12 May 2025
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Mike Palmer reveals his pick of the best plants to fill those difficult locations
We all be intimate our industrial plant , that ’s a given , but , he tell , want to call a potential ‘ elephant in the way ’ , do n’t we all have those teasing little area where despite our very best intentions , we fight to find the right plant to meet tricky gaps ?
Well , struggle no more , because I ’m here to offer planting stirring for those hard , bare corners , those annoying shady patches under trees , the vacuous void lurking beneath a shrub or a passably rose , or an infuriating incline site where nothing seems to fly high . The answer , or at least some of it , my friends , come in the var. of ground cover plants . That is plants that are more often than not , but not always , evergreen , and which spread horizontally , or can be establish densely to carpet the ground . and , using my dear rule of ‘ right plant , correct stead ’ , I have solutions for backbreaking areas . Notebooks and pen at the ready !
establish under trees
I can get word your sighs of bold frustration ! And if this is you , vex not , because it ’s one of the tough areas in which to shew plants .
Epimediums , ordinarily live as Bishop ’s Hat because their prime resemble the headgear break by certain clergy , is my first ground cover song ‘ go - to ’ for underneath trees . Try the exquisitely crimson - flushed , heart and soul - shaped , leaf ofEpimedium rubrumwhich has pretty , touchy plum tree and white flowers borne on wiry stems in early natural spring . It is low maintenance too , requiring only an yearly shearing out of the old foliage before the flowers emerge . H&S : 30 centimeter , ( 1 ft ) .
My second choice is the especially graceful , Hakone grass , ( Hakonechloa macra‘Aureola ’ ) , a minor grass , with airy , calx - yellow foliage that has fine , mid - dark-green stripes . It ’s partly deciduous , but I love the faded parchment - coloured foliage almost as much as overwintering insects do . Cut back the pass leaf in spring .
For under tree planting Mike recommends Epimediums (Bishop’s Hat)
H&S : 35 cm ( 14 in ) .
slope flat coat solution
How prison term modify ! As a kid , I loved rolling down the slopes in our gardens but now , as a gardener , and at the disbursal of go like my papa , I want tumbling plants , not tumbling small fry ! Sloping site can be troublesome because rainwater has a tendency to run off instead of come home , leaving them slightly drier . So how about a flow of roses?Rosa‘Rushing Stream ’ is a hardy , ground blanket rose bearing large , single white flowers throughout summer , followed by pretty , berry - redness hips in fall . H : 50 atomic number 96 , S : 125 cm , ( atomic number 1 : 19 in , S : 49 in ) .
Hakone grass is also a good low maintenance option for planting around trees
Planting for pathway edges
Most pathways have a slanting cement , or trench mortar , haunching on the edge to keep the paving material of pick securely in place . Depending upon the width and depth of the haunching , it can sometimes be difficult to chance plants that can be imbed immediately on the edge of the nerve pathway . as luck would have it , I ’ve found some perfect selections here in my own garden that mold well in full Sunday and full shade .
I could n’t be withoutAlchemilla mollis , or Lady ’s Mantle . She , among a couple of other selection , has convey me good to the edge … of my paving ! Coping well with sun and shade , Alchemillahas soft , velvety , crinkly - edged leafage and pocket-size cloud of pea green flower in summer .
H&S : 30 cm , ( 1 ft ) .
Heucheras issue forth in as a very close runner - up toAlchemilla . They ’re fundamentally leafage plant , but channel sprays of tiny flowers concord high above the foliation in other summertime . In a painterly palette of shades from lime - fleeceable to plum , and terracotta to almost pitch-dark , you ’re bound to find one or more that you ’ll want to take home . I ’ve also discovered those pesky vine weevil grubs are less potential to make a repast of heuchera roots when they ’re planted close to a nerve tract – I consider the haunching must get in their teeth ! My dearie include the sumptuous , burnt orange , Heuchera ‘ Sweet Tea ’ and the smolder Heuchera ‘ Obsidian ’ . H&S 20 cm , ( 7 in ) .
fill up a front of border
Tumbling Rosa ‘Rushing Stream’ for sloping sites
We ’re all aware these day that front of edge plants need n’t be minor . However , diminutive delights do have their position when smaller , more or less annoying , spread demand to be plugged . The aforementioned genus Heuchera andAlchemilla , which are semi - evergreen in some expanse , ticking boxes here , but consider also primroses , for their much - anticipated , spring colour , while their pea plant - green foliation endure quietly throughout summertime . Also how about hardy , Geranium endressii , with its rose - pink blooms , H:45 cm , S90 cm , ( H : 17 in , 35 in ) . Alternatively , nerveless things down with Brunnera ‘ Jack Frost ’ , with its attractive , heart - shaped , pewter - discolour foliage with mid - immature veining .
H : 45 cm , S : 50 curium , ( H : 17 in , S : 19 in ) .
Under shrub planting
Mike has used Lady’s Mantle for edge of paving planting
If , like me , you get a little twitchy about mere ground under shrubs , specially where the canopy has been lifted , then evergreen plant , Pachysandra terminalis , Japanese spurge , will take those woes away . With its glossy , dark unripe foliage , it displays spikes of little lily-white flowers in other summer , and is perfect for the challenge of teetotal shadowy soil . H : 40 cm , S ; 50 centimeter , ( heat content : 15 in , S : 19 in ) .
I love rosiness , but their summertime ‘ genu ’ , quite like mine , benefit from being hidden away ! The ever - popular , Lavandula‘Munstead ’ bring home the bacon the everlasting enhancer or alternatively , the graphic , blue - flowered , hardyCeratostigma plumbaginoides(Plumbago ) , which will pack a punch with sensational autumnal colour too . H : 45 atomic number 96 , S : 30 curium ( H : 17 in , S : 12 in ) .
Container ground cover
These days our choices for container planting is almost endless , but if your wishing is for the soil to be cover , most of my ground cover selections above will serve you well , underplanted beneath small-scale trees , shrubs or perennials . However , my list of ground covering fire options has not run ironical yet . Other considerations admit a scattering of multi - dark-skinned sempervivums ( houseleeks ) , or pretty dianthus ( pink ) which will both revel a gay internet site , or for a shadier container , Hedera helix(ivy ) orVinca minor f. alba‘Gertrude Jekyll ’ .
Mike ’s earth masking planting tips
first off , as with any tough terrain , forking the area to relieve densification is a great start point . If the area is particularly root - bound , a small hand - ramification work well .
Heuchera ‘Sweet Tea’ image 8 CAPTION Heuchera ‘Obsidian’
Improving the soil with well - rotted garden compost or a good caliber grime improver will also help oneself your flora excerpt get off to the very good start .
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ helps fill border gaps
Left to right Lavendula works well under roses, as does plumago
Pretty in pink for container ground cover
