The last Friday of June, 2016, kind of snuck up on me. It's a bit of calendar trickery this month with the first of July also being on a Friday.
So monthly favorites...I've decided to feature a few low growing plants. Some might call them groundcovers. This Sedum hitchhiked in with a plant I brought from my garden in Spokane. That plant is long gone (wish I could remember what it was)...
But the Sedum lives on, in a big way. It's thrown itself (or maybe that was Lila's doing) across the sidewalk and down the edge of the driveway. It's a nice effect.
I'd give you the cultural details on this little plant but I have no idea which one it is, as it was already growing at my house in Spokane when I bought it, plus I tend to confuse Sedums anyway. They're all good really.
Did you notice the three green little blobs in the photo above? I finally purchased Scleranthus uniflorus. I've been lusting after it thanks to Evan and Patricia who are both growing it. What took me so long? (especially since I first discovered it in the garden of Mark & Gaz back in 2012).
It's like moss for full sun gardens! Hardy in Zones 7-10, eventually creating a mound 6-12" wide...
Just up the sidewalk a bit is my latest Grevillea x gaudichaudii, which brings the garden total to three.
This plant is basically certain heartbreak as it's hardy in Zones 8-10 but will most likely succumb to a cold winter, eventually. Everyone I know who's grown it has lost it.
But until then I'll enjoy it!
The pavers in this last part of the pathway to the patio used to be surrounded by Corsican mint (Mentha requienii). But for some reason (not enough sun?) it chose not to stick around and the moss moved in.
Still there are little pockets here and there that pop up, sometimes a fair distance from the original plants. I brushed the accumulated fir tree debris off this patch and the air filled with that lovely mint aroma.
Here, on the path to the shade pavilion, there's more (along with a Sedum, of course)...
This bit it situated where I can brush my toes across it when I pass, releasing that fresh mint smell. Mentha requienii is hardy to Zones 7-9 and likes well drained, even moisture – that drainage part is especially important in the winter months. It tolerates some foot traffic and has tiny purple flowers in the summertime. Oh and it's the mint used to make Creme de Menthe!
Stepping onto the patio, here's another Grevillea x gaudichaudii.
Those yellow leaves developed last winter and I expected them to either turn green or dry up and turn brown. They've done neither.
My original, which has grown significantly and bloomed a lot. Sadly you can't see most of it right now because it's blcked by the containers.
There are several new buds!
One more fav...this one Acaena inermis 'Purpurea' (New Zealand Purple Burr).
It's labeled as evergreen (everpurple) but for me it dies back in the winter enough that it looks bad. Hardy in Zones 5-9 and eventually reaching 3 ft wide. Drought tolerant and likes well drained soil in full sun. It is said to tolerate only light foot traffic but I can personally attest to it dealing just fine with a 22 lb dog regularly sprawled out on a summer day.
So....what's looking fabulous in your June garden?
All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.