I WONDER WHY SWEET WOODRUFF, perhaps the most graceful groundcover for shade, is so completely unsung? Surely its lack of celebrity is not my fault, since I bore my fellow gardeners with its virtues. Yet so beguiling is this Gallium odoratum that I refuse to see it neglected any longer. It is, in fact, the… Read more »
Did you know that certain groundcovers, among them Pachysandra terminalis (above, click to enlarge), will gladly adapt themselves to winter life indoors? Cuttings of pachysandra will produce not only a terrific houseplant, but an elegant centerpiece, too. I snip a dozen stems from the garden in early November. Inserted into a floral frog, which is… Read more »
I wonder how many gardeners with sun-kissed gardens have been told by “the experts” that Pachysandra terminalis will only grow in shade? Far too many, I suspect. My 8 beds of pachysandra thrive in full sun, much to the consternation of landscape professionals. Would you like to know my sunny-secret?The trick, I have found, is… Read more »
Ground covers are indispensible in the garden; they give even a newly planted place a decidedly old, romantic appearance, and you can use them to beautify difficult spots where grass won’t grow. My favorite kinds are not rare or unusual, but tried-and-true: the upright, multi-leaved Pachysandra terminalis, the creeping, spring-blooming, blue or white Vinca minor,… Read more »
