Floral problem solvers are needed to create decorative greenery in spartan locations such as rock gardens, dry stone walls and roof gardens. With succulent ground covers, you can transform these barren locations into a feast for the eyes. We have compiled the most beautiful types and varieties for you in this selection.
Houseleek is a popular groundcover
Indestructible houseleeks draw picturesque garden pictures
Its botanical name, Sempervivum, means "always alive" and it gets right to the point. Houseleeks retain their decorative appearance in sweltering heat and freezing cold. The following species and varieties are predestined for succulent ground cover thanks to their low stature:
- Houseleek 'Bronze pastel': reddish leaves, pink flowers in summer, height of growth 10-15 cm
- Badger 'Silberkarneol': silvery spun rosettes of leaves, purple flowers from June to July, height of growth 3-10 cm
- Cobweb rock rose 'Rheinkiesel': blue-green, ciliated leaves, pink summer flowers, height of growth 5-10 cm
Houseleeks prefer a warm location in full sun with a pebbly-stony to rocky ground. Their legendary undemanding nature requires neither watering nor fertilizing. The watering can is only used from time to time during long periods of drought in midsummer. Since the rock rose is completely hardy, it is considered an ideal succulent for outdoors.
Sedums favor lean framework conditions
The multi-faceted genus of sedum (Sedum) is also called stonecrop. The following succulent ground covers show their best side under the barren conditions of a dry stone wall:
- Abundant flowering 'Weihenstephaner Gold': here the name says it all with bright yellow flowers, 10-20 cm
- Variegated bacopa 'Variegatum': white-edged leaves, orange-yellow flowers in July and August, 10-20 cm
- Carpet Fat Leaf 'Purple Carpet': dark red, round shaped foliage, purple summer flowers, 10-20 cm
Characteristic of succulent ground covers are their creeping growth and the lack of pruning. Since sedum plants have to develop their stable winter hardiness in the first two years, they are grateful for a light winter protection in the form of a cover made of leaves or straw in the year of planting. Otherwise they are just as easy to care for as Sempervivum.
tips
Succulent ground covers tirelessly produce offshoots in the form of daughter rosettes and children. Once houseleek and sedum have gained a foothold in the area, the hardy perennials can be propagated without any problems. Children that are at least one-fifth the size of their mother plant can be snapped off or cut off to add colorful greenery to other locations.