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Ground cover

Help solve your gardening problem. Here are the answers to some commonly asked gardening questions about ground cover plants.

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Can you suggest some ground cover plants for a slightly damp, shady place?

Although such a situation may be considered as a bit of a problem site, there are lots of lovely plants you can grow here.

Obvious choices include: hostas - which love these conditions but take action against slugs; epimediums - which have attractive foliage which is evergreen in some varieties, and turns glorious colours in autumn; Alchemilla mollis (ladies mantle) with its lovely, furry foliage and masses of foamy late spring flowers; lamiums (deadnettles) with their coloured and often variegated foliage; ajugas (bugles) which also have coloured foliage and blue flowers in late spring; Asiatic and candelabra primulas which provide good cover underneath their tall spikes of flowers.

What ground cover plants would you recommend for a cottage garden? The soil is sandy and dry.

The following plants will be suitable for ground cover:

Cornus canadensis
Cotoneaster congestus, C. dammeri, C. microphyllus
Cytisus kewensis
Genista hispanica, G. lydia, G. pilosa
Rubus tricolor
Stephanandra incisa 'Crispa'
Vinca
Several series of roses, such as the Game Bird and Bells; Rosa wichuraiana 'Variegata'; Flower Carpet
Ajuga
Alchemilla mollis
Bergenia
Brunnera macrophylla
Campanula portenschlagiana & C. poscharskyana
Dianthus
Epimedium
Geranium
Lamium maculatum
Phlox subulata, P. douglasii
Pulmonaria
Symphytum grandiflorum
Tellima grandiflorum 'Purpurea'
Thymus
Tiarella cordifolia
Veronica prostrata
Viola esp V. cornuta

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