Author Topic: groundcover herb  (Read 4313 times)

rdak

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groundcover herb
« on: December 29, 2003, 16:20:27 »
hi
am looking for a perennial herb that will provide quick groundcover for a border.
must be able to survive winters in SE England.
Preferably something that won't grow higher than a 3 foot or so; and also would prefer something that is not going to self-seed all over the garden.

Primary aim is to cover bare soil to prevent cats digging and secondary aim something that attracts beneficial insects.

know of anything that fits the bill?
thanks
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

cleo

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2003, 20:17:01 »
ummmm-tricky,it`s the quick growing that floors me,I may be off the mark here but would have suggested lavender,rosemary(it can be cut back) and hyssop.

They would be good in a border and would certainly attract bees and butterflies-but would not be an instant fix.

Stephan
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Mrs Ava

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2003, 20:38:18 »
What about thymes?  Low growing ground covery, altho in my experience not the fastest, covered in lovely flowers and the bees and fluterbyes love them!  Mine are evergreen and have formed wonderfully scented mounds, and you can get them in various colours.
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

rdak

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2003, 21:41:12 »
thanks for suggestions.

Creeping Thyme definately seems a good idea. Lemon Balm is another idea, as is fewerfew.
Not exactly herbs- but apparently violas, cotton lavender and ox-eye daisy make good hardy groundcover as well
thanks
:)
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Hyacinth

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2003, 22:07:30 »
I've got thymes and my all-time fave, golden marjoram - just love that acid-yellow colour and the perfume's wonderful. Don't find they take long to establish at all.

Leave off the feverfew!! Now that's a thug I regret ever having introduced and it seeds like billy-o. After about 5 years of trying I've (perhaps) just managed to eradicate it.

Lemon balm...when I had it in a confined space, it was great. So great I moved some into the great outdoors. Mistake. It's become invasive & without digging everything up I can't completely eradicate it (not wanting to use a systemic.)

Violas are pretty and prolific, but I don't think they'd make the dense cover you're looking for?

Where do you live, btw? Anywhere near B'ham & you're welcome to some mounds of thyme/golden marjoram in March. - Lishka
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Suze_O

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2003, 22:38:34 »
My neighbour gave me a cutting of  plant last year, which I  believe is called a perennial wallflower.  It grows to about 2' has long grey'green leathery leaves, blooms constantly, long shoots of magenta flowers, sea of butterflies and bees. It is in full bloom even now.  Also, I have been told, comes  in yellow and peach.

Otherwise I would say lavendar, rosemary, sedum, echinops.
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Palustris

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2003, 22:45:27 »
Violas are the biggest seed weeds you can imagine. We bought 6 half dead plants for 30p. Now the whole of a border 12 feet by 60 feet is covered in seedlings. Mind they are very pretty and we remove them when we need the space, but be warned.
Thyme is good, but it does require very well drained soil in full sun to really thrive. We have never had much success with it here.
Feverfew is a bad weed, seeds are persistent, will come up years after you have removed the last plant.
Have a look at a book called Plants for Groundcover by Graham Stuart Thomas. It is a RHS book. Very good and some different ideas.
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »
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tim

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2003, 23:12:23 »
I was into the marjoram idea, until I checked on our acres of it and confirmed that all the leaves have already gone. Otherwise - quite quick and good flowers. = Tim
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

gavin

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2003, 00:36:47 »
Hi rdak - thyme'd be worth trying; they've done a good ground-cover type job in a small herb-bed I have (and squeezed out the golden marjoram - thugs!), and bumble bees and hover-flies love the stuff.

All best - Gavin
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Garden Manager

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2003, 12:45:47 »
Quote
thanks for suggestions.

Creeping Thyme definately seems a good idea. Lemon Balm is another idea, as is fewerfew.
:)


Lemon balm!!!

Well you will certainly get a quick effect there. Very invasive.

Had a clump of it in the garden when we moved here 7 years ago.  Soon dug it up but even now bits keep popping up.  Needs to be restricted like mint.
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Hyacinth

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2003, 18:02:23 »
I've got a purple sage bush that's low and mound-y, unlike my regular green sage bushes which are tall, but can't remember how many years it took to reach the circumference it now has - poss. 4?  It doesn't die-back and lose its leaves in the winter, also, as the 'common' sage does.

If you plant hoping to deter cats with eventual cover, think I'd plant my this'n'that. and in between plant with something like pulmonaria - lungwort - soldiers & sailors? - pretty variagated leaf & blue and pink flowers from early spring. They clump up beautifully for me, but can easily be pulled up & moved when other things start spreading. I find it really useful. - Lishka
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »

Muddy_Boots

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Re: groundcover herb
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2003, 05:35:09 »
Thymes are the best!  And so many varieties.  As Lish say, Pulminaria is gorgeous but slightly tempremental (sp) about where it will grow and seed!  Cammomile is another but careful with feverfew, very prolific but can become a menace! The curled leaf parsleys aren't too bad and, being in SE myself, know they survive through the winter as do the others mentioned above!  Another worth trying as an experiment is the trailing rosemary!  Marjoram produces a nice mounded plant although not strictly ground covering.  Come back to the start, creeping thyme is the very best for ground cover!
« Last Edit: January 01, 1970, 01:00:00 by 1077926400 »
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