Groundhugging shrubs.

[Weiser]

One that I have been trying to introduce into my garden for years now is Ceanothus prostratus. A low mat shrub found across the northern Sierra, Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges.
I find it to be common on well drained slopes in open pine forest were it gets good reliable snow cover. It will root as it runs so seems to be a good candidate for increase by cuttings, sadly such it is not the case. I have tried cuttings and layering many times and failed.
Last year I dug a two or three year old seedling and moved it into a well drained raised bed that is shaded by a Scotch pine. I was speculating that it may require the mycorrhiza found in the pine litter. Last summer it just sat there and did not put on any top growth.
The last word is still out on it. This spring I see some green on the few leaves it has left, but it's to soon to see new growth yet.


 
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/img_query?rel-taxon=contains&where-taxon=Ceanothus+prostratus
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CEPR

[Hoy]

John, that's a plant I would like to introduce to my garden too!

Mark, when are you off to Kazakhstan to collect seed?

[McDonough]

I believe a number of Lonicera collections were made during Panayoti's expedition to Kazahkstan the summer of 2010, so possibly some new ones will get introduced in the future. 

[Lori S.]

That's a very nice honeysuckle, Mark... excellent internet-combing, as always!

Gee, Ceanothus prostratus is an unusual looking plant... what a combination of interesting features!  I can see why it's worth the efforts, John!

Here's another one that fits the bill... Prunus prostrata:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_prostrata
http://www.west-crete.com/flowers/prunus_prostrata.htm
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7pbhSyvghFKm8AFss7g3TA

And in fruit:
http://www.west-crete.com/dailypics/crete-2007/8-18-07.shtm

Here's what I bought a couple of years ago as Prunus aff. prostrata... hope it lives up to its name and becomes prostrate.    (The way it's planted maybe isn't too good for promoting laxness... should probably move it into a crevice so it can flow downhill, if it has a mind to.)
     

[Moyles]

Las pilitas (laspilitas.com ) lists Ceanothus prostatus as available ... good folks ... I recommend them ....

[McDonough]

Lori, that Prunus prostrata in your trough is a sweet little thing.  The link you gave to the Crete site is terrific, with lots of great plant pics.  I have never really given P. prostrata a second thought, but seeing the incredibly dense prostrate plants from Crete has my head spinning, if only a super compact form like that could be had.  Thanks for opening our eyes on this one.

John, sometimes I think I should live in California (if I wasn't such a stubborn  New Englander ) so that I could grow such things as Ceanothus.  When I lived in the Seattle area and would frequent the University of Washington campus, even though this is not a xeric area in the slightest, many shrubby Ceanothus were grown making wide low shrubs smothered in heavenly blue flowers.  I've been tempted with trying some of the prostrate or low growing sorts, although I don't think they will do well in this climate.  I do plan on adding the lovely white-flowered Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea) to the garden sometime, although a larger shrub.

[cohan]

Lori, that Prunus prostrata in your trough is a sweet little thing.  The link you gave to the Crete site is terrific, with lots of great plant pics.  I have never really given P. prostrata a second thought, but seeing the incredibly dense prostrate plants from Crete has my head spinning, if only a super compact form like that could be had.  Thanks for opening our eyes on this one.

John, sometimes I think I should live in California (if I wasn't such a stubborn  New Englander ) so that I could grow such things as Ceanothus.  When I lived in the Seattle area and would frequent the University of Washington campus, even though this is not a xeric area in the slightest, many shrubby Ceanothus were grown making wide low shrubs smothered in heavenly blue flowers.  I've been tempted with trying some of the prostrate or low growing sorts, although I don't think they will do well in this climate.  I do plan on adding the lovely white-flowered Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea) to the garden sometime, although a larger shrub.

I thought Kristl (Gardens North) had a low eastern Ceanothus, but I don't see one now, so either its gone, or quite likely I'm thinking of some other genus...lol

[Hoy]

Here's what I bought a couple of years ago as Prunus aff. prostrata... hope it lives up to its name and becomes prostrate.    (The way it's planted maybe isn't too good for promoting laxness... should probably move it into a crevice so it can flow downhill, if it has a mind to.)

That is a splendid Prunus, Lori! Can't you put some heavy stuff on it if it isn't prostrate enough for you?

[Lori S.]

Maybe that 3 feet of snow on top of it this year will do the trick.   

[cohan]

Maybe that 3 feet of snow on top of it this year will do the trick.   

Probably! Likely age (i.e. repeated snows  , increased length/weight will help.. I vaguely remember reading about this or some other Prunus which was supposed to become flatter over time..
On the other hand, I have a large 30 year plus juniper here which annually gets flattened by snow, and bounces back to about 4 feet..

[McDonough]

Maybe that 3 feet of snow on top of it this year will do the trick.  

The cumulative snowfall of over 7' here this winter takes its toll on shrubs, and even low-branched trees.  When the snow compresses and turns to a rock-hard layer, it has the effect of slowly crushing woody plants.  I have a Cornus 'Celestial Pink' (C. florida x kousa hybrid) near the end of my driveway that was partially buried under 8' snow embankments. Now, with the snow-pack compressing, it is ripping off the lower branches as the ice layer lowers itself.

[cohan]

Luckily our snow is usually lighter than yours, Mark, and usually doesn't go as icey as it melts.. I thought after all of our up and down warm weather in early Feb,  with melting days (though more settling than real melting away from buildings) and warm temps that our snow would be icier, but I had to dig a path some tens of metres to another section of bush for firewood cutting, the other day, and surprisingly, the snow (18inches or so in that area) was  granular but still very loose apart from a thin crust a few inches from the surface (from the warm spell)..
the exceptions were a few places where tracks crossed the path, those were frozen, and around a spruce, where icy melt had fallen into the snow..

We are supposed to be above freezing next week, so we'll see if this stuff starts to go, will take some time, esp in the shade where snow can linger very late...

[Hoy]

Even our usually loose snow takes it toll on shrubs especially when it gets wet in spring rain. I have seen such hard snow in the mountains in southern France but it is rare here, it develops when you have repeatedly strong sun/cold nights. What you call crust Cohan, we call "skare" and it is what we want for Easter! Then you can ski wherever you want (if the day doesn't get too hot)

[cohan]

Sometimes we get enough skare to walk on, but not usually for an adult, and not usually for very long/far.. skiing would be more possible, but you couldn't ski in the bush here--not enough space between shrubs/trees etc...lol snowshoes, maybe...
In some places in the mixed woods where the snow is only a half foot deep anyway, you can walk a bit more on the skare...

Rain of any volume in spring is quite rare, here.. usually we are dry in spring except for late snow! That is probably the most dangerous snow for shrubs/trees here: we can have heavy wet snowfall when things are already leafed out, that is when branches break! Maybe this is why most native trees do not make very large limbs to start with?

[Hoy]

Sometimes we get enough skare to walk on, but not usually for an adult, and not usually for very long/far.. skiing would be more possible, but you couldn't ski in the bush here--not enough space between shrubs/trees etc...lol snowshoes, maybe...
In some places in the mixed woods where the snow is only a half foot deep anyway, you can walk a bit more on the skare...

Rain of any volume in spring is quite rare, here.. usually we are dry in spring except for late snow! That is probably the most dangerous snow for shrubs/trees here: we can have heavy wet snowfall when things are already leafed out, that is when branches break! Maybe this is why most native trees do not make very large limbs to start with?

You'll be astonished where I can ski! When my daughters were kids we always went through the densest birch woods for joy Even with skareføre (thick crust which carry a skier) you often sink to your waist when loosing tempo in the birch-wood where the snowpack is loose We had a special wood called "sikk-sakk-skogen" (the-zig-zag-wood) where we loved to ski.

I have also noticed that trees (especially pines) from areas with heavy snow have shorter limbs. Quite obvious why.