Landscape Ideas
Between pavers. This is probably the most common usage of ground covers, and rightly so, as it is extremely effective. Whether it is an informal approach with irregular stone slabs or a modern high-contrast aesthetic with modular pavers, ground covers fill in the spaces between stonework and create a surface that is visually appealing and functional. When selecting a ground cover for your paving project, make sure to choose a specimen that can handle foot traffic. One of my favorites is brass buttons (Leptinella squalida, USDA zones 4 to 10). As can be seen in this instance, Leptinella is a vigorous grower and forms a dense carpet of tiny fern-like foliage that is evergreen in temperate climates.
Around walls and hardscape features. Some ground covers are well suited to areas of a site where the grade change is defined by walls and other hardscape features. It can be challenging to integrate these features into the landscape, because their hard lines contrast the aesthetic of the surrounding softscape features. Baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii, zones 9 to 11) is a versatile ground cover that's well suited to this situation, since it flourishes with very little soil present and grows over hardscape features with little or no assistance. Brick walls take on a completely different appearance when they are blanketed in baby’s tears, and it is possible to create the impression that they have been there for centuries.
I'm lucky to have a high, south-facing wall in my garden that is perfectly suited for hanging baskets. Here I have installed a row of three simple arched brackets to hold identical planted cones. Over the past eight years, I have tried various plantings, both summer and winter, some more successful than others but always dependent on the vagaries of the British weather. From my traditional planting to this year's simple primary color scheme, there may be something to inspire you to plant your own cones.
A Busy Lizzie finale. I love the repetitive planting of three identical cones. The almost-rampant growth of these peach-colored Busy Lizzies (Impatiens walleriana) created living ice cream cones, and they need almost no maintenance other than watering and feeding. I grew these only one year, as 2010 plantings of Busy Lizzie succumbed to a new strain of downy mildew, causing them to wither and die. It became so bad that gardeners were advised not to plant them, and today it is difficult to find them for sale in British nurseries and garden centers.
A confetti of colors. Formerly known as 'Million Bells', Calibrachoa has been hailed as the perfect replacement for petunias in baskets and containers, as it will put up with rainy days without its blooms being adversely affected. This is the first year I've grown it, and it has loved our summer mixture of wet days and, unusual for Britain, high temperatures. I put only one plant into each cone, and they soon filled the baskets with a wonderful mixture of primary-color petunia-like blooms.
The bathroom's shower floor is tiled in a dark pebble tile. A narrow vanity and white wall tiles make the space feel larger.
Q