Plants for growing through gravel

Jenny_Aster

Just built a shed, it's standing on a 'shed-base' that's filled with gravel. I quite like the base as it's free draining so there's no chance of wood sitting on water. 

I'm planning to extend the plastic 'shed-base' either side of the shed, the left side to store the household rubbish and recycling bins, plus a wormery. The right side will be just a path to access a small water butt and raised veg bed. 

What I'm aiming for is to break up all hard edges, including pavers' edges with a few plants. I can scratch away some gravel and weed membrane at the edges of the plastic shed-base, and/or empty some of the 'cells' so I can sow/plant some young plants or seeds. I'm thinking of rockery/Mediterranean type plants (that don't need much water) like lavender, nasturtiums, London Pride... plants that perhaps wouldn't look like weeds poking through an unkept area.

What do you think? Do you know of good natured plants that'll fit in nicely?

It's looking pretty ugly at the base of the shed, so while I like the idea of ventilation under the base, I think it would look better to have a few plants to divert eyes from the gap. I know the gap would make a lovely home for rats or mice, so I'm looking to not make them welcome if that's possible.

M33R4

Any plants will need food and a pure gravel base I doubt will work. You will need to mix in lots of organic matter and have it free draining to give them a chance. Grasses tend to do well in such environments. There is another post on here with lots of advice on this. 

https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1070965/south-facing-gravel-shrubs-easy-to-propagate#latest

Jenny_Aster

M33R4 said:

Any plants will need food and a pure gravel base I doubt will work. You will need to mix in lots of organic matter and have it free draining to give them a chance. Grasses tend to do well in such environments. There is another post on here with lots of advice on this. 

Thanks for your thoughts, I suppose the other alternative is place a few pots around the shed. The paver path is used a lot for access from the front to the back garden without going through the house, so I'm trying not to place 'obstacles' in the way. 

Fairygirl

I doubt you'd have enough light/sun for Med plants, unless I 'm not getting the right idea of the space you want to plant into.
Plants won't stop rats or mice either.
Can you pinpoint the areas you intend planting into, and give info on the amount if light? 
Lots of plants will be fine, but it depends on the amount of light, moisture etc. Ajuga and London Pride will be fine without any help though, but if you have very dry conditions, the LP might struggle.
Most plants that grow in gravel and little else tend to need bright conditions though - Aubretia, Arabis etc. If it's shady it's more difficult. 

Jenny_Aster

Yes I think it's going to be difficult. Not much sun I'm afraid. The shed is East/West with the door facing South, but it's shaded most of the day by the house. Think the only way plants will catch the sun will be for a few weeks in the middle of summer when the sun is high. Maybe Mexican Fleabane? Some Sedums? 

Topbird

I think Mexican Fleabane & sedums would also prefer a sunny spot but never say never...

If you'd like to grow some flowering plants I'd try to find some cheap packs of small alpines or plug plants, make the growing conditions as good as you can by scooping gravel out of the cells and replacing with gritty compost before planting and top dressing with gravel / shingle. I think immature plants might be easier to deal with and will grow into their spaces as opposed to planting more mature specimens.

I have small pinks, gold oregano aubretia growing in partial shade even though they'd prefer a sunny spot - and they're fine. 

Sempervivums will cope with only a little soil and I have those growing in partial shade too.

B3

Ivy leafed toadflax would grow there and a plant with delicate leaves and yellow flowers grows in the dust in our alleyway. It was identified for me last year but I can't  remember what it was. You might consider both of these to be weeds but they will grow in dry shady gravel 

Plantminded

I use Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae in dry, shady, difficult areas of my garden.  I like the acid green flowers in spring, plus it's evergreen and easy to remove if it gets too well established.  I wonder whether tight rolls of chicken wire, covered with weed membrane and inserted under the edge of your shed like draught excluders may help reduce (but not prevent!) intruders from making their home underneath.

didyw

Erigeron (Mexican fleabane) grows in any gap in or beside the concrete path in my garden and in another area, between the house and outhouse (also concreted) a little white corydalis happily grows.  I think both the erigeron and the corydalis seeded themselves from plants I had in pots years ago.

B3

Yellow Corydalis! That's the one I couldn't think of @didyw

RBManc

I tried an experiment when I was in a situation similar to yours - I had a random gravel strip at the side of the garage which looked awful as the gravel had gotten mossy and discoloured. I mixed a bit of topsoil with some nigella seeds and then made a separate mix of topsoil and shirley poppy seeds - I scattered the mix over the gravel, gently watered it in and quite a few did pop up. They're only annuals but do have a tendency to self-seed if you want them to keep going.