped up and clean. It is easy to grow some quick flowering annuals to attract insects into the garden and provide seeds. Cornflowers, Pot Marigolds and Love-in-a-Mist are easy to grow. Birds thrive on weeds, especially Goldfinches, who love Dandelion, Teasel and Thistle seeds. |
Summer |
Fruit Trees - Apple (Malus), Pear (Pyrus) Plum (Prunus). Above can be bought as Minarettes or Trained Fruit Trees. |
Rosa species - Grow the single-flowered forms to attract insects and aim for species and varieties that produce hips - like Rosa moyesii, Rosa 'Paul's Himalayan Musk' and Rosa glauca - as many birds such as Fieldfares and Mistle Thrushes will eat these. Tits and Blackbirds use the thorny cover of climbing species as shelter from predators. Fruit Bushes - Red-currant, Black-currant, Blackberry including thornless, Logan-berry (Ribes and Rubus species). Ken Muir also sell half-standard redcurrant. and a range of edible hedging to form an attractive screening and attract wildlife into your garden. Spiraea species. Lavendular species. Lonicera species. Clematis species. |
Helianthus species. Nigella species. Centaurea species. Tropaeolum majus. Thistles - Cirsium in Wildflowers, Carduus in Wildflowers, Eryngium and Echinops species. Solidago species. |
Blue Tits and Great Tits feeding their family. Robins. Sparrowhawk and Little Owl. |
In summer, birds need plenty of water. Early-flowering annuals and grasses are a rich source of food for seed-eating birds. The kitchen garden is a source of insects on herbs, fruit and vegetables, as long as you don't spray them with chemicals. Add to the pulling power by planting Companion Plants and flowering herbs such as Rosemary (Rosmarinus), Marjoram (Origanum) and Fennel (Foeniculum). Minarettes® are slender, columnar fruit trees which bear their fruits on short spurs along the length of a vertical stem rather than on long spreading branches. They are perfect for today's smaller gardens because they can be planted as close as 60-90cm (2-3ft) apart as well as being ideal for growing in tubs on patios or balconies. When mature, Minarette® trees are 1.8-2.4m (6-8ft) tall and crop prolifically. A large range of apples, pears, plums, gages, damsons and cherries are available as Minarettes®. |
Autumn |
Sorbus (Rowan) species |
Callicarpa americana. Coton-easter species. Euonymus species. Berberis species. |
Ornamental Grasses - Stipa, Sedum species. Knautia species in Wildflowers Michaelmas Daisy - Sanguisorbia species |
Goldcrest, Firecrest, Fieldfare, Redwing, Waxwing, Tawny Owl, Robin |
Clean out nestboxes and put up new ones. Prune shrubs and trim hedges. Leave berrying shrubs alone until birds have picked them clean. If you are thinking about construction work, this is the time since there will be little disruption to birds. Do not be too snip-happy with the secateurs. Leave stems of herbaceous plants such as Asters, Globe Thistle and Goldenrod as long as you can. Not only will birds have the seeds, but Wrens and Blackbirds will use the shelter the stems provide to move around the garden in search of insects. Keep the bird table topped up with fallen fruit and water. Leaving fruit on the ground will always attract hungry birds, too. |
Winter |
Malus species (Crab Apple, like |
Pyracantha species. Ilex species. Hedera species. |
Pennisetum species. Phlomis species. Dipsacus species in Wildflowers. Cynara cardunculus |
Grey Heron, Kingfisher, |
Leave things alone in the border. Do not cut back any late-flowering perennials until late winter, so that they can offer shelter for small birds and insects. Leave the seed heads of Echinacea, Sanguisorba, Aster and Rudbeckia until midwinter. Seed-eating birds will nibble their way through them as winter progresses. Leave any leftover Apples and Pears and other fruit for the birds. |
Predators |
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Websites British Garden Birds - garden-birds.co.uk Birdspot - birdspot.co.uk Birds and Blooms - birdsandblooms.com National Audubon Society - audubon.org |
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Light Sandy Soil is usually fairly infertile, and it also dries out quickly. In such cases, use drought-tolerant plants, such as ones that grow in dry soil conditions (see plants in the Dry section of the Moisture column of the soil type, aspect and moisture list page) and also do the following actions, since any nutrients in the soil are usually washed out very quickly. Acid soil is most common in places that experience heavy rainfall and have moister environments. Areas in red have acidic soil, areas in yellow are neutral and areas in blue have alkaline soil in the World Map. Find Me Plants has further details on other plants for acidic soils, when you set Soil Type in Part 1: Surveying the planting area to Sandy/Gritty, or Light Sand or Stony/Sub-Soil. Action to assist in Light Sandy soil maintenance:-
Gardening in Sandy Soil by C.L. Fornari. A very useful book and one you can have on a Kindle in December 2017. A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin with this Index:-
Action to assist in other soil types in:-
The following is from "A land of Soil, Milk and Honey" by Bernard Jarman in Star & Furrow Issue 122 January 2015 - Journal of the Biodynamic Association;_ "Soil is created in the first place through the activity of countlesss micro-organisms, earthworms and especially the garden worm (Lumbricus terrestris). This species is noticeably active in the period immediately before and immediately after mid-winter. In December we find it (in the UK) drawing large numbers of autumn leaves down into the soil. Worms consume all kinds of plant material along with sand and mineral substances. In form, they live as a pure digestive tract. The worm casts excreted from their bodies form the basis of a well-structured soil with an increased level of available plant nutrients:-
Worms also burrow to great depths and open up the soil for air and water to penetrate, increasing the scope of a fertile soil. After the earthworm, the most important helper of the biodynamic farmer is undoubetdly
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Plant Combinations for Sandy Soil Action to assist in Light Sandy soil maintenance is given in the row above and this is required annually. |
Plants |
Comments |
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Sun lovers - You can achieve a design with grey-leaved plants, interspersed with smaller or larger groups of taller perennials and a single shrub. Because the grey-leaved plants predominate they are used as a basis, with suggestions for plants which can be combined with them. Grey Foliage with white and yellow flowers and plants that combine with these |
all have grey leaves and either white, yellow or inconspicuous flowers. If the above plants are planted together; the effect of different heights and size of leaf will be rather messy and unclear. Plant the above as the background ground cover and the ones in the next column within that background. |
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The above comes from Ground Cover. How to use flowering and foliage plants to cover areas of soil by Mineke Kurpershoek. Published by Rebo Productions Ltd in 1997. ISBN 1 901094 41 3 |
Contents
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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:- |
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Plant |
Plant |
Plant |
1. Plants requiring lime-free soils
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Arctostaphylos. |
Erica. |
Philesia. |
2. Plants which will thrive in limy soils
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Acaena. |
Cotula. |
Paeonia. |
3. Plants which tolerate clay.
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Acanthus. |
Euonymus fortunei. |
Rodgersia. |
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. |
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Alchemilla conjuncta. |
Fragaria. |
Reynoutria. |
5. Plants which thrive on moist soils. Genera marked * are suitable for boggy positions. |
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Ajuga. |
Cornus stolonifera. |
*Onoclea. |
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. |
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Adiantum. |
Carex. |
Epigaea. |
Helxine. |
Onoclea. |
Shortia. |
7. Plants which will thrive in hot, sunny places on dry soils. Those marked * require lime-free soil. |
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Acaena. |
Dimorphotheca. |
Lychnis coronaria. |
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. |
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Acaena. |
Aubretia. |
Ceanothus. |
*Genista. |
Pulsatilla. |
*Sedum. |
9. Plants which create barriers. The following by their dense or prickly character will deter small animals and human beings as well as weeds. |
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Arundinaria anceps. |
Mahonia japonica. |
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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. |
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£Acanthus. |
Euonymus. |
Ribes. |
EXPLAINATION OF WHY SOIL IN UK TOWNS IS USUALLY DEFICIENT IN HUMUS.
Humus is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays.
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. |
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Cultural Needs of Plants "Understanding Fern Needs
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. |
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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. |
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Acaena. |
Cardamine trifolia. |
Primula auricula. |
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Look for:- |
There are 180 families in the Wildflowers of the UK and they have been split up into 22 Galleries to allow space for up to 100 plants per gallery. Each plant named in each of the Wildflower Family Pages may have a link to:- its Plant Description Page in its Common Name in one of those Wildflower Plant Galleries and will have links to external sites to purchase the plant or seed in its Botanical Name, to see photos in its Flowering Months and to read habitat details in its Habitat Column. |
It is worth remembering that especially with roses that the colour of the petals of the flower may change - The following photos are of Rosa 'Lincolnshire Poacher' which I took on the same day in R.V. Roger's Nursery Field:- |
Closed Bud |
Opening Bud |
Juvenile Flower |
Older Juvenile Flower |
Middle-aged Flower - Flower Colour in Season in its |
Mature Flower |
Juvenile Flower and Dying Flower |
Form of Rose Bush |
There are 720 roses in the Rose Galleries; many of which have the above series of pictures in their respective Rose Description Page. So one might avoid the disappointment that the 2 elephants had when their trunks were entwined instead of them each carrying their trunk using their own trunk, and your disappointment of buying a rose to discover that the colour you bought it for is only the case when it has its juvenile flowers; if you look at all the photos of the roses in the respective Rose Description Page!!!! |
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Plant Selection by Flower Colour |
Blue Flowers |
Other Colour Flowers |
Red Flowers |
White Flowers |
Yellow Flowers |
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Fragrant Plants adds the use of another of your 5 senses in your garden:- |
Flower Perfume Group:- |
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Click on Black or White box in Colour of Month. |
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I have updated the plant type and plant use for the Evergreen Perennials by February 2023,
followed by continuing to insert all the plants with flowers from Camera Photo Galleries as indicated by I will continue to insert all the plants planted in chalk as indicated by then the following plants shall be added from
finally - I am inserting these from February 2023, I will continue to insert all the plants |
The following is from the current Site Map of Evergr Perenn Gallery in October 2023:- 104 from the 1000 Ground Cover Plants (up to Aster novi-belgii in Plant Selection Level 5 Plant Name - A Index page of Plants Topic) as indicated by
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Collins Aura Garden Handbooks Trees for Small Gardens by Susan Conder. Published by William Collins Sons & Co Ltd in 1988.
On page 23 it has diagrams showing how to remove a large limb. The fourth diagram is incorrect and below is why - you should leave the branch collar on the tree instead of cutting it off. In the centre of each trunk and branch there is a section of nerves used by the tree to get information from all of its branches and trunk and then sending replies of what to do about it. You could say that the Branch Collar is like a junction box, where you cut off after it but not before; otherwise the tree still thinks that branch is still there and then will make invalid decisions. These nerve fibres are the last item in the branches/trunk that rot away. Branch Collar Most gardens of new houses in England in 2023 are too small for trees, and I would recommend using top fruit and soft fruit trained onto the boundaries. If you add a chainlink fence, then you will have plenty of places to tie cordons, espaliers, fans and blackberries. If you want trees, then you can follow their method of putting them into containers as shown on pages 18 and 19, or train the trees as a a 80 (200cm) high hedge and allow 36 inches (90) from the boundary to the lawn for the hedge to grow in with bulbs and mulch between the lawn and the hedge. |
This table was copied from Case Studies Pages Case
3 - Drive Foundations What are the Soil Nutrients besides What types of organisms are found in the soil? and What Pysical changes occur in Soil because of weather? and what Chemical changes occur in Soil because of weather? leading to This leads to an 3b Pre-Building Work for Builders to treat polluted soil using phyto-remediation plants. Then, they could follow my following Suggested Action Plan for Builders after they have built their houses:-
And finally on the same day pour a depth of 11 inches (27.5 cms) depth of the builders soil mixture detailed below onto the remainder of the new garden areas and alongside the Instant Hedging.
A fortnight later the following type of turf containing RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), bred by Barenbrug Research USA, could be laid over the proposed lawn areas. The roots of that grass will reach the clay below and stabilise the new builders soil mix, before the proposed owners view the property a month later. The builders soil mix should within 3 months become roughly the same proportion of clay, silt and sand which is within a Sandy Clay Loam to create a sweet spot for growing plants as shown on How is material lost from the soil? Page, since it will mix with the clay below.
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Design Cases When designing a garden, it is vital to know who and for how long the resulting designed and landscaped garden is going to be maintained by. The book 'The One Hour Garden' describes what maintenance work can be done in the time that you have allotted; and therefore what besides a lawn, you can have in your garden. My redesign and construction work to be done on my 3 gardens - as shown by Case 2 - must be to reduce the maintenance time required to the time I have available. If the gardens are first weeded, pruned, mulched, mown and bare earth converted to lawns using grass seed, then construction can take place in the future - as free time allows during a week or fortnight after the maintenance has been done. In Case 4, the combination of the Structural and Planting Designs would create a garden that I would be able to maintain in one day a fortnight. I would install a 3" deep mulch in the spring on the beds, so that I can prune the shrubs/trees and hoe the odd weed; whilst the father mows the lawns, the mother tends the vegetable garden and their teenage daughters play football!! The children in Case 5 loved to look at creepy-crawlies and wildlife, so that together with low-cost the design for different areas in a terrace house garden was created.
Construction Cases Case 3 is building a drive on clay and it is important to get the part you will not see - the foundations - done correctly. Case 8 is creating a pond with its pitfalls for foundations.
Maintenance Cases If you are asking someone to maintain your garden, then do provide the complete picture. If as in Case 1, you intend to sell the property, then look at this - as not a maintenance but as a selling job - and get that job done instead. Case 6 is creating a vegetable garden in a back garden during the maintenance program of one day a fortnight to maintain it and the remainder of the back and front gardens. This was done over 7 years using a crop rotation system Concrete ponds are likely to crack open due to movement in the ground levels due to being in clay or vibration caused by road traffic if it is fairly close. Case 7 shows no planting shelves for the pond plants. |
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Section below on Problems for Houseowners and Builders when the new home is surrounded by clay and how to solve them. |
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Problems for Houseowners and Builders when the new home is surrounded clay and how to solve them. 8 problems caused by clay:-
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Builders do sell the original topsoil including
where the new building and its garden areas are to be built. The consolidated parent material (bedrock) is usually sand, chalk or clay with flint possibly. At the end of building; the builders rubble is covered with possibly only a 2 inch (5 cms) depth of imported topsoil, which might be the washings from the sugar beet in the sugar industry. This is covered with turf and the unsuspecting public is offered the result. As likely as not one of their gardens slopes towards the house and even with the modern depth of foundation wall, there is no guarantee that subsidence will not occur.
If every garden of a new house had a 12 inch depth of soil removed from its new garden area, then at the end of the building work, the Aquadyne Drainage System would be laid round the entire boundary. Next to it then plant the relevant Instant Hedge on the non-house wall sides to absorb the rainwater collected by that drainage system The mix to change clay soil into a friable useful soil in less than 4 months for the above domestic garden problem was in royal blue colour typing. Using the burgundy colour typing components, the builder could create the following soil mix for his gardens:
If water with 150 kgs of clay was first added to the Concrete TruckMixer and then the required volume of cullet followed by the required volume of waste plasterboard, the mixture is then mixed for an hour. If the cullet/waste plasterboard mixture is passed through the poultry houses to mix with the poultry litter on the litter floor before being collected into the next Concrete TruckMixer, then the houses would be cleaner and smell less. The required volume of waste from beer making could replace the Peat above and the requisite Sulphate of Iron and Sulphate of Potash could be added to the Concrete TruckMixer before that mixture from the Poultry Farm litter floor is added. That soil mixture could then be mixed for 30 minutes before applying it to the garden areas of the new houses built by the builder to an 11 inch (27.5 cms) depth. The resulting mixture would then integrate with the clay and create a deep topsoil within 3 months. All the requirements for a soil as shown in the figure above would then have mixed together and time will increase the bacteria and get a new soil structure created. The following type of turf could then be laid over the proposed lawn areas a fortnight later:- RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), bred by Barenbrug Research USA, produces rhizomes (an underground stem) that send a shoot up to the soil surface while extending new roots downwards. In fact, RTF can root to 1.5 metres deep giving it a chance to tap into water reserves that normal lawn turf cannot reach. |
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There is other compostable waste that could be used in the above mixture - The following is from a farmer who runs Riverford Organic Farmers who deliver weekly boxes of vegetables, meat etc from their farms to the homes of members of the public in Britain in his weekly epistle dated Monday 4th December 2017:- |
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"So why now, in my 57th year, have I seen the light?
So, I have seen the errors of my youth and come inside. Milan tells me we have only just started. It is shocking how much compostable material is wasted at such cost to our environment:
The reasons are:-
Time is running out; we cannot afford 100% safety when environmental destruction is 95% certain if we continue on our current path."
If the above waste was turned into compost that would last as a mulch like spent mushroom compost, which lasts for 2-3 years with 25-35% loss replenishment each year in the autumn, then it could be sold to the above home owners in bags to put alongside their hedges, in planted pots and in the flower beds throughout the year.
If you cannot be bothered to buy the commercially produced soil conditioner and collect your own seaweed to be harvested from beaches, then the following could still provide these other benefits in the same time slots as in above paragraph:- |
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China sells a lot of seaweed. The Cornish Seaweed Company sells edible Cornish Seaweed and The following is from No Dig Vegetable Garden Website:-
What's the best way to use seaweed on the garden?
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Finally, we should not forget about Noise Reduction for the new residents of the estate just built. See last row in the midlle table for further details. Nor should we forget about the changes required for the infrastructure (see Pre-Building Work for Builders with Polluted Soil Page) . |
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PLANTS PAGE PLANT USE Ground-cover Height Poisonous Cultivated and UK Wildflower Plants with Photos
Following parts of Level 2a, Explanation of Structure of this Website with User Guidelines Page for those photo galleries with Photos (of either ones I have taken myself or others which have been loaned only for use on this website from external sources) To see what plants that I have described in this website see THE 2 EUREKA EFFECT PAGES FOR UNDERSTANDING SOIL AND HOW PLANTS INTERACT WITH IT OUT OF 10,000:-
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Plant Selection by Plant Requirements
Photos - with its link; provides a link to its respective Plant Photo Gallery in this website to provide comparison photos. ------------ Ground-cover Height |
REFINING SELECTION Plant Selection by Flower Shape Plant Selection by Foliage Colour
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The following details come from Cactus Art:- "A flower is the the complex sexual reproductive structure of Angiosperms, typically consisting of an axis bearing perianth parts, androecium (male) and gynoecium (female). Bisexual flower show four distinctive parts arranged in rings inside each other which are technically modified leaves: Sepal, petal, stamen & pistil. This flower is referred to as complete (with all four parts) and perfect (with "male" stamens and "female" pistil). The ovary ripens into a fruit and the ovules inside develop into seeds. Incomplete flowers are lacking one or more of the four main parts. Imperfect (unisexual) flowers contain a pistil or stamens, but not both. The colourful parts of a flower and its scent attract pollinators and guide them to the nectary, usually at the base of the flower tube.
Androecium (male Parts or stamens) Gynoecium (female Parts or carpels or pistil)
It is made up of the stigma, style, and ovary. Each pistil is constructed of one to many rolled leaflike structures.
The following details come from Nectary Genomics:- NECTARIES. An organ known as the floral nectary is responsible for producing the complex mixture of compounds found in nectar. Nectaries can occur in different areas of flowers, and often take on diverse forms in different species, even to the point of being used for taxonomic purposes. Nectaries undergo remarkable morphological and metabolic changes during the course of floral development. For example, it is known that pre-secretory nectaries in a number of species accumulate large amounts of starch, which is followed by a rapid degradation of amyloplast granules just prior to anthesis and nectar secretion. These sugars presumably serve as a source of nectar carbohydrate. WHY STUDY NECTAR? Nearly one-third of all worldwide crops are dependent on animals to achieve efficient pollination. In addition, U.S. pollinator-dependent crops have been estimated to have an annual value of up to $15 billion. Many crop species are largely self-incompatible (not self-fertile) and rely almost entirely on animal pollinators to achieve full fecundity; poor pollinator visitation has been reported to reduce yields of certain species by up to 50%." The following details about DOUBLE FLOWERS comes from Wikipedia:- There is further photographic, diagramatic and text about Double Flowers from an education department - dept.ca.uky.edu - in the University of Kentucky in America. "Meet the plant hunter obsessed with double-flowering blooms" - an article from The Telegraph. |
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Top ten plants that are bad for bees from Countryfile Magazine "Lavender, alliums, fuschias, sweet peas - keen gardeners know the very best flowers to entice bees to their gardens. But what about plants that are bad for bees? Here is our expert guide to the top ten plants that you should avoid to keep bees happy and buzzing, plus the perfect alternatives. 1. Rhododendron 2. Azalea 3. Trumpet flower, or angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens) 4. Oleander (Nerium oleander) 5. Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) 6. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) 7. Stargazer lily (Lilium 'Stargazer') 8. Heliconia Exotic and interesting, heliconia, or lobster-claws as its sometimes called, is very toxic to bees. You should not prune your heliconias, as the 'stem' is actually made up of rolled leaf bases and the flowers emerge from the top of these 'pseudostems'. However, each stem will only flower once, so after flowering you can cut that stem out. This is recommended, to encourage more flowering, to increase airflow in between the stems of your plant, and also to generally tidy it up and improve the appearance. 9. Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia - 10. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) This is another list of Plants toxic to bees, which includes:- |
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PLANT USE Plant Selection Level 1 |
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There are other pages on Plants which bloom in each month of the year in this website:-
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You may not have room in your garden for trees, but you can plant them in containers.
If you still have not enough room for trees, Plant Selection by Garden Use
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Choose 1 of these different Plant selection Methods:-
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Pruning The illustrations combined with the text tell you precisely what to do in the above book. |
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Chapter |
Contents |
Comments |
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Reasons to prune |
Pruning with a purpose. |
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Tools and Equipment |
Clippers and loppers. |
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Pruning Methods |
A proper pruning cut. |
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Ornamental trees and shrubs |
Pruning a bare-root shrub. |
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Shade trees |
Basic tree shapes. |
Cavity repair. "2. Smooth out the rough edges with a heavy-grit file" No, that would tend to remove the remains of the branch collar and further damage the tree. "3. Fill the hole with a good tree-cavity sealer. Asphalt compounds, such as those used in patching driveways and roofs, are suitable..." I suggest the following:- Solutions to stop creating holes in trees. When a branch is cut off, remember to cut it off on the other side of the Branch Collar. (See Figure 1 - Optimum position of the final pruning cut in "Guide to Tree Pruning" by the Arboricultural Association which shows the branch collar within and outside the tree. My Comments: I disagree with their recommendation not to apply wound paint as you can see the result if you do not paint trees which are dehydrated, starved and gassed as these trees in the pavements of Madeira are.) Once that is done, then immediately apply Boron and 2 coats of protective sealant as used for holes in trees above." from Photo Damage to Trees in Madeira Page 1. I also saved the yew tree in my local churchyard. |
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Pruning evergreens |
What is an evergreen. |
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Pruning hedges |
Starting a new hedge. |
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Artistic pruning |
Topiary. |
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Pruning fruit trees |
Pruning a bare-root fruit tree at planting time. |
A solution for grass round trees depriving them of water and nutrients; using the expertise of DLF. |
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Pruning small fruits |
Grapes. |
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Nut trees |
Planting a nut tree. |
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Vines and ground covers |
Pruning a woody vine. |
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Garden plants and houseplants |
Reasons to prune perennials. |
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Bonsai |
Choosing your specimen. |
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