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Plant recommendation please

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  • 08-07-2010 8:34pm
    #1
    angeldaisy
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 2,281 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    I was wondering if someone can help me with some plant recommendations, I have a peice of grass at the front of my house that is about 30ft x 10ft. I have a few shrubs in it, but it is really poor quality soil and is very stony. During the winter it is very wet and slimy with what looks like dark green slime and then during the summer it is very dry almost like concrete.
    What I would like to do is put in a few shrubs or ground cover plants to eventually replace the grass. I'm happy for them to take over the grass, the area is pretty much in full sunshine all day, with one tree growing there. Any suggestions??


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    #2
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    More practical to kill grass before planting any ground cover shrubs.

    Plenty of options, go for mix of shrubs and herbaceous perennials (which will give a good mix of evergreen cover most of the year and some flower colour at peak times) including:

    Cotoneaster (Coral Beauty), Persicaria Darjeeling, Heathers, Heuchera (lots of choice), Pachysandra (Green Carpet), Flower Carpet (Rose), ornamental Grasses eg Carex, Acorus, etc etc.

    Good ground preparation (clearance, removal and digging) is essential.


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    #3
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,437 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    You will give yourself a lot of weeding if you just put shrubs in. As Sonnenblumen says, dig it over well, put in some compost, then cover it with weed suppressant. Cut crosses to plant your shrubs then cover the whole thing with gravel (you can get bulk small pebbles for around €40 a tonne for grey and about €80 for a more goldy mix).

    One plant that will cover a large area with great enthusiasm is persicaria. Prostrate ceanothus also does well, I have one covering a large area in those conditions. Spurge, japanese anemones, prostrate st. johns wort also good.


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    #4
    annieoburns
    Registered Users Posts: 505 ✭✭✭annieoburns


    I got rid of lawn in small north facing front garden. I now have selection of low growing shrubs that cover area completely and behave themselves.... maybe bit of haircut once a year or so.

    cotoneaster horizontalis sweeps up over front wall and half conceals Electric lamp control box location in same... nice berries in Autumn.

    Golden creeping juniper.... slow growing but fine plant now

    Potentilla... shrubby one with white flowers

    Hebe.... has purple flower but is a big soft shrub now

    Virginia creeper covers another side wall and is now growing out over portion of unused concrete driveway and heading to house wall.

    Japanese Anenome fills in some gaps but bit invasive.


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