Suggestions for interesting ground cover

Hi,
Can anyone suggest some plants for a new area of my garden..... I am clearing some great big shrubs that seem to be over abundadnt in numbers and really tall. I want some more variety and I am going to be planting some ground cover stuff... looking for architectural foliage and flowering perennials.. thinking of hostas and some other intesting foliage stuff with a back drop of taller flowers - just planted some fox glove seeds for planting out in that spot later.
So, can anyone suggets some spectacular looking stuff to mix in with hostas... fairly new to gardening but love the look of many plants but often don't know what they are. Will be greatful for any suggestions. Thanks, Mike.

 

I've got aquilegia (spring/early summer) and a wonderful red penstemon (all summer) in my garden. They self seed and pop up year after year and look terrific. Also night scented stock which is a great ground cover and its pink flowers seem to go on forever!

 

How about Vinca minor/major? Evergreen with lovely purple flowers

Periwinkle:



[ 22. June 2005, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: jay ]

 

Hi Mike
From the plants you have already chosen, it seems to be a shady area (?) Ajuga reptans makes good ground cover, or ferns (Dryopteris, Polystichum). Fatsia japonica is architectural and thrives in shade. Others to try for shade include the list below & they would work well together:-(look them up here http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantselector/default.aspx
1 Eleagnus pungens 'Maculata'(evergreen shrub), 2 Lonicera 'Graham Thomas' (honeysuckle-evergreen), 3 Choisya ternata(evergreen shrub), 4 Hedera colchica dentata 'Variegata' (ivy- evergreen ground cover or climber), 5 Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus'(golden mock orange - deciduous shrub), 6 Mahonia 'Lionel Fortescue'(evergreen shrub), 7 Clematis montana 'Alba'(deciduous climber), 8 Skimmia japonica 'Rubella', 9 Skimmia japonica 'Foremanii'(both the last 2 are evergreen shrubs), 10 Hebe 'White Gem'(evergreen shrub), 11 Digitalis purpurea 'Alba'(white foxglove-biennial), 12 Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'(herbaceous perennial), 13 Bergenia 'Sissinghurst White' (elephants ears-evergreen ground cover), 14 Lamium maculatum 'Aureum' (golden dead nettle- semi-evergreen ground cover), 15 Geranium 'Ann Folkard'(herbaceous perennial) 16 Campanula lactiflora 'Alba'(bellflower- herbaceous perennial) , 17 Pulmonaria saccharata (lungwort-semi evergreen ground cover), 18 Dicentra formosa (herbaceous perennial)
You could under plant with snowdrops, lily of the valley, dwarf narcissi, winter aconites, anenome blanda, bluebells (make sure you source some English ones rather than spanish, and that they are not dug up from the wild)
Hope this helps

[ 23. June 2005, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Bayleaf ]

 

Thank you all for your suggestions - looking forward to discovering these new plants!
Thanks
Mike