Colourful all-year-round ground cover

Posts

• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2018

  Don't think there is any plant that will flower all year round!
  Osteospernum a hardy one will spread and if you keep dead heading will flower from spring with a first flush then it had fewer flowers right into November if the weather is kind  mine was a deep pink mauve. I suppose it was about 30cm tall or so when flowering. What you have already sounds fine. 
  Could you place some pots with flowers or shrubs?
  Could plant out  bedding plants for summer most of them are low growing and colourful, pansies and violas flower for months from Autumn to late spring,  polyanthus for spring, small flowering bulbs but it's a little bit more time consuming to look after.
  
  

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• josusa47 Posts: 3,530

  June 2018

  Dandelions flower for 9 months, and they'll cover the ground if you let them!  

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• GLH Posts: 16

  June 2018

  K67 said:

  Don't think there is any plant that will flower all year round!
  Osteospernum a hardy one will spread and if you keep dead heading will flower from spring with a first flush then it had fewer flowers right into November if the weather is kind  mine was a deep pink mauve. I suppose it was about 30cm tall or so when flowering. What you have already sounds fine. 
  Could you place some pots with flowers or shrubs?
  Could plant out  bedding plants for summer most of them are low growing and colourful, pansies and violas flower for months from Autumn to late spring,  polyanthus for spring, small flowering bulbs but it's a little bit more time consuming to look after.
  
  

  I did think I was being a bit optimistic haha. It's just so depressing it being so boring green/yellow all the time!
  
  I was thinking about just planting flowers but he wants something that will be there all year. I am nowhere near knowledgeable enough yet to have any idea how to find a happy medium.
  
  I've no issue with time consuming plants (don't start me on my courgettes and tomatoes!!!!!) or ones that only flower certain times of year, but I guess his worry is I will move out and he will be lumbered with sorting it out before the next person moves in, who may not like gardening. I've no intention of leaving but I obviously need to keep him happy.
  

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• GLH Posts: 16

  June 2018

  josusa47 said:

  Dandelions flower for 9 months, and they'll cover the ground if you let them!  

  I could've just uprooted the ones trespassing in my lawn and relocated them! haha 
  

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• autumnglory Posts: 255

  June 2018

  Creeping phlox for spring colour? Cerastium is nice but it's white so not exactly colourful. 
  
  You could even consider houttuynia for its colourful foliage but I've read it can be invasive if it's happy where it's growing.

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• raisingirl Posts: 7,093

  June 2018 edited June 2018

  Bulbs. They'll come up through the green ground cover and give you pretty flowers without making work for the landlord.
  
  Crocuses, possibly reticulata iris if your soil is quite dry there, small narcissi like tete a tete and jetfire - all for early Spring. Later narcissi - Silver Chimes, Pheasant Eye (both fragrant) will be a bit later - April and May - along with small species tulips like Tarda and Peppermint Stick. Nanus galdioli and shorter alliums, like Christophii for this time of year. Crocosmia for mid summer (with caution - some can be very rampant - I'd go for 'Emily Mackenzie' - she seems relatively tame) and agapanthus if you can find the right conditions for them. Autumn crocus and cyclamen. Nerines if you're up for a challenge. And then winter cyclamen and aconites will bring you back round to your early crocuses.
  
  There are lots of others - especially irises and alliums. As long as the soil isn't waterlogged (none of them like to be wet) and avoid big tulips unless they are in pots - they are problematic left to themselves, on the whole. Having said that, a couple of big pots of show off tulips can brighten up any garden. Chionodoxa, muscari, triteleia (or whatever they are called now). Lots of colour, pretty much all year, without having to dig up the heather  And as easy or as challenging as you want to go

  Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
  
  “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 

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• GLH Posts: 16

  June 2018

  autumnglory said:

  Creeping phlox for spring colour? Cerastium is nice but it's white so not exactly colourful. 
  
  You could even consider houttuynia for its colourful foliage but I've read it can be invasive if it's happy where it's growing.

  I did actually find phlox on my google-adventure and thought it looked lovely but wasn't sure when it actually flowered or how invasive it was?
  

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• GLH Posts: 16

  June 2018

  raisingirl said:

  Bulbs. They'll come up through the green ground cover and give you pretty flowers without making work for the landlord.
  
  Crocuses, possibly reticulata iris if your soil is quite dry there, small narcissi like tete a tete and jetfire - all for early Spring. Later narcissi - Silver Chimes, Pheasant Eye (both fragrant) will be a bit later - April and May - along with small species tulips like Tarda and Peppermint Stick. Nanus galdioli and shorter alliums, like Christophii for this time of year. Crocosmia for mid summer (with caution - some can be very rampant - I'd go for 'Emily Mackenzie' - she seems relatively tame) and agapanthus if you can find the right conditions for them. Autumn crocus and cyclamen. Nerines if you're up for a challenge. And then winter cyclamen and aconites will bring you back round to your early crocuses.
  
  There are lots of others - especially irises and alliums. As long as the soil isn't waterlogged (none of them like to be wet) and avoid big tulips unless they are in pots - they are problematic left to themselves, on the whole. Having said that, a couple of big pots of show off tulips can brighten up any garden. Chionodoxa, muscari, triteleia (or whatever they are called now). Lots of colour, pretty much all year, without having to dig up the heather  And as easy or as challenging as you want to go

  
  Bulbs - assuming this is why I got daffs randomly!
  
  I will look up the rest of your suggestions this evening, lots to look at there - thank you!! The only one I know is cyclamen - I LOVE these, and I've had it in past homes either hanging or planted so know I can look after those!
  
  
  Will investigate this evening and may be back to pick your brain, if that's ok
  

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• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2018

  Cyclamen for the garden are different to the ones you buy in supermarkets. Cyclamen coum and hederafolium are the ones you want. You can buy the firm's but I prefer to buy it in flower seems more successful. Come in pinks or white. They have small flowers

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• autumnglory Posts: 255

  June 2018

  Phlox isn't invasive but the flowers are fairly short lived.
  
  Bulbs are a great idea, I love crocuses and cyclamen are my favourites in winter. If you buy some in flower they'll self seed so you won't have to keep buying them.

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