groundcover between stones
I'd like suggestions for a fairly flat-growing groundcover to plant between large flagstones that cut a path through a mixed border. I currently have Ajuga in there - it looks great but is an obstacle. You have to step over all the mounds. I also goofed and interplanted it with the wrong kind of thyme; it's about 6" tall and is taking over. The planting looks nice, but is difficult to walk through/around.
I'm looking for something fairly flat and tight-growing that will just fill in between stones and be fairly easy to control in the neighboring beds. I don't care if it flowers or not. The exposure is mostly sun and I'm in Zone 9. I hope someone out there can suggest a couple of candidates. I'm taking out the Ajuga and thyme asap. Thanks and happy autumn.
Edited 10/1/2006 7:05 pm by veronica320
Edited 10/1/2006 7:06 pm by veronica320
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Boy! I wish I knew the name of our ground cover that came with the house. It's evergreen in the PNW, it doesn't require watering, it thrives in the greenhouse in the summer when temps continually top 100 degrees, it thrives in the yard, and it's all of about 1/2 inch tall! If you were close by, I'd say just come dig it up. It would be perfect for your flagstones!
How about one of the little sedums? S. reflexum, floriforum, ellacombianum and kamtschaticum all grow under 6" high and have attractive foliage.
Chicagoland Zone5
Chicagoland Zone5
"Well I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused." D. McManus
Corsica mint?
ok the lowest growing one i found is Mentha requienii, creeping mint.
1/2" to 2" in height.
good luck!
You should visit the website Stepables.com. (Sorry, I still don't know how to link yet.)
Chicagoland Zone5
Chicagoland Zone5
"Well I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused." D. McManus
www.stepables.com
just don't forget to type the dubya dubya dubya first, and this site will automatically create a link.
Edited 10/4/2006 9:12 pm ET by msm-s
Thanks for the advice -- I'll go play in the Sandbox and give it a try.
Chicagoland Zone5
"Well I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused." D. McManus
Chicagoland Zone5
"Well I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused." D. McManus
thank you for the link!! that was great!
I garden, there for I am!
Great website!
Well, I'm not versed in zone 9 and even less versed in all the thyme varieties .... but .... quick story that may help. There's a house in my neighborhood that was nicely landscaped by the original owner, sold to an investor and has been very erratically occupied by renters ever since - for about 3 years now.
The backyard paver patio has the most gorgeous, low growing creeping thyme of some variety that has filled in splendidly, is behaving well, very 'steppable' and obviously is very hearty as I'm sure it is not being spoon fed by the erratic tenants.
Took every fiber of my self control to not dig up 'just a little' to take home ..... but, I didn't do the deed - darn ! Anyway, come spring I'm going to try to ferret out this variety and get some of my own - I also have flagstones that need some 'in between green' .
So, you might want to do some thyme research ...... this one, whatever it is, is a real winner !
Just ask! Unless the current tenants are drug dealers or cavemen, I can't believe they wouldn't let you dig up a spoonful. All you have to do is catch them outside and casually saunter past...
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
LOL, SarahC ! I hate it when I'm so ethical ....... the house was vacant when I discovered the thyme and yet, I refrained from doing the deed. Well, now it's vacant again ..... I might not be so ethical this week ... :o)
Well, I've gotten some helpful responses. I do like thyme very much and have hoped to find a flat-growing cultivar locally. I learned that caraway thyme could be a good choice. Maybe that's what your neighbors have? And even if you can't bring yourself to 'commit the deed', perhaps you'd have an opportunity to ask them what it is? Might you go on bended knee, pleading that a Northern California garden is depending on the kindness of strangers?. Or something. Thanks for your suggestion, and admirable moral convictions.
Well, this has been a fun thread w/lots of good ideas and info - btw, I'm in North Carolina, rather than Northern California! :o) - anyway .......
Getting back to the 'groundcover between stones' original post, I may just snag some of that adorable thyme this weekend (the rental is vacant again and I don't think the neighbors will rat me out!), but am now questioning the wisdom trying to bring it home and get it established this late in the season. Furthermore, finally, finally I have some real moss emerging between my front yard flagstones and don't want to introduce another plant to compete - the moss is most desirable in this location. Also, should I 'water' the moss w/buttermilk (read that somewhere, long time ago) or is this the wrong season? Not sure what to do.
If it's not too late, the contraband thyme will be welcome in the back yard .... should I still try to snag some? In any event, I'm also considering some judicioous, beneficial 'pruning' of the Autimn Joy Sedums on same vacant, rental property. They are so lush and should I happen to find a stem or three falling over, was thinking they might winter over in pots here at my house ........ just a thought ..... sort of a passalong plant chain - sort of ..... am I simply horrible for thinking this way and contemplating the 'deed' ?
If your nerve fails, I can send you some autumn joy.
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
Thank you, SarahC - I did wimp out today (too much traffic), but will try again tomorrow and if I wimp out again, I'll sing out and let you know. Thanks again !
Okay, I did it .... snagged some sedum stalks from the vacant property and so far, no flashing lights, sirens or black helicopters!
But, now I really need some help - I have six 4' long sedum stalks and am not sure how to handle them at this time of year. Is there a sedum board somewhere? Or can y'all help me ?
These are definitely Autumn Joy - they look kinda scuzzy right now, the rust colored blooms have turned pretty black. The sedums I have in my garden were a passalong and they are now blooming/turning from white to lavender - me thinks they are a different hybrid of some sort. I was given two pots and advised that breaking a stem off, sticking it in the soil would yield two more ....... and so they did, but that was spring and this is now. The ones I just 'liberated' are very different. And now it is fall ..... and I'm not sure how to handle this ....
Is it too late to stick them in the ground? I can whittle them down, put them in pots and overwinter them either in the chilly (but above freezing) sunroom, or keep them real cozy in my guest bathroom (where I just installed a solatube skylight and have determined that the tub shall now become a 'potting shed' of sorts).
What do you all think I should do ? TYIA for any advice. :o)
In my experience Autumn Joy roots really easy, but this is a hard time to ask it to do it. It probably is thinking winter thoughts. Did you get any root with it? If you got a bit of root, I would just put it in a protected location outside and let it grow. If no root, try indoors in a pot. Keep damp but not wet. Put an upside-down peanut butter jar or cut-off clear 2L soda bottle over the cutting to keep it from drying out? Cross fingers. AJ offer stands because I have tons and can easily send, now or in spring...
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
Thank you, SarahC - really appreciate your input. What I pilfered are just cuttings, no roots. Since I'm in a more temperate clime here, I'm going to try it both ways - a couple in the soil outside in a protected area and more inside in pots in my newly discovered bathtub greenhouse.
This is more an experiment than anything - sheesh, Autumn Joy sedums are not exactly high level, rare designer plants, but I'm excited about propagating them thru unconventional means, if possible. All part of the delightful learning curve!
Meanwhile, I still am wondering about my existing passalong sedums - the white to lavender group, rather than the auburn to black crowd ....... any ideas?
Again, thanks - I'll keep you posted !
I got a really inspirational book from the library a couple of years ago. Making More Plants by Ken Druse. It was full of handy info about propagating. I read it for inspiration when I had a new new baby but now that baby is 4 I actually had time to try rooting some cuttings this spring. I had pretty good luck. Now if they all make it through the winter I'll be thrilled! The only thing that didn't work was the lilac cuttings. I really wanted some so I'm going to try again next year. I have an old lilac that is grafted, growing on a privet root. So of course all I have is one old gnarly nasty stem with a tuft on top, instead of a normal looking lilac bush. Besides taking cuttings, I tried chopping it down to 8" this summer. Maybe it will branch out, even if it does it off the ground (the graft is at about 4" up). If I can only root it I will tear it out and put an own-root identical one in the same place. It is a white double-flowered variety that I really like if only it wasn't so deformed via the graft.
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
zone 6 gardening in the woods with 30,000 deer
look for creeping thyme and no flowers stays low too.
Another thought is creeping Phlox- P. subulata - It takes occasional walking on (I've driven on the one in my driveway and haven't killed it yet) and loves growing over rocks w a few roots in well drained soil.
I'll second the miniature sedum- have some growing on my patio... not in the cracks but right on the (ancient) indoor/outdoor carpeting.
Vou might also vind some tiny veronicas that will grow in that location, but I think they usually like a bit more moisture than sedum or creeping phlox.
Selling plants from an orange box, and doing a bit of design on the side- LI NY, Zone 7ish...
Selling plants from the Orange box, and doing a little garden work on the side.
LI, NY, almost zone 7, but it's been warmer of late :)
creeping phlox is so pretty but i covers everything up creeping thyme is better i believe.dont spred as fast. and lower mat then phlox. although nice cover of flowers also if you dont want anything else in bed but i dont like it when grass grows in phlox very hard to get out. thyme has less root structure to get weeds out of also.
Everyone,
I started this whole thing looking for a tight-growing groundcover to replace the aguja between my stepping stones. The search is pretty much over for the season with the selection of Sedum anglicum, 'Perry's Green Stonecrop'. Have planted just enough to see what it does next season. I have all your suggestions stashed in case Perry doesn't work out - sure hope it does; it's a lovely little thing.
If it doesn't, creeping thyme is IT.
Thanks for all the great ideas.
Edited 12/2/2006 3:34 pm by veronica320
keep a close eye on that one i believe that is what i need to pull out cause it is crawling all over everythink in my bed .good luck. michigan beds about finished i have one nice yellow mum the bee loved it last warm day but we have had ice and snow and cold drop so maybe bees are gone and mum. I just moved some my creeping thyme to a rock water spot ,i have givin lots away in plant swaps but never moved in yard so i will have 2 spots.
I planted some Mazus Reptans this spring and it is doing very well between my stones. It has spread pretty fast, and I hope I don't find next year that I have planted a thug!
If my photos upload OK, you can see how low it grows. The color has been bright green all summer (RI, even in August) but now it's starting to turn.
Sumati
/Users/sumati/Desktop/100_2211.JPG
i have this was a hitch hiker from a swap i thought it would be nice in my mexican garden sedems and cactus but has took over the hole bed not to hard to get out but what a job.
VERONICA I HAVE THE GROUND COVER CREEPING THYME I LOVE IT NO FLOWERS AND NO WATERING LIKES SOME SHADE BUT DOES WELL IN MOST SUN. I HAVE ON SOME ROCKS AND SOME IN SHADE TOO. NICE AND FLAT. CREEPING THYME MIGHT WORK BETTER. I HAVE AJUGA BUT IT JUST TAKES OVER IN LAWN AREA .I HAVE PULLED LOTS UP. BUT IS PRETTY.
Veronica, I agree with Froggy. I have had experience with both ajuga and with creeping thyme. Creeping thyme is very low growing and fairly well behaved; ajuga got into everything at a place where I worked and could not be eradicated. It is pretty though.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.