Increasingly, colored islands of ground cover perennials cover the adjacent territories. These are spectacular plants that allow you to create unique landscapes, set the right accents and hide landscape imperfections. In the article we will provide the names, characteristics and photos of the most popular flowers, consider the main recommendations for caring for them.
General information
The advantage of ground cover perennials is that they can be used to fill the unsightly voids that are on any personal plot. They are able to grow even where lawn grass cannot always take root. For example, under trees with a dense crown or on stony soil.
Too wet places or sandy soil contributes to the formation of wastelands that spoil the appearance of the entire territory. Such flaws can be corrected by planting plants that act as a decorative soil cover. The main thing is to choose the right type of perennial. They are drought-resistant, moisture-loving, shade-tolerant and light-loving. There isplants that tolerate harsh winter conditions.
Agrotechnical benefits of perennials
First of all, creeping flowers are planted as decoration for borders, flower beds and discounts. Ground cover perennials are also used for the garden, in combination with stone elements. However, this is not the only task of these wonderful lawns. It turns out that they are able to facilitate the work of the owners on the plot. Here are some of the benefits you can get from plants:
- In the 2nd-3rd year, the flowers cover the soil cover so tightly that weeds can no longer get through. Work on the cultivation of the site will have in the first year of life of creeping rugs.
- Protect the fertile soil layer from being washed out during heavy rains, especially in sloped areas. When the soil is less blown by the wind, it retains moisture and nutrients. Plants are doing their job here as well.
- If you intend to develop wastelands on your site in the future, then perennials will help preserve and improve the fertility of the land in these places, saturating it with oxygen. Thus, to some extent, they perform the functions of a green manure plant.
- And the last thing - they successfully hide landscape defects.
Saxifrage
The saxifrage has gained considerable popularity in landscape design. The plant found its place among the stones. As if dissecting them, the perennial deftly makes its way between the cracks and any depressions where there is at least a little soil. Andthis is not surprising, because in nature its favorite habitats are mountain slopes, rocks and other rocky hills.
These wonderful flowers manage to realize themselves in a fairly short time. They create picturesque coatings in the form of lush lumps with delicate small flowers. There is a photo of the saxifrage in our review. It looks great in small plant combinations, forming a bright island.
Suitable conditions: the tenacious flower loves the sun and a little moisture, but so that the soil has time to dry out between waterings. Before planting, it would be a good idea to embed a small amount of limestone rubble into the ground. The saxifrage grows well on moderately fertilized soils. However, it all depends on the type. For example, there are shade-loving species that thrive on the north side.
There are about 30 varieties of this plant. The most common of them are: soddy mossy, tupolistnik (cotyledon), saxifrage luxuriant, colaris, saxifrage-juvenile.
Sedum
A group of undersized ground cover perennials is an indispensable find for rock gardens and garden plots. They form bright clearings, bloom very profusely and have a wide range of varieties:
- Sedum rocky blooms in August, has gorgeous descending shoots with densely arranged dove-colored leaves. The color of the flowers is bright crimson.
- Sedum (sedum) spatulate blooms in July. Its peculiar leaves in their shape resembleroses.
- Mountain stonecrop is characterized by small, long leaves and yellow flowers. A beautiful rug pleases the eye throughout the summer.
- Sedum thick-leaved with original round leaf plates releases its white flowers in June. The mat itself is not high, but it pulls the ground well and forms a very thick bluish-white mass.
- Sedum Eversa blooms in early summer, has pink flowers.
- Sedum is characterized by taller growth and smaller leaves. In June, it produces green and yellow flowers in the form of stars.
- Sedum false - a bright hybrid with multi-colored leaves of green shades. Flowers are different - white, pink, red. Having acquired such a plant, it will be possible to admire the colorful creeping bedspreads throughout the summer.
Growing conditions: sedum, or stonecrop, likes to grow in sunny places, it will not bloom for a long time in the shade. Grows on any type of soil, abundant watering is not required. It is able to grow in places with a minimum amount of soil. Using this feature, you can create a decorative planter from it or plant a stonecrop inside a log.
Wooly cleaner
Winter-hardy ground cover perennial that retains decorative qualities throughout the year. In the people, this plant is known as "sheep's ears". All its beauty lies in unusual leaves. Greenish-gray plates are covered with white fluff with a silvery sheen. In spring, white flowers bloom against a noble background. Themmust be cut after flowering. Firstly, this will enable the leaves and bushes in general to grow better, they will become thicker and richer. Secondly, dry flower stalks will spoil the appearance of the rug.
Conditions: Chistets grows in well-lit places, neither heat nor drought are terrible for him. But he does not tolerate stagnant water and with excessive moisture can die. Sandy, rocky soil is suitable for it, so it is good to plant it on alpine slides. Thanks to the silver color of the leaves, it will fit well into the mixed border.
Periwinkle
This well-known plant can rightfully be called evergreen and the most hardy. Since ancient times, the periwinkle has been decorating the backyards of private houses. It is one of the shade-tolerant ground cover perennials, forms an elastic dense canvas of rich green color. In a simple periwinkle, the flowers are blue in color. Thanks to a breakthrough in the field of floriculture, the range of shades of this plant has replenished.
There is a variety of perennial with blue flowers and a white border. Often in the compositions of rabatok there is a periwinkle of pink, red and raspberry shades. New varieties are well planted in the near-trunk part of the trees. Cheerful islands in the shade cheer up on a hot day.
Growing conditions: periwinkle is extremely unpretentious, spreads quickly and suppresses various types of weeds. Stony soil and shaded areas are its usual environment. More than 6 years can exist in one place.
Drought resistant plants
Unpretentious ground cover perennials include felt stalks. This is a very pretty creeping grass. She comes to life in early spring and looks attractive until late autumn. At the end of spring, many white flowers appear on long cuttings. It is advisable to cut them immediately after flowering, since they themselves do not fall off. Dry peduncles remain on the bushes for a very long time and do not harmonize with the aesthetic appearance of the plant. Felt sapling has an incredibly fast ability to grow. To save herself from the time-consuming process of digging up extra bushes, she needs to create powerful borders. It would be good to dig fences into the ground to stop the roots of the plant.
Where it is better to plant: the rug is able to develop on poor soil in direct sunlight. The sapling blooms especially abundantly in elevated areas. In low-lying damp places, its root system may rot.
Another drought-resistant representative is creeping thyme. It is a widespread medicinal plant found in hilly terrain, steppes and along roadsides. Thyme, as it is also called, is increasingly being used in the design of personal plots. It has original purple flowers and a pleasant characteristic aroma. Suitable for decorating garden paths with stones and carpet combinations in combination with other creeping flowers.
Planting requirements: has a high survival rate, grows in the poorest and driest sandy areas. Heabsolutely does not need top dressing. It is good to combine with conifers. An ideal place for growing it is a decorative garden bed with various spices.
Creeping
Styloid Phlox is one of the brightest creeping ground cover perennials. It covers vast areas with a motley carpet and becomes a real pride of the garden. There are three colors of flowers: white, crimson and purple. The first time blooms at the end of May, the second - in September. At the same time, numerous colorful flowers overshadow the greenery - the leaves are barely visible through the bright rug. Phlox will look good against the background of plants with decorative large leaves.
Care: for a bright garden dweller, you need to prepare loose alkaline soil with the addition of dolomite flour and sand. The plant may not tolerate stagnant moisture. Winter shelter is mandatory for him. This will also protect it from excessive moisture during spring snowmelt.
Carnation grass is considered a winter-hardy ground cover perennial. It perfectly tolerates harsh conditions and frosts. The plant forms a fairly dense network of roots. Shoots of medium size during flowering are directed upwards. It has narrow light green leaves. It has an unusually pleasant aroma and has a long flowering period (from early June to mid-July). The flowers are crimson, shaped like stars.
Where to plant: Compared to other perennials, cloves are more demanding. She loves fertile land and sunny places. It does not bloom in shaded areas.
Landing
Already mentioned a little about the requirements of perennial ground cover. Each individual species reacts differently to lighting, humidity and soil composition. Therefore, when planting flowers, these factors must be taken into account. Important are such details as the area of free space, the style of decoration and the combination with other plantings. Consider the general rules for growing decorative rugs:
- Choosing the right place for flowers should be based on their varietal characteristics. It is important to know that plants should be planted on poor soil. Enriched, nutritious soil significantly reduces the number of flowers. An excess of substances will go into the growth of the bush even during its vegetative development. When buying seeds, you need to immediately find out all the nuances of caring for plants, because among them there are those that still need to be fed.
- Sowing ground cover perennials is carried out in April or September. In subsequent years, a clearing of plants is corrected by dividing, bush, cuttings and cutting off excess shoots. The seedless method involves planting shoots at a certain distance, taking into account their further growth.
- Immediately you need to think about the fence, since most creeping plants fill the free space very quickly and can kill other flowers.
- It is not recommended to remove stems with faded flowers. In winter, they perform a number of usefulpurposes: they die off on their own, dry out, rot and fertilize the soil, serve as a mulch layer for the roots.
Design guidelines
Among modern summer residents, planting perennial ground cover flowers has long become commonplace. They are best used in the design of miniature flower beds and compositions. In such decisions, attention should be paid to the height of the rug. For example, with the help of Rogersia, you can decorate wider open spaces, sedum or carnation will perfectly decorate a small area.
If you are going to plant several types of plants in one flower garden, then they need to be combined in groups. Lower perennials are placed in the foreground, the shape and shades of flowers should be combined with each other.
Ground cover perennials of the same species should be planted in batches, otherwise the flower bed will look poor. They are also used as fences for other flower beds.
When forming flower beds, you need to visually represent their future background. After all, the plants will spread, close together and will look different. In this case, you need to immediately allocate a margin of space.
Conclusion
In this review, only some of the available varieties of creeping plants were presented. Thanks to a wide range, you can always find the right plant for individual decorations. When designing your site, use the ideas from our article. For example, a photo of a saxifrage against a background of stones looks quite impressive. Perhaps you will notice an extraordinary member of the groupsedum, spreading its rich carpet of gray leaves.
