Replacing ground cover

One of the main tasks I face in resurrecting and reviving our back garden is regenerating the ground cover.

The garden is in semi to full shade, with one corner of decent sunshine.

At present it is a mix of weeds (dock, dandelion and various others), moss in the darkest recesses, grass and bare ground. I don't want a cultivated lawn, but I do want it to have coverage that is green and pleasant. Ideally I'd also like to have something which is attractive to wildlife.

I was thinking about the following: taking some grass seed (i have some rye grass seed) and mixing in some clover seed, along with some mixed wild meadow flower seeds (eg cornflower, corn marigold, field poppies etc). Is that a daft idea? I'm kind of making it up as I go along... any suggestions most welcome....

Cheers,
Dan

 

Welcome to the forum!

I love your ideas, dont mind if i nick them do you? I've just cleared out an area around a big tree, and love the meadow idea around it.

 

i'm flattered... feel free to "nick" the idea... does it sound workable though?

 

As its in the shade/partial I very much doubt that will work as what you are suggesting requies sun.

Prseumably the shade is created by trees which aren't yours. What sort of trees - evergreen or deciduous

Pulmonaria - flowers in spring - attractive leaves throughout the year

Variegated ivy

Cyclamen

bluebells and daffodils

Mahonia aquifolium are just a few ideas

 

thanks for that has bean...
that's right, the shade is primarily from trees (though the small matter of surrounding tall buildings plays its part). i have been cutting back some of the lower canopy of the trees overhanging our garden, which are primarily in an adjacent garden. I think the neighbours would be equally keen to see them further cut back and this would create more light. They are all deciduous. I think the shadier half of the garden is probably a right-off in terms of plants that require decent amount of light - but I'm still hopeful that the other half might cope. Bluebells would be a hit. I'll check out pulmonaria (is that lungwort by any chance - just guessing based on the latin name).

I know clover requires plenty of sunshine by and large... but are there any varieties that are less averse to shade than others?

 

Bergenia is good for eventual ground cover - big elephant ear leaves and flowers in Spring. There's also Vinca which spreads everywhere and has periwinkle sort of flowers but it can get too much. And Ivy, which has already been mentioned.

Are you looking to be able to walk in this shady part of the garden or just to look at it? You could create a couple of shingle or gravel paths through it and have plants growing wild. Sounds like quite a nice idea actually!

There are plenty of plants that will grow in shade - adjust your thinking to woodland ideas - ferns for example.

 

Many thanks for that. Came across this one also. Anyone got any thoughts? Sounds like it could work...

Common Name: Hardy geranium
Genus: Geranium
Cultivar: 'Johnson's Blue'
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Chalky/alkaline, Dry, Moist
Height: 30cm
Spread: 60cm
Time to divide plants: March to May
Flowering period: May to August
This cranesbill is smothered from mid-summer to autumn with lots of large, dark-veined, lavender-blue flowers that fade to pearl grey as they mature. It is an informal-looking, slightly sprawling plant that looks best allowed to make a dense patch of attractive ground cover with its masses of elegant divided leaves. A superb plant for a cottage garden or informal border where it is close to its neighbours, and is particularly good teamed with old fashioned roses. The Royal Horticultural Society have given it their prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM)

 

Cranesbill are good for shade and there are loads to chose from. Someone I know from another forum runs a nursery that specialises in them as well.

http://www.plantpref.co.uk/index.html

HTH

 

I've found a couple of interesting looking plants which might help adorn a drab wall in the shadiest part of the garden... would be interested to hear thoughts/experiences....

Japanese rose

Common Name: Japanese rose
Genus: Kerria
Species: japonica
Cultivar: 'Pleniflora'
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Acidic, Chalky/alkaline, Moist
Height: 300cm
Spread: 300cm
Time to divide plants: September to November
Flowering period: April to May
Also known as Jew's mallow or quite simply as Kerria, this is a vigorous, deciduous spring flowering shrub. It will grow almost anywhere and soon develops into a thicket of tall graceful stems with suckers growing from the creeping roots. Double, yellow flowers burst out from mid to late spring and are beautifully surrounded by bright green, oval leaves. It is best kept out of direct sunlight to avoid bleaching the flowers. It is ideal for illuminating a dark corner or north-facing wall. Thin out old shoots after flowering and propgate by softwood cuttings in summer or by division in autumn. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Flowering quince

Common Name: Flowering quince
Genus: Chaenomeles
Species: japonica
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Acidic, Chalky/alkaline
Height: 100cm
Spread: 200cm
Time to take cuttings: June to August
The Japanese quince is invaluable for early spring colour when its brightly coloured flowers stud the bare thorny stems for weeks. These flowers often mature into rounded green or yellow quinces which can make an delicious jelly. It's one of the easiest of all shrubs to grow in virtually any soil and can also be trained on to a shady wall.

 

So you are moving away from ground cover to plants in general.

some geraniums are better than others. I wouldn't go for Johnson's Blue as I dont think it will show very well in the shade. Bluebells flower when there is still sunlight coming true the canopy. I would go for bright colour in either leaves ( variegated vinca) , foxgloves (white and purple) if you can get some light in

Pulmonaria is Lungwort - who had a classical education then!

 

It all depends how much light (if any) you get. A bit of dappled shade opens up the possiblities of what you can plant.

 

Those sound perfect - especially the first as it sounds like it would stop the area looking so dark :gnthb:

 

thanks!
i've just taken the plunge and orded a flowering quince. still looking at where i can get a japanese rose (long way from glasgow to tokyo)

 

Hardy geranium. It's a thug. Lovely looking, very elegant foliage, but needs perhaps too much work to keep it in bounds. In my neglected garden, it's war.

Bugle (ajuga reptans) is good evergreen ground cover for shade. The RHS says 'mildly invasive' but it's not a thug like geraniums.