Ground Cover

Don’t be boring here – think of ground cover as a creative opportunity and not just a functional form of weed control. Why not allow Euonymus fortunei kewensis to grow and mat together, and then clip into subtle ebbing waves? Ignore your inclination to go vertical with ivy and train it horizontally. Cut shapes into it to frame larger and taller sculptural forms that will also help to shade it. Our Hedra helix “Tres Coupe’ is ideal for this. It’s dense, compact, and possibly the neatest ivy. Other ‘carpeting shrublets’ (to quote Hillier’s manual), such as Pachysandra, can be nurtured to fill space or trail elegantly. The fleshier and more exotic Lampranthus spectabilis is tactile and voluminous with masses of little icy-bright purple flowers. For something beguilingly delicate, despite its dense and evergreen habit, there is the versatile Muehlenbeckia complexa, for loose cascades of enchanting ellipsoidal little leaves. Sun or shade there should be something here to inspire your creativity.