Trailing evergreen for container?
I have 3 large pots each measuring around 55cm x 45cm. I'd like to add some trailing plants that will hang over the edges, covering the pots and reaching the ground.
I've got some vinca minor but it just sticks out all over the place horizontally, which looks a bit messy. I've also got some cotoneaster but I just don't really like it and it doesn't grow close enough and 'hug' the pot very tightly.
Could anyone suggest something? I'd appreciate any suggestions.
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Campanula porscharskyana.
That's gorgeous! I actually have a campanula, but it's portenschlagiana (my spelling might be wrong). I haven't used it for these pots as I thought it wouldn't grow long enough to cover them. The pots are plastic and I thought the plant would need some sort of wall or bank with something it could put out roots and grip onto.
Would the variety in your photo be better?
Last edited: 27 June 2016 23:19:32
Persicaria affinis ‘Superba’ or 'Darjeeling Red' might work. I have it creeping down railway sleepers. It is evergreen but does go a dry, rust colour in a cold winter.
Phlox subulata ‘McDaniel’s Cushion’ is a creeping form that may fit the bill and then there's evergreen variegated ivy as a good foil to other plants.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Sedums are brilliant, so many colours and textures to chose from and they never look untidy.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?query=Sedum
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/sedums/
I have white Arabis which trials down from my back fence from a box. It's very easy and flowers for a long time if there's sufficient moisture. The alpine Phloxes will do the same, although they take a bit longer to get going.
That campanula can get a bit thuggish so keep an eye on it if you have other plants in the container that you want to protect. Easy enough to pull out though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I already have plants in these pots, a Camellia, a small conifer and a rhododendron. For now, I've got summer bedding plants in each pot but without that they look quite bare, each being on their own. I'll maybe put my campanula in with the conifer as I wouldn't want to risk the other two being swamped by it.
Thanks for all the ideas. They all look lovely so I guess I'll try and go with whatever is most idiot proof as I'm a total beginner at this. I've been looking around at online plant shops but they all seem to be out of stock for a lot of things. Is there a certain time of year that's best for buying these types of plants?
Silver Falls I have tried to grow successfully, it will die back in winter in an unheated greenhouse and is so slow for me to get established again in the spring, in my hanging baskets it just gets swamped every time. I am longing to get an effect like the seed catalogue, sorry I have no suggestions but didn't want you to be disappointed by Silver falls.
ripply - you may want to use annuals for your pots, bearing in mind all the shrubs you have in them will get big over time, and will cover all the free space there at the moment.
It's probably tricky to find annuals now, unless you live further north, as our seasons are later. The campanula might be the best option if you like it, because it grows quickly, but you can pull it out as the shrubs grow and it won't mind being shoved into other available spaces or pots. It's quite hard to kill
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
That's a good point Fairygirl. I only moved here last summer and got the shrubs in the autumn so they haven't grown that much but I wouldn't want to crowd them. I've got annuals with them at the minute and they look lovely. The small conifer is meant to be extremely slow growing so I'm thinking of getting the variegated ivy for that pot, as it sounds suitable for beginners like me. I'll use the campanula for one of the other containers, and plant it in the garden if it gets too big.
I really like the persicaria affinis and phlox subulata too. I'm now thinking it they would make lovely ground cover in the garden. I'm also having a small wall built in one part, just about 18in high, and some of these plants would look great cascading over it.
Lingonberry will thrive in the acid soil you are using for your rhodo etc. It will trail down the sides of the pot (in fact, you'll need to trim it after a couple of years) and can easily be propagated by layering. Completely hardy, evergreen and won't grow upwards. I use it to cover the soil in my large blueberry pots. Bonus: it flowers and produces berries which are similar to cranberries.