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Covering Ground At A Trot

© Marge Talt

Some groundcovering plants that don't exactly gallop. There pace is more of a steady trot. These are all very easy to control if they put themselves where you don't want them. Better manners, but steadily increasing cover without any effort on your part. Of course, if you want faster cover, all of them can be divided.

MAZUS

Mazus reptans is one of my favorites. (You have to scroll down a bit to see the photo at this link.) It's a tiny plant, about an inch or so high, and travels by extending delicate, stems, flat to the ground, that root where they touch. Rated hardy to USDA zone 3, it's just about the perfect groundcover. Mazus is neat, tidy looking and tolerates a certain amount of foot traffic. I even have a patch that put itself in the driveway and gets driven over periodically. It also has the bonus of intriguing long-lipped flowers in spring (May -- June for me), with an occasional one popping up during the rest of the growing season. There is a white flowered form that is pristine and lovely.

Mazus is easy to pull if it puts itself where you don't want it. In my USDA zone 7 climate, it really wants a bit of shade and moist soil. It would probably tolerate more sun in a cooler climate. It will tolerate a bit of dryness, but this is not a plant for a hot, parched situation. The leaves stay effective, for me, until mid December, after which they retreat to a tiny, tight rosette until warmer weather arrives. I have quite a bit of this in the blue-flowered form, but I think I will split up my one patch of the white form for my new garden.

SYMPHYTUM

Symphytum grandiflorum, unlike most Comfreys, is a neat, carpeting plant that gets about a foot high. It is a fast trotter, spreading by underground stems and seeds, but can be dug out easily if it exceeds its bounds. The leaves, like other members of the Boraginaceae, are rough and hairy to the touch, and somewhat coarse taken individually. But en masse, it provides a weed-proof cover for sun or part shade, remaining somewhat evergreen, for me, in all but the worst winters. It is rated hardy from USDA zones 3 to 9.

The flowers start in early spring (April for me), and, if cut back, it will rebloom a bit during the summer. I find that it often needs to be given a good haircut in early July. It will put out new foliage that remains nice for the rest of the season. This might not be necessary in cooler, less humid climates. It will tolerate dry shade and is good under shrubs and trees. The basic flower color is a creamy white, with deep orange tipped buds, but the cultivar 'Hidcote Blue' has red buds, changing to blue and then white and 'Hidcote Pink' has pink flowers fading to white. I have not run across these, but would grab them in a minute if I did. There is also one with cream and yellow variegated foliage, 'Variegatum'. Mine was supposed to be that, but I have only seen slight variegation on one or two plants. There will definitely be a spot for this one in my new garden. Maybe by the time I'm ready for it in 'The Wilderness', I will have located one of the 'Hidcote' cultivars.

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