The New Year is here and garden lovers are thumbing through catalogues and poring over online Web sites planning the look of their landscapes for spring and summer.
As you sift through your horticultural options, bear in mind that a landscape doesn’t have to soar into the stratosphere to be spectacular. Today, I’ll review some plants that are truly beautiful but are definitely “close to ground level.” And as a bonus, most are fairly simple to care for, too.
Tiearella Pirate’s Patch
With a buccaneering name like that, you know it has to be quite special. If your landscape needs an edging plant in an area that is shaded or semi-shaded, this could be the one for you. It is a clumping perennial that grows to a width of around twelve inches with a foliage height of just five inches. The flower spikes grow to about ten inches tall.
Tiearella Pirate’s Patch is sought after because of its early bloom season, fragrance, repeat flowering and unusual leaf shapes. The emerald foliage develops chocolate markings in the summer and turns reddish-brown in the fall. Pirates create a wonderful display with white spires of fragrant, delicate flowers in the spring. Its low, slow-creeping stems make it an ideal groundcover, particularly in soil that is humus-rich and moisture-retentive and somewhat shaded.
The foliage on mature Pirates can become quite large for such a low-growing plant, and up to 250 flower spikes per plant have been reported on three year old plants.
Hellebore Pink Lady
Actually a trio of Hellebore “ladies” but I’ll start with Miss Pink. She’s extremely easy to grow, topping out between 12 and 15 inches tall and about two feet in width. Delightful pink blooms begin to appear in late winter and persist as late as May. When not in bloom, the lush, shiny evergreen foliage remains year-round as a low-growing groundcover.
All of the ladies in the Hellebore family are virtually maintenance free once established and are deer-resistant, if that’s a concern in your area. They like loamy, moist soil with lime and leaf mold. They can provide a delightful mat of groundcover to enhance deciduous shrubs, conifers and broadleaf evergreens.
Don’t forget her “sisters.” Hellebore Red Lady provides red-maroon blooms in late winter to early spring, and Hellebore Blue Lady sports deep purple-blue flowers that are truly breathtaking. All the petite Hellebore ladies are easy to grow and bring forth flowers when most other plants are dormant.
Liriope Big Blue
NEW! Liriope Big Blue An attractive, tufted evergreen perennial groundcover with arching, grass like foliage. Abundant blue flower spikes rise above the foliage in summer followed by clusters of black berries.
Despite its ‘big’ name, this tufted, evergreen perennial has arching, grass-like foliage growing no more than 15 inches tall and wide. In summer, its blue flower spikes rise above the foliage, followed by clusters of black berries in the fall.
Big Blue could be a good alternative (or addition) to Pirate’s Patch as both do well in partially shaded areas. However, Big Blue will also grow well in full or partial sun. Ideal as an edging or ‘regular’ groundcover, members of the Liriope family are often planted on hard-to-mow slopes and banks.
Liriope are tough little guys, growing in sandy or clay soil, enduring heat, drought and even salt spray. However, they do not like “wet feet” so they are best planted in moist but well-drained soil.
Liriope Variegated
The long, grass-like foliage has a bright green “stripe” running the length of each leaf framed each side with edges of creamy pale yellow. Purple flower spikes appear in summer followed by blue-black berry-like fruit in the fall.
Creeping White Phlox
Also known as Phlox subulata, this is another good option for planting on slopes and banks where you’d prefer to avoid mowing. Growing 4 to 6 inches high and around 18 inches wide, it is covered with blossoms in May and June.
In addition to groundcover, Creeping Phlox looks good in rock gardens, atop retaining walls and in hanging planters. Look for other Creeping Phlox varieties in red, emerald blue, apple blossom and candy stripe.
Good things really can come in small packages, so don’t overlook “little guys” like these as you plan your spring planting.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org
