Groundhugging shrubs.

Arctostaphylos/Arctous alpinus also grows close to the ground. Here with Empetrum nigrum. The Empetrum berries (krekebær) are very good if you are thirsty.

Here is the alpine azalea Loiseleuria procumbens with fruit.

Not for the rock garden: Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii. Some trees are dead. The leaves eaten by birch moth.

Your three creepers also grow here, but Betula nana is replaced by B. pumila...I have no idea how to tell them apart.  We grow B. pumila in our BG, but the plants have become more upright over the years, although still under 3 feet in height.  The fall colour is bright red, quite unusual for a birch where yellow is more standard.

A tiny Betula nana 'Ingwersen's Form' (ex. Norway) in a dry trough... if only I could grow some beautiful lichen to make it more at home...

Skulski wrote:

A tiny Betula nana 'Ingwersen's Form' (ex. Norway) in a dry trough... if only I could grow some beautiful lichen to make it more at home...

Have you ever tried to grow lichens? Many spread by fragmentation, you can take pieces and just put them where you want them.

I've never tried lichens but mosses grow VERY well in my troughs!

Hoy wrote:

Arctostaphylos/Arctous alpinus also grows close to the ground. Here with Empetrum nigrum. The Empetrum berries (krekebær) are very good if you are thirsty.

Do these species grow near you? Or are they at higher elevations? Some of these I see in the mountains, not here, but not sure at what elevation they start, but also there is no dry or rocky or sandy soil close by, once you get to the edge of the foothills biome, things are quite different-sandy places, but also more precipitation....
We have one of the small birches, I haven't figured them out yet, with small round leaves, but it grows to at least a couple of metres tall here, in wet places... could no doubt be pruned to modest size, but not flat...

cohan wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Arctostaphylos/Arctous alpinus also grows close to the ground. Here with Empetrum nigrum. The Empetrum berries (krekebær) are very good if you are thirsty.

Do these species grow near you? Or are they at higher elevations? Some of these I see in the mountains, not here, but not sure at what elevation they start, but also there is no dry or rocky or sandy soil close by, once you get to the edge of the foothills biome, things are quite different-sandy places, but also more precipitation....
We have one of the small birches, I haven't figured them out yet, with small round leaves, but it grows to at least a couple of metres tall here, in wet places... could no doubt be pruned to modest size, but not flat...

My photos show plants from the interior high altitude (that is 1100-1200m) biome above treeline, relatively dry moraine and rocky outcroppings. All those shrubs grow here too but only as relicts on rocky outcroppings near sea levels. Some places here forests never established due to grazing and fire-agriculture since early ages. (Which is in rapid change now.)

Todd wrote:

I've never tried lichens but mosses grow VERY well in my troughs!

And  they grow very well on tufa, Todd - even in this dry, sunny garden.

Yes, moss LOVES tufa here too! 

Not exactly groundhugging but certainly small enough to be perfect for the trough or rock garden...
Ulmus parvifolia 'Davidii'.   It is amazingly dwarfed - the largest leaves I measured were 5mm in the largest dimension.

I'm not sure if these are hardy enough to survive here.  (Unfortunately, I stupidly murdered both specimens that I tried on different occasions by planting them in conditions that were way too dry... the poor things did not even survive long enough to see if winter would kill them.  :-\)    

An extraordinary elm, Lori!
I have never seen anything like it here.

That Ulmus looks familiar--was that Wrightman's or Beavercreek? Cute little thing..

Siskiyou Nursery, when it was run by Baldassare Mineo, carried several of these Ulmus parvifolias, from the tiny to the one I bought, which was supposed to be 7' after 10 years.  I bought three and planted them, not knowing if they would be hardy.  I'll try and find the pictures.  They turned out to be irresistable to the antlered rats and two of them are bonsais as a result.  They are the two planted farthest from the house.  The one in a raised bed right next to the house is a nice size now and apparently hardy.  It took the deer some years to start in on it and they changed the shape forever.  It's probably 8' or 9' now.  The one drawback to this lovely thing is that the density of the branches makes it very susceptible to damage from late ice storms.

7-10' is a very appealing size for 'trees' to me... do these ever make seed, Anne? Are they mutations of a larger species, or is this a naturally small species?

Cohan, I used to save old nursery catalogs and then ran out of room and tossed all but the most current.  I recall that Ulmus parvifolia 'Seiju' was one of the ones offered but I seem to remember that it was a very small one.  I thought that the one I bought was naturally small, but who knows?  Phyllis Gustafson might remember because she may ahve been working at Siskiyou at the time.  The attached pictures show the three trees I planted.  First is a "bonsai" farthest from the house.  Next one is a little closer, and the last is the one the deer left alone for some years.  They trimmed off all the bottom branches and an ice storm late winter 2010 broke off most of the top half of the tree.

Sorry, picture #1 didn't make it.  Attached is picture of "deer bonsai" planted farthest from the house.  All three were planted in exactly the same soil and at the same time and size.  Who would believe the results?  (Anyone living in proximity to antlered rats would!)

Wow! I like them all, the shape of the biggest is lovely, but the smaller ones look great  too, and the stature would be great in certain plantings..

As for antlered rats, I don't think we have anything like your issues, but deer and moose keep many things pruned around here--Sorbus/Mountain Ash is a challenge here, and note my comments in my Salix thread!

The one I showed, U. parvifolia 'Davidii' is said on the Wrightman's site to get to 40cm.

Lori, as you can see from the pictures, Ulmus parvifolia is a good candidate for bonsai.  Plant the one that's supposed to be a small tree and I will give you some of my antlered rats to do the job for you

Anne, sounds like you (and most of the rest of developed North America) could use some predators!
 
Well, the way I've grown U. parvifolia 'Davidii' to date - that is, as an annual - it will certainly never outgrow its trough!  ;D

Lori, the other night I drove up my driveway and a herd of 22 deer scattered.  They move too fast to count beyond 22.  These kinds of numbers are beyond mere challenges.  We desperately need wolves and mountain lions.

Good grief, with a deer population like that, how do you keep your beautiful yard from being eaten down to the nub?!?  :o   Is it fenced?

Here's another shrub that's suitable for the rock garden (mine is ~15cm; it's said to get to 30cm on one site I saw)... again, not exactly groundhugging - Spiraea decumbens:
 

Spirea decumbens is a new acquaintance for me, Lori! All spireas I know of are big or very big, often untidy shrubs. This certainly is something to plant. When does it flower?

Skulski wrote:

Good grief, with a deer population like that, how do you keep your beautiful yard from being eaten down to the nub?!?  :o   Is it fenced

Skulski wrote:

Good grief, with a deer population like that, how do you keep your beautiful yard from being eaten down to the nub?!?  :o   Is it fenced?

Here's another shrub that's suitable for the rock garden (mine is ~15cm; it's said to get to 30cm on one site I saw)... again, not exactly groundhugging - Spiraea decumbens:

No, it isn't fenced because we live on rock.  I would need to win the lottery to afford the fencing needed.  The new water garden is fenced with 8' high wire mesh.  It's located at the bottom of the property where there's soil and fencing was a possibility.  One of the prettiest sights for me is to look through the fence and see all that expanse of snow without hoof prints!  The rest of the garden is a war zone between me and the deer.  They have taught me that penstemons and daphnes (and occasionally Lewisia tweedyi) can be eaten to the nub and come back.  The shrubby penstemons literally become bonsaied and bloom like crazy - ditto the daphnes.

Spiegel wrote:

The shrubby penstemons literally become bonsaied and bloom like crazy - ditto the daphnes.

Well, I guess that's a bit of a silver lining!

Trond, S. decumbens blooms in June-July here, much the same as the bigger spiraeas in our short season.

Just came across a nice looking low-growing Lonicera (decumbent stems) while combing through the pages of Plantarium Russia (a site for the vascular plants of Russia and neighboring countries). 

Lonicera alberti
Kazakhstan, mountain-steppe zone between Terskey Alatau Mts. Ketmen, ca. 2000 m.
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/78333.html

That's a cool one for sure!

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...
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CEPR

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

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

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. 

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.  :o  (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.)
     

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

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.

McDonough wrote:

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

Skulski wrote:

Here's what I bought a couple of years ago as Prunus aff. prostrata... hope it lives up to its name and becomes prostrate.  :o  (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? ;)

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

Skulski wrote:

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

Probably! Likely age (i.e. repeated snows  ;D , 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..

Skulski wrote:

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.

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...

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) 8)

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?

cohan wrote:

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 ;D 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 :o 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.

Clearly you are more ambitious skiers than me  ;D Actually, I'm sure you could dodge the trees easily enough here, but the tangle of rose, ribes, loniceras, shepherdia etc on the ground I think would be very hard to ski through without getting stuck, and the snow is not deep enough to bury them completely; Likewise, wet areas with dense willow, birch and alder--all dense clusters of thin trunks, are very hard even to walk through...
Spruce limbs here are not terribly short, but nor are they very thick, and they are very flexible, so they have no problem.. Poplars and birches can have a bit of an issue with wet heavy snow, usually only once they are in leaf...
We have a long weekend at the end of May--popular time for a late heavy snow  ;D

I know too well the damge from compacted snow as it melts...I used to have plenty of rhododendrons but have replaced most with deciduous azaleas as the latter are not so prone to the pancake effect.

I am rather fond of our native prostrate form of Shepherdia canadensis...it is a truly prostrate form and comes true from seed (as they don't root for beans from cuttings)

Todd, that one is a winner! I really like it ;D
If you have spare seed I would love to try it ;)

Todd wrote:

I know too well the damge from compacted snow as it melts...I used to have plenty of rhododendrons but have replaced most with deciduous azaleas as the latter are not so prone to the pancake effect.

I am rather fond of our native prostrate form of Shepherdia canadensis...it is a truly prostrate form and comes true from seed (as they don't root for beans from cuttings)

WOW! I had no idea that existed! Would love to grow that :) The standard form is common here..

Wow, put me on the someday list for that special seed too, please, Todd!

Do you see a difference in growth between male and female plants?  We are supposed to have Shepherdia canadensis and S. argentea here, but I think I have only seen S. argentea.

Is that an Erica sp. that I see it growing with?

I'll guess it is an Empetrum, crowberry!

Yes, I hadn't thought about crowberry.  Probably more likely...

RickR wrote:

Do you see a difference in growth between male and female plants?  We are supposed to have Shepherdia canadensis and S. argentea here, but I think I have only seen S. argentea.

Here S canadensis grows every few feet...lol, but S argentea is supposely only in the south of the province... Elaeagnus commutata (silverberry) does occur in isolated spots here, and more commonly in the foothills .. hoping to get some cuttings this year from a spot about 10 miles from here..

Todd wrote:

I know too well the damge from compacted snow as it melts...I used to have plenty of rhododendrons but have replaced most with deciduous azaleas as the latter are not so prone to the pancake effect.

I am rather fond of our native prostrate form of Shepherdia canadensis...it is a truly prostrate form and comes true from seed (as they don't root for beans from cuttings)

Wow Todd, a superb dwarf form of Shepherdia :o... I hesitate to join in lest you be overburdened with requests, although I'd like to join the club!  Thanks for showing that beauty and making us aware of its existence.

cohan wrote:

Elaeagnus commutata (silverberry) does occur in isolated spots here, and more commonly in the foothills .. hoping to get some cuttings this year from a spot about 10 miles from here..

As much as I like wolf willow (E. commutata) in the wild (especially for the fragrant flowers), it's worth mentioning that it has a very strong suckering habit... something to consider when deciding where (or whether) to plant it.

Nothing too exotic here... Juniperus horizontalis 'Pancake', coming out of its rusty winter colour and remaining small and completely prostrate after 4 years:

Cute little juniper..
I can see that habit of Elaeagnus commutata in the wild, I definitely would not plant it near any garden beds (though nothing could outsucker the native poplars here, and they can reach every inch of the 6 acres with their suckers, my main reason for mowing....)..I could give it space to do its thing, likely with mowing on at least one side, such as along the side of our property along the road, already a line (not single line, a few metres deep) of trees, but I'd like denser screening......

Skulski wrote:

Nothing too exotic here... Juniperus horizontalis 'Pancake', coming out of its rusty winter colour and remaining small and completely prostrate after 4 years:

With that name it has to stay flat for lot more than 4 years;)

Here's a natural form of Juniperus communis.

It's not exactly ground-hugging but Betula apoiensis is a nice little tree, suitable for the larger rock garden.
It's shown here just after leafing out at the end of May, and in fall colour at the end of October this year:
 

http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-21161
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://talent.paperbl...
http://www.apoi-geopark.jp/file/pdf/apodake_leaf_e.pdf

Nice birch, seems to have similar leaf texture to the native dwarf birches (which I only see in grazed contexts, so I don't know how small they stay- I see Kristl got some seed of B glandulosa in the Rockies, and  she mentions 1-3 metres.. don't know if its the same as those I see around here) but your birch has a very different habit- more pendulous and graceful...

I have this Salix sp. hugging the ground very well and creeping around, to be honest, somewhat thuggishly! It grows incredibly easily from cuttings also. I was told when given the original plant that it was a Californian sp. but I haven't been able to find anything like it there. I think the people who gave me it were mistaken ( although they grew many USA plants ). Can anyone help ID it please? I can take more pics if necessary. TIA  :)

We like having these truly ground hugging Salix sp. growing throughout what are primarily the 'bulb growing' beds. The very open soil is kept on the dry side in summer through the root action and leaf cover, maintaining a good soil moisture and temperature. The bulbs flower through the branches before the leaves appear on the Salix ( in the main ).

Salix reticulata - in full seed !

We were given this one as Salix nivalis ( we still think it is, but many pictures on the web look more like S. reticulata !? ). It is very easily propagated and now covers many areas. The fallen leaves are of a Prunus sp. tree which overhangs part of this bed, ( left in for scale !)

Not a ground hugging species, but a lovely tiny plant is Salix x boydii. Dotted around to add different colour and texture.

Those are beauties, Ron!  I wonder what it takes to get Salix to bloom in captivity??  Blooming is rare to nonexistent on mine!

My Salix x boydii has been doing poorly the last two years - died back by about half after the winter of 2011-2012.  I think I discovered why.  It's planted in a two-tier wood-frame acid bed, in the upper tier.  Ants and wasps (I assume) had excavated out a cavity beneath it which I refilled this spring (the wasps had abandoned it) - it took a gallon and a half of soil to refill the cavity, so I imagine the roots of plants growing above it were pretty much suspended in the air!  No wonder it died back.

Ron, I have never really tried to grow Salix reticulata although I like it very much. It is always a pleasure to find it.

Here are two small, decorative shrubs probably useful in a garden: Salix polaris and Betula nana ssp tundarum. The latter is much more prostrate than the usual B. nana.

Salix polaris

Betula nana ssp tundrarum

Love all those dwarf willows and birches! Still haven't got any, but I will someday!..lol

I'll try to remember 1) collecting some seeds  2) posting the collection!

Here's another one, Cassiope tetragona, that covered huge areas on Svalbard.

Here is one of my favourite ground-hugging shrubs, Teucrium subspinosum. Growing in a hot dry position in a raised bed in the rock garden and now covering a few bulbs such as Retic iris 'Harmony' and Narcissus viridiflorus.

cheers

fermi

Wow, love it, Fermi!  Looks prickly and wonderful!!

A couple of subshrubs in the yard here...

Linnaea borealis, which is done blooming here, though it was in full splendour through the montane forest on our hike earlier this week:

Salix retusa:

Trond- Cassiope is nice- I've seen a couple sp in this clan at one spot in the mountains (not saying they are rare, just the one right spot I've visited) and thought it was a habitat I could duplicate: the north edge and moderate slope of a rocky ridge, under open conifers. Haven't tried yet though.. I tend to assume these Ericaceae will be painfully slow from seed?

Fermi-looks good- are trhe bulbs able to push through it?

Lori- is that a native willow?

Fermi, although some species of Teucrium is native here I suppose I can't grow this T subspinosum. What a pity!

Lori, your form of Linnaea looks very gardenworthy even when the flowers are gone!

Cohan, I have never tried Cassiope but I have grown both some Ericas and Calluna from seed and they are rather quick. Often they are flowering in their 2nd year.

[quote=cohan]

Lori- is that a native willow?

[/quote]

No, apparently, it's a European species: 

http://encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/Salix/retusa

I'll have to watch for the scent of valerian in the fall - not something I've noticed.

Hi Cohan,

the iris and the Narcissus both spear through the Teucrium without a problem! It has meant that I haven't dug them up recently! <grin>

Trond,

it seems to be a widespread genus, but you can grow many things (like cassiopes!) which I have no hope of getting let alone keeping!

cheers

fermi

Fermi, it is the other way: you can grow many things which i have no hope of ever keep alive!

Good to know, Trond- my only effort in the family was with some Rhodos (I forget what it was, something small and zone 3 from Kristl), and they never really got any size to them after a couple of years, and just disappeared everntually, but that may have been entirely my fault.. oh, and Arctostaphylos rubra I sowed last winter, and it just didn't come up :(

Fermi-my bulb growing is still in early stages, so I'm still thinking about what to plant them with.. I have some on a berm with mid-sized meadow plants, that seems good, but need some solutions still for Crocus at the base of a rock garden.. I have an Acaena and Azorella there, but those are so tiny they really wont help.. probably need to move them and put something more robust- maybe Arctostaphylos uva-ursi would be a good sub-shrub for me to use for that--I've seen Anemones coming up through it in the wild...

Lori- not sure I'd even be able to find the native Valerian in the fall..lol- they are not very conspicuous plants at the best of times, and here grow amongst grasses, sedges, other forbs etc Still mean to get them into my garden, but hasn't happened yet...

This Genista lydia has molded itself to the rocks over which it grows and it a solid yellow at this time each year,

cheers

fermi

[quote=Longma]

We like having these truly ground hugging Salix sp. growing throughout what are primarily the 'bulb growing' beds. The very open soil is kept on the dry side in summer through the root action and leaf cover, maintaining a good soil moisture and temperature. The bulbs flower through the branches before the leaves appear on the Salix ( in the main ).

Salix reticulata - in full seed !

[/quote]

Your Salix reticulata above looks a lot like a plant I have- Salix nakamurana var yezoalpina. Not sure if this helps or just muddies the waters for identification!

[quote=Longma]

We were given this one as Salix nivalis ( we still think it is, but many pictures on the web look more like S. reticulata !? ). It is very easily propagated and now covers many areas. The fallen leaves are of a Prunus sp. tree which overhangs part of this bed, ( left in for scale !)

Not a ground hugging species, but a lovely tiny plant is Salix x boydii. Dotted around to add different colour and texture.

[/quote]

[Edited to correct the "quoted" parts... Lori ]

You may well be correct Gordon. Thanks for the suggestion. Over the years friends have given us numerous of these low growing shrubs and generally we just go with the name they were carrying when given to us. We love to employ them in the garden beds to hold / protect the bulbous flowers that, when in the open, are at the mercy of the vagaries of our Fall weather. Here Crocus speciosus growing through a species of Salix from Asia. Not accurate, but that's gardening???

All nice willows! I like them with the bulbs too. something I will keep in mind when I manage to get hold of some... I've been thinking of using the much more available (for me) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Dryas and Linnaea for that as well...

Genista lydia is looking fantastic, Fermi.   Hmm, that sparks a memory of my long gone Genista pilosa 'Vancouver Gold'... not that it ever looked that good!  May have to try it again one day.

Hi Lori,

I think one of the genistas we grew was a form of G. pilosa - must try it again from seed!

One of my favorite dwarf shrubs, Teucrium subspinosum, is now in flower,

cheers

fermi

Fermi, any problem with cats and the Teucrium?  I tried a couple times growing this Teucrium and cats would decimate it, as the aromatic foliage is as intoxicating as regular catnip (Nepeta cataria).

Hi Mark,

not with this one; they like Teucrium marum more, but they don't decimate it either,

cheers

fermi

Here are some pics of Teucrium marum which is now in flower,

cheers

fermi

Very nice on both Teucrium species, now including T. marum.  Both species never had a chance in my garden, many many years ago when I was still gardening at my parents home, the plants would be become decimated by cats (we didn't have cats, nor do I remember seeing any roaming cats), the small broken shrublets entangled with cat hair, apparently far more pungent and potent than normal catnip. If I were to try growing them again, would have to cover with protective wire mesh; there are at least 3 cats in the area that routinely come through the yard and hunt.

Another ground-hugging shrub in our rock garden is the South African Relhania pungens

It looks great at this time of year but can be a bit tatty when the seed heads are left to go brown!

cheers

fermi

It was an article by Panayoti in an ARGS journal way back in the 1980s which got me interested in rock garden Oreganoes.

This is a "swarm" of hybrids involving Origanum rotundifolium and another one whose name I've lost!

cheers

fermi

[quote=cohan]

Fermi [Teucrium subspinosum] -looks good- are the bulbs able to push through it?

[/quote]

Cohan,

this colchicum is a bit too small to get through

cheers

fermi

Really interesting plants Fermi - we are growing many teucriums, along with other Mediterranean shrublets and I'm aiming to write about them for The Plantsman in the UK. Fortunately our dog should prevent any problems with cats! The Relhania is completely new to me - I wonder if it has any chance of being hardy in the UK? This is one of my favourite small shrubs - Lithodora oleifolia​ - one of a particularly lovely family of plants, and at last growing a lot better than it has done before now it is planted out in the sand bed.

Tim, How does Lithodora oleifolia compare in hardiness to Lithodora diffusa? We have L. diffusa 'Grace Ward' growing here, though it doesn't exactly appreciate our extra cold and wet winters. With a bit of shelter, a raised bed with excellent drainage, and plenty of sun seems to help it through the worst winter offers here.

I think Lithodora oleifolia is probably hardier than L. diffusa​; it has a limited distribution and at a higher altitude. We are roughly zone 8 and have never had winter lows below -15°C - but we do tend to specialise in more Mediterranean-type plants! There are some smaller ecotypes of L. diffusa from higher altitude (like 'Picos') which is lime tolerant and I imagine a good bit hardier than 'Grace Ward'.

Tim,

I'll have to look out for seeds of that Lithodora -  L. "Grace Ward" is the only one seen locally!

Here's another ground-hugger which Crocus pulchellus is able to penetrate when it's time to flower: Haplopappus coronipifolius (syn glutinosus)

cheers

fermi

This is a local, native "rice-flower", Pimelea glauca (I think) which suckers lightly and can provide a not-too-dense ground cover,

cheers

fermi

Nice plant, Fermi!

It seems that the Pimelea  likes the same conditions as the Armeria? Could be possible to grow it here then!

Autumn color on Rhamnus microcarpa. The shrub grows about 1mm every two years.

Bob

What would you guess the age is on that one, then?

It must have grown a little faster when young...?

Say twenty years old. The whole plant is about 20cm across. 

Not like this one, for sure. http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/102069.html  (This is a link to a website for people who have the self-control to be able to enjoy pictures of plants and not want every single one of them, so be forewarned.)

Bob

[quote=Hoy]

Nice plant, Fermi!

It seems that the Pimelea  likes the same conditions as the Armeria? Could be possible to grow it here then!

[/quote]

I'll have to see if there is any seed set on it!

Here's a ground-hugging shrub that gets a bit too huggy - it swamps anything in its path!

Margyricarpus pinnatus, "Pearl-berry" growing with Geranium harveyi

and a pic of the Haplopappus coronopifilus in flower

cheers

fermi

[quote=Fermi]

Hoy wrote:

Nice plant, Fermi!

It seems that the Pimelea  likes the same conditions as the Armeria? Could be possible to grow it here then!

I'll have to see if there is any seed set on it!

Here's a ground-hugging shrub that gets a bit too huggy - it swamps anything in its path!

Margyricarpus pinnatus, "Pearl-berry" growing with Geranium harveyi

and a pic of the Haplopappus coronopifilus in flower

cheers

fermi

[/quote]

Hi Fermi, you certainly have some nice shrubs! Never heard of the Pearlfruit before.

Hi Trond,

I wonder if it would be hardy for you?

cheers

fermi

[quote=Fermi]

Hi Trond,

I wonder if it would be hardy for you?

cheers

fermi

[/quote]

Fermi,

It could be. It is rated as hardy in USDA hardiness zone 8-11 so with winters like the last one the winters shouldn't be a problem but if it needs very warm summers that would be more difficult! Could be interesting to try.

[quote=Fermi]

 a pic of the Haplopappus coronopifilus in flower

[/quote]

And a couple of weeks ago it was in full seed mode

cheers

fermi

Nice, are they viable?

This one is not exactly ground-hugging - it's more mound-like - but it's certainly small... Buxus microphyllus 'Kingsville'; planted in 2008 and is 3" or less:

Kingsville is the cutest thing!  Fifteen years ago I had two in troughs.  Mine were even tighter growing, and made great natural bonsai.  I never decided on a reason why one winter they both up and died....

I didn't even know something like that existed! Neither that any Buxus was that hardy.

This little Indigofera pseudotinctoria is relatively new and is very prostrate so it may fit the category of "ground-hugging" but time will tell!

cheers

fermi

No experience at all with Indigofera.... are the stems woody?

[quote=Lori S.]

No experience at all with Indigofera.... are the stems woody?

[/quote]

Hi Lori,

this specimen is very young so the stems don't appear woody yet. Other species that I've grown have developed woody stems,

cheers

fermi

With time the indigofera has certainly spread out and is ground-hugging!

And, yes, Al, there are definitely pods forming

cheers

fermi

This shrubby, prostrate form of Artemisia has been grown for a long time in Australia as A. schmidtiana "Nana" but apparently that is a herbaceous species so it's possible what we have is A. caucasica but no one is prepared to say for sure!

cheers

fermi

Another association of Artemisia (maybe) caucasica - this time with the autumn flowering Oxalis flava in its mauve form

cheers

fermi

Grevillea lanigera "Mt Tamboritha form" has slowly molded itself round the rocks it grows amongst,

cheers

fermi

This Australian native plant Pomaderris obcordata 'Mallee Princess' is quite low and ground hugging but was severely "pruned" by the parrots a couple of years ago so that may be why it has stayed compact!

cheers

fermi

[quote=Fermi]

cohan wrote:

Fermi [Teucrium subspinosum] -looks good- are the bulbs able to push through it?

Cohan,

this colchicum is a bit too small to get through

[/quote]

This Reticulata Iris 'Harmony' is also finding a bit difficult now that the Teucrium has overgrown it,

cheers

fermi

Halimium lasianthum formosum 'Yellow Sun Rose'

cheers

fermi

The Halimium lasianthum ssp formosum is flowering well

It will quickly outgrow its allotted space so may need to be moved!

cheers

fermi

That is a cutie.  But by the flowering time, I assume it blooms on old wood?  Of course, the ulterior motive here is if it would be good as a root hardy perennial in cold climates.