Groundcover: Forget-Me-Not

Forget-me-not makes a fantastic groundcover for areas that get a lot of shade. It will bloom in part shade or full sun but it does tend to wither in full Saskatchewan sun. It is a biennial that self-seeds so it does not take long to grow from a few plants into a very large patch. My patch has white and blue flowers. The blue flowers fade to pink so at more than one point each year, there are 3 colours of blooms in this spot. I grow Forget-me-not in 2 spots here. This shady spot, under trees and with Hosta and in a sunny spot where it needs afternoon protection provided by an old slide. One of the nicest things about Forget-me-not is that you can pretty much ignore it and get at least 3 waves of blooms in a single patch. If you treat it nice, you will get more! 

contributed by member Danielle Carrier

Groundcover: Pinks

The name is deceptive since Pinks are not always pink. There are many varieties of what we commonly call Pinks and all of them are great groundcover.

One of the nicest things about Pinks is that their foliage does not look weedy at all. It is clear, even when they are not blooming, that they are a plant. And quite pretty foliage it is.

Flower size and colour can vary but none of them become large, tall plants or have big flowers. There are pink, red and white blooming varieties. Foliage ranges from blue to dark green and most shades of green between. This makes them very versatile in every garden.

Some of them are spring blooming and slow spreading while others bloom all season long and spread faster with seeds that germinate easily in the garden. All of them are delightful!


contributed by member Danielle Carrier

Groundcover: Anemone

My other favourite is Anemone. It reseeds itself and can become quite invasive if you don't keep an eye on it. I don't know much about it, just that my father always grew them and I planted this one in his memory. I think it might be Snowdrop.

 

contributed by member Hazel MacMurchy

 

Editor's Note: I grow Anemone as well and it likes sun or shade. It is very reliable but finishes blooming early in the season. Luckily, the foliage is quite pretty on its own.

Groundcover: Goutweed

Goutweed is often confused with Snow-in-Summer but there are big differences. For one, goutweed is very, very invasive. I do not recommend planting it where you cannot contain it. If you have a spot to contain it, it can be absolutely lovely and fill a lot of empty space really quickly. In addition, if kept out of our hot afternoon sun, it looks good all season as well.

Goutweed is a part shade plant. Leaves will burn and curl in very hot sun. It grows about 24" but does not sit up that high. Instead it kind of flops over into mounds of minty green and white.

The flowers are insignificant white, airy things that sit well above the leaves on thin stalks that shoot upward. It is best to cut these off before they go to seed because Goutweed will spread both by root and by seed and it spreads fast!

I grow it all along my drive edge at the lower level where it lives under the cover of a lot of trees. Only goutweed would do this well along this wall. I do have to ruthlessly pull it back from overtaking the drive about twice a year. The display is worth the effort.

Warning: Do not plant Goutweed in your garden proper unless you want only Goutweed growing within a year or two. It is difficult to get rid of once established.

contributed by member Danielle Carrier

Groundcover: Alyssum

One of my favorite perennial groundcovers is perennial Alyssum. Mine is 'Pot of Gold'.

 

Started from seed and does need cleaning up in the spring of dead parts but will bless you with lots of lovely yellow blooms. Lasts most of the summer, but is finished blooming by mid August. It needs sun and of course some water, but is generally an easy keeper.

 

contributed by member Hazel MacMurchy

Groundcover

No garden is complete without a groundcover or two. Mine has several more than two! Groundcovers fall into many, many categories. There are traditional groundcovers, some bloom, some don't, some are tall, some are small, some are self-seeding, some spread by root, some spread by root and self-seed, many are invasive and must be contained. And then there are all the plants that are not actually groundcovers but can easily be used as such.

Groundcover can be used to line a fence, wall or path. They can be used to drape down a wall or cascade out a plant pot. They can fill in bare spots or completely take over your garden. I have been thinking a lot about groundcover lately, as I try to contain some of the more invasive ones in my garden and look to divide others. What I have found is that it is always a good idea to think before planting with groundcovers. Although the slow spreading types can be played with, moved around and highlighted in the garden, the invasive types are almost impossible to get rid of once they take hold. One of the big benefits is that all groundcover are very good at keeping weeds at bay.

Consider adding a few groundcovers to your garden! Stay tuned for our plant profile posts featuring groundcovers!

This article adapted from that originally published in Let's Get Growing!July 2013. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, sign up here!