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I have just moved to a house that has an 80 foot wide garden. It has an 8 foot slope to a drainage ditch by the side of the road. It has sunlight from morning until night. Can anyone please suggest a plant that I could use as ground cover that is low maintenance and able to take the extreme temperature swings that we get in this part of Canada? (minus 30 to plus 30)
a couple of things you might like to try.
creeping phlox is a beautiful sping flower
Ranunculus will give you the summer colours, it spreads like wild fire
I have had great success with "snow in summer" (can't remember the other name) also spreads quickly, it's the cascading plant in front of the pine tree, gets little white flowers in late spring and early summer
Silver brocade has a very interesting look as well
good luck, hope it turns out beautiful
Snow in the summer is also called Cerastium tomentosum. In some places along the 401 on the slopes, they have crown vetch growing. It is a groudcover meant to grow on slopes and prevent soil erosion. Its kinda cool that I can say "the 401" and know that you guys know what I am talking about. Another ground caver that grows lika a weed is "snow on the mountain. It has a varigated weed and will be found in any garden centre.
Ckirk, Where is Hawkestone?
The most easy care groundcover I know of is dead nettle. They tolerate drought, can take full sun to full shade, and you can find creeping or mounding varieties. They also come in a variety of greens and variegated. Below are a couple of pics from this spring of two I have. - Dax
Hi tcs - just getting back from the wedding, etc. - per the lamium (dead nettle - I gotta start using the official names so folks can look up the whole species to see what's out there) - the ones I've shown aren't tolerant to foot traffic, but a number of the creeping varieties are - also, below is a pic of creeping sedum that is lovely and very tolerant of light foot traffic (I have to step on it all the time to get in the stream). Creeping jenny lysimachia nummuclaria) is supposed to be foot tolerant also, but I don't have it in an area for that. First, the creeping sedum (kamtschaticum variegatum) -
I am sharing violets with a friend, as they are practically indestructible and spread like mad. Also they are beautiful in May when they bloom. Also, I've had great luck with sedum - in particular dragonsblood. And you can't go wrong with vinca (periwinkle / myrtle). You probably have neighbours who'd love to get rid of some 'invasive' stuff which will suit you very well. I also have a south-facing slope, and most plants sold for rock gardens do pretty well. I live near Ottawa. Good luck.
