Whether you’ve got pavers or gravel, that expanse of grey can look much more stylish with some clever planting. And it’s easy! Just add a bit of compost to the spaces in-between pavers, or create some planting pockets in the gravel, and choose low-growing plants that will flourish even when they’re trodden underfoot, driven over or parked on. The lovely low-maintenance plants below are all as tough-as-oldboots and will give a pretty mix of different tones.
GOLDEN CREEPING JENNY Evergreen and super-fast growing, Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ has bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers from June to August above a low carpet of rounded, goldenyellow leaves. Height 10cm Spread 1m. £8.99/2L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
PH OTO : G A P PH OTOS / MA RC US HAR PUR . GAR D E N DE S I GN: S E AN MU RRAY S PO NSO R : ROYA L HO RT I C ULT U R AL SO C IE T Y
GREEN #4 UP THE DRIVEWAY
BUGLE Enjoy the deep bronze-purple leaves of Ajuga reptans all year round and the intense blue flower spires that appear in early summer. This low-growing evergreen loves a bit of damp and shade, so it’s very happy under a parked car. Height 15cm Spread 1m. £2.20/10cm pot norfolkherbs.com
BRECKLAND HEATH WILD GINGER THYME PEARLWORT Asarum europaeum The woody stems Sagina subulata is the has rich glossy green, of Thymus serpyllum ultimate no-nonsense round-ish leaves that bear a dark green mat plant! No trimming, will slowly creep of leaves with highly cutting or anything around creating a fragrant pinky-mauve else is needed, and it lush carpet. This flowers, which appear forms a springy mat semi-evergreen can from June to of foliage topped with lose some of its October and will tiny, white, pearl-like leaves in winter, but release their fragrance flowers from late fresh ones will start to when trodden or spring to early appear again in driven on. Height summer. Height spring. Height 10cm 8cm Spread 20cm. 10cm Spread 30cm. Spread 30cm. £7.99/6 plug plants £7.50/5 plug plants £6.70/1L pot jparkers.co.uk victoriannursery.co.uk bethchatto.co.uk
#5
GROW A WINTER CLIMBER
Cover bare walls or fences with a climbing plant that looks good all year round but is at its best over the winter months when the rest of your front garden is bare. If you haven’t got any beds near your walls or fences, then line up three large pots in a row, pop one plant in each and train them up the boundary. Our front-garden favourite is Clematis urophylla ‘Winter Beauty’, which is evergreen and has creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers in winter. Height 4m, £24.95/3L pot sarahraven.com
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MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
Done in a day!
