W HEN I AM GONE, SOME OF THE PLANTS HERE WILL PERISH, TOO; any finicky or timid ones will get swamped by their more ambitious neighbors. But not the great groundcovers, not Geranium macrorrhizum (above) or the toughest epimediums and others content to keep growing whether I pay them any mind or not, even in the hardest spots like the dry shade of trees. To knit things together without a lot of fuss, I’ve come to rely on plants like these:
Geranium macrorrhizum, the big-root geranium: I wonder how many square miles of this plant I have grown. The bigroot geranium is so named because instead of a clumping habit, it grows from a ropelike rhizome that seems to barely need to touch the ground to thrive. Its attractive foliage has an aromatic, spicy scent, and is nearly evergreen even in my Zone 5B garden.
It will survive, I think, except in the wet; sun or shade, and even dry shade. All I give it is an annual haircut, and I do that when spring is turning to summer, the flowers have gone by and the leaves are stretching upward. Deadheading would be another option, but just shearing the whole plant is faster in masses, and also keeps it tighter and denser.
The straight species is pink (but not pastel); if Pepto Bismol isn’t going to work for you, there is the more prim ‘Ingwersen’s Variety,’ with nearly white blooms (and a less rampant overall demeanor, too, I think).
Epimediums, or barrenworts: Thanks in large part to the passion of Darrell Probst, the esteemed Epimedium collector and founder of Garden Vision Epimediums nursery in Massachusetts, a dizzying selection of the charming barrenworts is now in the marketplace. I have some choice ones, but two of the less rarified (and therefore less expensive) varieties have served me particularly well for groundcover: E. x rubrum (above, slower but steady, and very floriferous) and E. versicolor ‘Sulphureum,’ (more ambitious from the start, with early yellow blooms, a real do-er, as they say).
Shady locations suit epimediums, and once established they can really take it dry. In fact, their woody rhizomes will resent a wet spot, and rot. Like many woodlanders with these woody underground parts, I find they like an intervention every now and again: When a clump gets really full, I go in and divide it, and repeat my success elsewhere with the divisions.
Plan to cut back their nearly evergreen foliage in late winter, as we have discussed before.
I highly recommend calling or writing for a catalog from Garden Vision, now owned by Karen Perkins, who has worked with Darrell since the operation’s founding in 1997. A website is in the works, but for now: (978) 249-3863 or email to epimediums at earthlink dot net.
Hellborus orientalis hybrids: At the risk of repeating myself, the hybrid hellebores (massed above) are incredibly durable, increasing as their evergreen clumps widen and also by sowing themselves liberally around. The crash course on these toughies (and a slideshow of some beauties).
Trachystemon orientalis is a fourth great groundcover lurking here at A Way to Garden, one I’m about to press into wider service than I have until now. Trachystemon orientalis, with its blue early spring flowers and bold, heart-shaped foliage from spring through fall, will put up with almost anything. You may recall my saying so not long ago.
Do you have areas where a one of these would help thwart weeds, shade the soil, and just tie things together visually? Or do you have any other reliable great groundcovers to recommend?
Two more good shade groundcovers that work well for me upstate are Salvia koyamae, a pale yellow Fall-Blooming salvia for shade and Saruma henryi, a Spring-blooming yellow flowered Asarum relative. They both look great with Symphytum grandiflorum, which was already mentioned. The Symphytum has some Winter presence, but the two others are completely deciduous. All tolerate dry shade and if you add Disporum lanuginosum and Disporum sessile ‘Variegatum’ you get some height and even more foliar interest and more cream and yellow floral color.
Dear Margaret,
I’m a recently reader of your fabulous blog.
I was happy to discover Trachystemon and I hope I’ll find it here (I’m near Montréal, Canada).
For my part, I just love Tiarella canadensis who is delicate yet a good performer as a groundcover.
I wish you a happy autumn!
Some ground covers that do well for me in my dry woods garden in Western North Carolina are Brunnera macrophylla (seeds and spreads and is not eaten by slugs like Jack Frost or Hadspen Cream), Aster divaricatus – the White Wood Aster, Carex siderosticha ‘Variegata’ and Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’. These last two grasses supposedly require more moist conditions than I provide but both are great ground covers for me. ‘All Gold’ planted 3 years ago has been divided this year to give me 12 new plants plus the old one, left in place, is already again 2 ft. wide. Granted we had a LOT of rain this year.
New this year for me are Heucherella ‘Redstone Falls’ and ‘Yellowstone Falls’. I planted them in midsummer from gallon containers and already they’re making new plants from runners. I think these two will be great ground cover additions for my dry woods.
Thanks, Jasmine. I bet you can mail-order it somewhere. I don’t know the Canadian places as well as the US ones, sorry to say. Tiarella is a charmer, you are right. Nice to see you, and thanks for saying hello.
for under my lilacs which are ancient and therefore leggy I have periwinkle. It creeps until it reaches a very sunny spot and then stays pretty compact. Its been around for such a long time that the purple blooms in spring are 2 ” in diameter.
Hi, Sarah F. Sounds like a pretty combination! Thanks for saying hello, and hope to see you again soon.
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (aka Hardy Plumbago, or less happily Blue Leadwort) is a wonderful groundcover. It seems to grow anywhere, sun or shade, moist or dry. I grew it up against the trunk of a maple, where the soil was like powder all summer. It’s about 8″ high, spreads slowly to maybe 18″ wide, strong but not invasive. Its shiny dark green leaves make a cool picture all summer, nice color and texture contrast with Hakonechloa, but come late summer, the blossoms of true sapphire blue come out, then seed heads tinged with red, and with the cool weather the leaves turn scarlet then mahogany. Completely reliable.
Martha, I’m the person who asked the question about possible plants before an impressive doorway, with some height, that would be located in heavy shade…but I don’t know where to find your answer. Could you possibly email it to me? I’ve checked the blogs, but get lost trying.
Thanks in advance, so much!
Sherrye
Aegopodium variegata is a wonderful ground cover used at the lovely “Gilroy Gardens” in Gilroy, California.
Hi, Karen. Here is goes mad and escapes all over the place — maybe because we have more rainfall. Interesting!
Have not grown the Trachystemon- will check it out. Love the other 3. Deer have left my Hellebores and Geranium macrorrhizum alone. Also like Vancouveria hexandra for tough dry shade. Do you grow it?
Hi, Carol. I believe I grew it years ago…now where the heck did that cousin of Epimedium go? :)