Not all gardens have room for a tree or even a sizable shrub, which is when ground cover plants come into their own. Numerous perennials, prostrate shrubs and vines can all be employed in containers, beds or as wall hangings to offer the colour, texture and form of larger plantings in many situations.
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From thick rhizomes, rosettes of large leathery leaves and stout stems of clusters of funnel-shaped flowers, bergenia or Siberian saxifrage is a useful plant when little else is in bloom. It tolerates poorish soil, frost and half shade whilst providing a no-fuss edging or ground cover. Several hybrids offer autumn leaf colour and either pink, white or red flowers.
Unlike the winter blooming frost sensitive florists cyclamen commonly used as an indoor plant, the frost hardy wild cyclamen hederifolium forms a a colourful carpet of glossy patterned foliage from autumn through to early summer following the autumn floral display. Buy them in punnets from local nurseries now and plant in semi-shade under deciduous trees or large shrubs.
Other bulbs that can be purchased in bulk economically are grape hyacinths and triteleia. Both produce a lasting display of spring colour in desirable shades of blue that will continue to increase over the years.
The blue flowered West Australian native ground covers dampiera linearis (spring and summer flowering) and lechenaultia biloba (winter, spring and summer) have many admirers. Both plants will spread by suckering in good conditions.
Larger areas of ground or banks can be well served by many of the low growing forms of grevillea often with their familiar ‘toothbrush’ flowers. A personal favourite is G.lanigera ‘Mt Tamboritha’ with its profusion of reddish-pink and cream racemes.
Thyme is better known as a culinary herb but many of numerous species and varieties make colourful ground cover planting most of the year round. Thyme foliage can be golden, green, bronze, blue-grey, silver or variegated with scents ranging from lemon to nutmeg while upkeep is minimal, needing little more than an annual clip after flowering.