Category: Ground cover
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Parthenocissus henryana
This climbing relative of the humble grape vine has it all in my humble opinion so why haven’t you planted it yet? Its summer foliage is a rich green with a burgundy reverse (you always see the back through the window so it is important). If it is growing in semi to full shade the
Stephen Ryan
Trachystemon orientalis
If you are sick of Hostas eaten by snails or burnt to crisp,or the gap they leave for such a long time throughout winter but still want big gutsy leaves then Russian Borage could be just the thing. It has spikes of rich blue flowers in late winter as the leaves unfold which are a
Stephen Ryan
Setaria palmifolia
Grasses have become something of a fashion statement in gardening around the world and rightly so as no other group of plants can give the textural look one can get from grasses (although I have to say when seen with other strappy leafed plants in many modern gardens to the exclusion of all else it
Stephen Ryan
Disporopsis arisanensis
This shade loving woodland perennial from Taiwan is from a Genus only just making some impact in horticulture. It is evergreen and grows to about 20cms. tall and is related to Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal) and looks very like a small evergreen version. Its arching stems produce nodding white bells in spring with an almost black
Stephen Ryan
Asarum caudatum ‘Album’
This North American woodlander has become one of my favourite ground cover plants for moist shade. Its lovely kidney shaped leaves cover the ground with a weed suppressing mat year round and in only a couple of years it has covered about 2 square metres. It grows to about 30cms. tall and falling leaves drop
Stephen Ryan
Vancouveria hexandra
This dainty little woodland perennial from North America is surprisingly hardy in a slightly shaded aspect,coping with some dry in summer and in my garden it will burn off and come again when the soil is remoistened if I inadvertently miss watering it, not that I recommend such slack behaviour! It has pale green foliage
Stephen Ryan
Ranunculus ficaria ‘Brazen Hussey’
This form of lesser Celandine was discovered by Christopher Lloyd and his head gardener of the time in a nearby wood and what a find it was! This varies from the wild form in that its heart shaped ground hugging leaves are a rich deep brown almost black which in early spring set off the
Stephen Ryan
Ceratostigma griffithii
Blue flowers (and I mean really blue flowers!) are few and far between and lots of nursery people call anything blue that could be lavender, mauve or purple as they know it will sell things. Look at all those things being called “Blue Roses” for instance. In late summer and autumn a small deciduous shrub
Stephen Ryan
Stephen Ryan
Impatiens omeiana
Those of you that don’t have a cool shaded and moist aspect may wish to stop reading now however this plant is worth some effort to grow well and really does well in a pot in a saucer of water in the shade so really we can all grow it even if we don’t have
Stephen Ryan