Has anyone planted gunnera magellanica? As the 'dry' side is actually a bog garden (currently planted up with a couple of candelabra primulas, a purple loosestrife and an iris), I wonder if the gunnera might be a more befitting ground cover plant. I also really like the look of it!
I would definitely not plant gunnera on the edge of your pond. Gunnera grows huge, like huge. You can stand under the mature leaves. It is a marvellous plant in the right situation.
I've not grown it but I think it would look well. I've certainly considered it, as I had a Gunnera manicata in my last garden but no room for that here!
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I would definitely not plant gunnera on the edge of your pond. Gunnera grows huge, like huge. You can stand under the mature leaves. It is a marvellous plant in the right situation.
I think persicaria bistorta ‘superba’ would work on the bog side, I used to grow it in a bed that was always wet from the neighbours garden draining into it. If we had a slightly dry spring it would wilt so definitely a fan of wet feet!!
If it gets wet feet it will use them to run. And run! A lovely plant, but very vigourous. Some of mine, planted in a damp, shady meadow has out-competed the grass and taken over. There's a huge swathe of it now It seeds around too so I find it popping up all over.
Good old Alchemilla mollis would grow there if it's not actually underwater and reach out over the edge, and that is evergreen. Trollius have pretty flowers and attractive leaves, but not evergreen. You could look at carexes. Some of them are fairly small and would overhang nicely. I have a silver edged one (Everillo or something like that!) that looks good and is no trouble.
If you fancy a fern that doesn't mind the wet, then you might like the sensible fern, Onoclea sensabilis. It isn't too tall and looks good from the moment it emerges, with pink stems and prettily shaped bronzy leaves that turn green. It runs gently but doesn't overwhelm other plants.
I think planting on the soil side would be ideal. It's nice to see the pebbles through the water but you can plant something to overhang and hide the liner that won't invade and overtake your pond. I agree with @didyw, art's tongue fern would work nicely. Or maybe a nice clump of carex, something like C. flacca, definitely not C. pendula!
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
@Buttercupdays, which plant were you talking about please?
The picture just shows it but we've got three sedges in this margin already, one inside the liner and two outside, and I'll be planting a hosta just to the left of what is in shot. There will be plenty of height between the sedges, the iris and the primulas and a statement plant in the form of the hosts. So this really is just a case of what I can use to run along the edge of the liner, hopefully creep over and drop some roots into the water without spreading across it and provide some ground cover beneath the sedges and irises.
The gunnera really seems to fit the bill. The persicaria would as well but I've actually got Darjeeling Red planted in a nearby border so would like to try something different in this space. I think the asplenium would be too contentious with others for the space and not be as mat-forming as I'll need.
P. S. I have two carex pendulas elsewhere in the pond margins. What's the hate - is it their self-seeding?
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Has anyone planted gunnera magellanica? As the 'dry' side is actually a bog garden (currently planted up with a couple of candelabra primulas, a purple loosestrife and an iris), I wonder if the gunnera might be a more befitting ground cover plant. I also really like the look of it!
It is a marvellous plant in the right situation.
The magellenica is a mat-forming ground cover plant. See here: https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/conditions/plants-for-shade-conditions/gunnera-magellanica.htm#. I'd liked the idea of rockfoils but I can't see them thriving in a bog garden, whereas the gunnera, although slightly taller to 15cm, should fit in well with hostas, irises and primulas.
The picture just shows it but we've got three sedges in this margin already, one inside the liner and two outside, and I'll be planting a hosta just to the left of what is in shot. There will be plenty of height between the sedges, the iris and the primulas and a statement plant in the form of the hosts. So this really is just a case of what I can use to run along the edge of the liner, hopefully creep over and drop some roots into the water without spreading across it and provide some ground cover beneath the sedges and irises.
The gunnera really seems to fit the bill. The persicaria would as well but I've actually got Darjeeling Red planted in a nearby border so would like to try something different in this space. I think the asplenium would be too contentious with others for the space and not be as mat-forming as I'll need.
P. S. I have two carex pendulas elsewhere in the pond margins. What's the hate - is it their self-seeding?