Plants for Paved Areassubmitted on 16 May 2014
A fair proportion of gardens will have a paved area or path made up of paving slabs or similar, which is functional but not especially attractive. These areas can be improved by the addition of small plants set between the slabs, so here are some possibilities for you to consider.
There is a range of thymes which are suitable for planting among paving, such as Golden, Bressingham pink, red creeping, azoricus, and serpyllum album (white). Just make sure you plant the creeping variety rather than upright. Thyme is good for dry areas.
Corsican mint is good for damper and/or shadier sites, and enjoys fertile, damp sand. It frequently appears to die down in the winter and reappear somewhere completely different in the Spring.
Other suggestions for a shadier position include Spanish daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus) in the sunniest parts and an acaena such as Acena microphylla 'Copper Carpet' which looks great with the daisy and which will creep into the shade. Welsh poppies (Meconopsis cambrica) will seed around even in deep shade, can be cut back at any time in the summer and reflower endlessly.
Many small, creeping perennials will grow happily underfoot in walkways, patios and footpaths. Mosses and herbs are attractive and fragrant additions to patios, and although small in size, they can quickly cover large areas and stand up to conditions that larger plants can't survive. Plant them between patio stones and along paths to give a natural look.
Irish and Scotch moss, sagina subulata, are flowering ground covers that look like moss but aren't true mosses. They are ideal for planting in paving as they spread easily and survive foot traffic.
After planting, water your plants frequently until they have got established, but try to avoid waterlogging. They will appreciate a little fertilizer during their settling-in period and will need to be protected from foot traffic until they have spread entirely across their designated area. No plants enjoy having their leaves trampled, but will thrive if the roots and some of the foliage is between the cracks below the soles of passing feet.
You can also soften the appearance of hard paving with the use of the right plants set alongside the path - ones which will spread onto the paving. There are numerous plants which are suitable - Santolina, Nepetas and dwarf lavenders for example - and I will return to this subject in a future article.
|
|
