the importance of ground covering plants
Vinca minor ‘Alba’
When designing a planting for a garden it is very important to think about the ground covering plants.
Ground covering plants are one of the most important features in any planting design.
At Hastate Design we do a lot of research to make sure we incorporate the right type of ground covering plants into every planting that we create for our clients.
Here are the reasons why we all should increase the number of ground covering plants in our gardens:
Protect the soil
They simply hug the soil and stop the erosion. This is important especially in gardens that are on a slope or are exposed to harsh wind conditions (coastal gardens). Ground covering plants will also protect the soil from water damage.
Stop water evaporation
The low growing and soil hugging proprieties of ground covering plants are especially valuable during the prolonged periods of drought. This is because they act as a carpet, stopping the soil moisture from escaping.
Spread at a lower lever, and fill the gaps between other plants
They provide a great low layer of interest into the garden and often suppress less desired plants, so called weeds, from taking over.
Whenever we start a planting design project, we first look for ground covering plants that are already present on the site, as they can already create a fantastic carpet, into which other perennials can be planted.
Prunella grandiflora ‘Loveliness’
We often find Prunella vulgaris (Self-heal) plant. This is a great example of a ground covering plant that is worth keeping in your garden. Even if at first sight Prunella might not resemble anything that you would like to grow, it is a lovely little plant, that will help you create a low, semi-evergreen carpet, with spikes of violet or pink flowers from summer till autumn.
There are also cultivated varieties of Prunella, like for example Prunella grandiflora ‘Loveliness’, which has beautiful, spikey lilac-blue flowers. It also self-seeds easily and will create a low-growing carpet, that will fill the gaps between other plants.
If you are looking to add a bit more interesting foliage into your garden border Stachys ‘Silver Carpet’ is a great option. This plant spreads easily, creating a fantastic ground cover. Moreover, its woolly, soft, grey foliage will add a desired colour interest into the front garden border.
Another plant that is worth considering, especially if your garden is located on an exposed site, is Antennaria dioica ‘Rubra’. This is a small, spreading plant, with rosettes of greyish foliage and fluffy, rose-pink flowers on a long stem.
It is an alpine perennial, often found in mountains of Europe, and thanks to its adaptations to wind exposure, Antennaria dioica will make a good choice for a coastal garden.
Antennaria dioica ‘Rubra’
To fill the gaps around the trees and shrubs, especially in a shaded area of your garden, Vinca minor ‘Alba’ is a very good option. It is a ground covering plant that will spread easily and will brighten up darker part of your garden with the pop of big pure white flowers. Vinca starts flowering in March, delivering desired colour interest in early months of spring.
There are many fantastic varieties of ground covering plants that can be incorporated into our gardens with more confidence.
They will not only protect your soil, but will deliver a desired interest in colour, shape and texture, as well as they will attract more wildlife and will increase the biodiversity in lower parts of your garden.