Today is Black Friday — so take a break from the insanity and the physicalism , and think about a lush carpet of fragrant thyme beneath your feet , a promising patch of lamium or lamb ’s ear palisade your perennial with foliage and prime ; and the heart - shaped leaves of risky ginger hide out a tiny bloom that you may learn in leap .
Do n’t you sense well now ?
groundcover help nurseryman relax and that ’s one reason they are among the great plant for northerly gardens . When thinking about our 30 greatplant list , we could not limit ourselves to just one ground cover . There are too many wonderful choices . The benefits of groundcovers are many as well : They are tough plants that run to tolerate a broad range of soil and Lord’s Day condition ; they diffuse freely and surround shrubs , perennial and trees with a visually sympathetic carpet that connect lawn and garden ; they rise well on slopes , preventing erosion ; they blockade weeds and they keep the soil cool in hot weather condition . The University of Minnesota Sustainable Landscape Information Series has an informativearticleon ground cover and a long list of options .
Ground covers give texture and calm to the garden. This is ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga and lamb’s ears.
Here are four groundcovers to consider :
Wild Ginger(Asarum canadense)is native to deciduous timber floors , so it likes moist soil and shade . Its heart - regulate leaves cluster together to shape a floating carpet of green , but if you count carefully , you will find a diminutive flower near the ground in springiness . Native plant expertLynn Steinerrecommends planting baseless ginger with leap ephemerals , such as wake-robin and pasque bloom , because the peppiness will fill in after the ephemerals have faded .
Thyme(Thymus sp.)is a magnanimous group of herbaceous plant and ornamental , some of which are low - arise groundcovers . Many thymes can put up some calorie-free foot dealings , reach them a great choice around paths or endocarp walkways . The flower last a few weeks , lend another proportion to the leaf . Some democratic choices for Minnesota are Elfin mouse thyme ( Thymus praecox‘Elfin ’ ) , which is hard to USDA Zone 2 ; ‘ Doone Valley ’ sneak thyme , which as fragrant foliage and pink efflorescence ; and wooly thyme ( Thymus pseudolanuginosus ) , which has a more regal flower and count stunning in rock gardens . Like most herb , thyme prefer full sun and well - drained soil .
Ajuga(Ajuga reptans)is sometimes called bugle or bugleweed and is a very low - growing perennial with an early summertime flower . One of the most democratic cultivars of ajuga is ‘ Burgundy Glow ’ , which grow in shades of over-embellished , pink and green . Ajuga performs beautifully on a slope and we have ascertain large slopes underwrite with it , which is an arresting great deal when the flowers are in bloom . It ’s hardy to USDA Zone 3 .
BECOME A MEMBER
For garden tipsand to receiveNorthern Gardenermagazine in your mailbox , join the hort !
Some groundcovers, such as thyme, can take foot traffic. It feels lovely to walk barefoot on them.
You see why they call it sweet woodruff — so pretty.
