Forum home› Plants

Balls and mounds...

Steve the Gardening VetSteve the Gardening Vet Posts: 1,627
in Plants

I often see gardens with nice dense, low lying plants that form mounds or balls that are enough to stop the weeds growing underneath and need not too much maintenance. Any suggestions? Ideally something that will flower as the new bed I am setting up is to only have wildlife friendly plants!

«1

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,832

    Good weed suppressants for me are hardy geraniums and geums and herbaceous potentillas which give lots of flower colours and bee activity.    Pretty dog proof too.    Early in the season, pulmonarias with a range of foliage and flower forms and colours.    They all just need cutting back after flowering to refresh their foliage and maybe flower again.   Don't pick lanky geraniums like Rozanne and Ann Folkard.  Lots of others make neat mounds.

    If you like grasses, forms of carex buchananii mound well and wave about on the wind.  

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • OnopordumOnopordum Posts: 390

    Betony can form a very nice flowering mound - I grew from local seed a few years ago and it did very well. Dense, compact foliage and masses of flowers for the bees. Geums are similar (lots of cultivars available).

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,717

    I know she doesn't form a mound, but I love Ann Folkard.

    Devon.
  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    I'd second the hardy geraniums. There are so many and they'll provide a whole seasons colour especially when you cut back after the first flush. Alchemilla Mollis also works well providing a different shade of green.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,832

    I love AF too but she needs to be with other plants that will support her sprawling habit.   Same with Rozanne.

    For mound forming and sheer hardiness I like the macrorhizum geraniums best but good old Johnson's Blue is good here too and many more.

    Alchemilla mollis is too invasive here unless I cut off all those nasty (IMHO) acid flowers before they get pollinated.   

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Bonsai-MarcBonsai-Marc Posts: 444

    thanks for the post, im researching these now.  i need similar at no more than 25cm tall creating mounds

     

    purples, whites, dark reds maybe if any further suggestions?

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,832

    Have a look around the RHS Plant Selector on their website.  It lets you search by size, colour, soil conditions, aspect, shade etc.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Bonsai-MarcBonsai-Marc Posts: 444

    wow

     

    thanks obelixx

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,350

    Some of the Euphorbias will do the job. Hebes make mounds all by themselves too. Carexes are great for that use too  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Bonsai-MarcBonsai-Marc Posts: 444

    i have box balls and hebe and thyme balls, just need a couple of flower types smaller also

Sign In or Register to comment.