I have a little patch of land beside my driveway that slopes enough for water to run off. It gets plenty of morning sun until the afternoon and has pretty poor soil quality. The soil dries out really quickly in summer and then gets soggy in winter where rain collects at the bottom. I already have some spring bulbs that thrive, but there are times when it looks quite bare. I'm looking for suggestions on small shrubs or low-maintenance ground cover plants that I can plant in September to help with soil stability and improvement. Ideally, I'm looking for something that stays under a couple of feet tall, preferably evergreen, and maybe has some flowers. I already have lavender, so I'd like to know what else might work well in these conditions.
4 Answers
You might want to consider planting Roman chamomile, creeping thyme, bugle, or even geum 'Mrs J. Bradshaw'. Wild primrose could be a good option too! Also, don’t forget about adding a layer of mulch to retain moisture during the dry summer months.
Clover makes a decent ground cover too. It feeds the soil, can be cut back if needed, and attracts bees, which is a nice bonus!
Rosemary would actually thrive in those conditions! There are both shrubby and trailing varieties, plus it offers a lovely fragrance and beautiful flowers when it blooms.
I'd always assumed rosemary was difficult to grow but that sounds promising, thanks!
For a flowering evergreen ground cover, Vinca (or periwinkle, depending on where you're from) is a great choice. You can trim it back easily with whatever tools you have; it really is not fussy at all!
? thank you!
Thanks, will look them up!