Benefits of favourite lowgrowers

Ground cover plants serve a variety of purposes and can make the garden look great all year round. They suppress weeds by limiting the amount of light that reaches the soil, reducing the number of unwanted seeds that germinate. Ground cover lessens the likelihood of soil being eroded by wind or rain, and the plants’ roots will add to and support the essential mix of life within the soil. Ground cover plants also provide

shelter for wildlife. There is a wide selection of plants that provide cover for the soil during summer and autumn and I love the impact that those herbaceous plants provide in our borders. But for the winter and early spring. months, the choices are less obvious.

Here are some exciting evergreen and semievergreen ground cover plants that provide texture, colourful flowers or berries, or have interesting leaves.

1. Glandora prostrata ‘Heavenly Blue’

Here’s a gem for well-draining loam or sandy soil, though it will fail to thrive in heavy and waterlogged soils. It prefers full sun, although I’ve seen it growing under a tree on a south-facing spot. Also known as Lithodora diff usa ‘Heavenly Blue’, this evergreen plant forms a mat across the ground, reaching up to 50cms (19.6in) spread and only 15cm (6in) high. It has dark green leaves and intense blue flowers during spring and summer. If your soil is heavy and water-retentive, try growing in a raised bed.

2. Rhododendron Bloombux (‘Microhirs3’) (Inkarho)

Left unchecked, this miniature rhododendron will grow to 100cm (3.5ft) high and spread, but pruning each year will keep it as a lowgrowing, evergreen ground cover plant. I spotted this at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire, where they are using it as an alternative to box hedging. In late spring or early summer, it produces plenty of pale pink fl owers which look great against the fresh green new growth. Grow in full sun or partial shade and on most soils except chalk, as it needs acid or neutral soil and a sheltered position. Avoid planting on a north-facing site. Prune immediately after flowering, so that you don’t remove next year’s flower buds.

3. Bergenia purpurascens var. delavayi

For many years, I didn’t like the plant commonly known as ‘elephants’ ears’, although I must have been in the minority as they seemed to be in every suburban garden where I lived. More recently, I have started to rather like them, having seen them providing ground cover in shrubberies and on the edges of woodland gardens. In theory, this plant is a little fussier than many other low-growing plants, but I have

seen it thriving in lots of situations. The thick, rubbery leaves are dark green to bronzy-purple, and although they have a slightly erect habit to 40cm (15.7in) height, will form a ground covering clump up to 50cm (19.6in) spread or more. The colour becomes more intense during cold

weather and where there are good light levels. Clusters of white or pink flowers appear on erect stems in spring. Grow in full sun or partial shade. It prefers loamy, moist, but well-drained soil but may fail to thrive in clay and chalk soils.

4. Epimedium ‘Spine Tingler’

I was excited to spot this variety recently because, unlike most epimedium, the leaves of ‘Spine Tingler’, or ‘Sphinx Twinkler‘ as it’s sometimes known, are elongated with spiky edges. They drape elegantly to form a spreading clump of evergreen ground cover. The new leaves have a bronze-red tinge and the yellow and white flowers appear in spring. Height 25cm (10in) and spread 75cm (29.5in). It

grows well in full shade and partial shadeand in most soils. It is hardy in most areas, but in a severe winter or very dry period it may lose some leaves, making it a semi-evergreen option.

5. Gaultheria procumbens

This is one of those plants that you may not notice for much of the year, but in autumn you can hardly miss it! Small, pink or white flowers that appear in summer are followed by bright, non-edible berries in late summer and autumn. The leaves may have a red tint during winter, adding to the attractive qualities of this lowgrowing

evergreen shrub. Height 15cm (6in), spreading slowly, but indefi nitely. The leaves are aromatic when crushed, but this plant is non-edible. It grows well in full and partial shade on any aspect.