The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
15 Basic Ways To Landscape Your Homepage
Pachysandra terminalis, called the Japanese spurge, is a trailing plant 6 to 6 inches high. It forms broad mats of bright green glossy foliage in almost all situations, even beneath pine trees. It can be used under all other evergreen trees and shrubs, for area-way copings, in enclosed patios, for shrub and flower borders, for bordering walks, steps or drives or on steep terraces in sun or shade. Set plants about 12 inches apart.
Yinca or trailing myrtle is particularly suitable as a pleasing ground carpet, or under trees and shrubs where it is too shady for grass or other plants. Vincas are evergreen, growing 4 to 12 inches high. Their foliage is deep glossy green with very attractive blue or white flowers. It forms a neat flat mat, spreads rapidly and is tolerant of poor soils. For best results set out young plants, or divisions of an older planting, spaced 10 inches apart.
For extra interest and as a cover for the fading foliage you might consider inter-planting daffodils, Mertensia or Scillas with the Vincas.
The evergreen, carpet bugle, or Ajuga rcptans, makes an effective groundcover. Use it as a carpet for snowdrops and grape hyacinth bulbs. Ajuga grows only 2 or 3 inches high with deep green-bronze foliage. It bears attractive blue flowers and spreads rapidly to form a dense mat. Set the plants 9 to 12 inches apart.
The Euonymus or wintercreeper is an evergreen vinelike creeper which thrives in light sun or shade. The purple leaf variety has dark green foliage which becomes purple during the winter. It forms a loose spreading mat but may be kept more compact with an occasional shearing. Winter-creeper spreads rapidly, therefore set the new plants 2 feet apart. Euonynus kewensis is a miniature variety useful for covering small areas, around statues, pools or wherever a plant of small proportions is needed.
To cover large banks inexpensively consider the Rosa wichuraiana or memorial rose. Almost evergreen, it trails along the ground providing a green glossy mat which covers a wide area. Additionally, the memorial rose furnishes large panicles of single and semidouble flowers with centers of brilliant yellow stamens. Its flowers bloom in July or August. You will find the wichuraiana rose has a close clinging habit, with a tendency to root wherever it touches the ground. Set your plants out, about 3 to 6 feet apart, and shear or prune them back every year right after they bloom.
