Purple-foliaged groundcover for perennial bed

15 years ago

Hi all,

I'm filling a bed with some lime-green foliage accents and I thought some purplish groundcovers would be just the thing.

Some of the bed is in full sun and some of it is in part shade; the soil is good and kept fairly moist but not soggy. I have a rose, salvias, geranium, salix purpurea (in the wettest section, by the downspout), and hosta.

I like finer-textured groundcovers, in most cases, that grow around other plants and form a "carpet" without competing. The only two purple species that spring to mind are New Zealand Brass Buttons (have that, what a cool plant) and ajuga (can anyone recommend the purplest ajugas?). Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Kristin

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

bullthistle
15 years ago
Lamium has a purpurea variety that has purple leaves, but it is finicky compared to ajuga. I have included a website that details how to propagate perennials to expand your garden bed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
Lamium purpurea is a common weed and an annual to boot, so don't plant that! And only the newest growth is tinged purple, otherwise it is green. A couple of the darkest leafed ajugas are 'Mahogany' or 'Chocolate Chip' but you might be able to determine from the cultivar name that they're more of a deep bronze color rather than a true purple or burgundy.

Look for Viola labradorica for a good purple leaf for shade, but this is a bit of thug and will reseed rampantly. Or in the sunniest areas, Acaena inermis 'Purpurea' or purple bidibidi would look great against chartreuse - it is a plummy gray color.

Personally, I think the Cotula squallida 'Platt's Black' (NZ brass buttons) is a great groundcover - looks stunning against chartreuse and will take sun or shade....but it's not really purple :-))
Related Discussions
Protecting perennials from groundcovers
Q
Comments (19)
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with location - that's pretty much SOP for any potentially invasive or aggressively spreading plant. The more suited it is to the planting situation, the happier it will be and the more it will spread. I've attached a link for those of you who can't imagine this plant being overly aggressive :-) Lots of times, until you see it in person, it IS hard to imagine that seemingly well-behaved plant in your garden can be a horrible pest in another! I still like groundcovers and find them remarkably useful in all sorts of gardening situations. But like any other plant, it's a matter of selecting the right one for your specific location and situation. IME, most sedums make a very good groundcover, growing upto the base of other plants but never taking over. I grow a lot of trees and shrubs in containers and I often use sedums to fill in at the base. I also support flora's thoughts about groundcovers versus perennials - a good many perennials have low, spreading habits that make them excellent groundcovering plants in a mixed perennial/shrub border. 'Groundcover' is just a habit of growth, not a specific plant classification. Here is a link that might be useful: sweet woodruff taking over
...See More
Need a part-shade groundcover/short blooming perennial
Q
Comments (15)
At the edge of a concrete walkway I have a couple of hardy geraniums planted that I'm liking the looks of because of their low, mounding habit (less than 6 inches tall). Cultivar name is 'Biokovo.' It's blooming now and appears pest-free so far in my limited experience (2 years), with flowers in the blue/purple range. I also have G. 'Rozanne' and find it tends to grow quite a bit larger and encroach on the space of other nearby perennials whereas I haven't seen that tendency in 'Biokovo.' 'Biokovo' was still blooming late last season so I would say based on its performance in my part-sun garden, it's long-blooming + low-maintenance since I planted two and have done nothing to either one subsequent to planting them. Both returned again this growing season and are looking robust. My soil is sandy loam, gets no supplemental water or fertilizer. Bottom line: I'm well pleased with this perennial.
...See More
Purple/red foliage, full sun, 6-12 inches tall
Q
Comments (19)
Palace Purple heuchera does fine in full sun 8 hours in Summer here two zones higher for years now - as long as it isn't allowed to go dry. Find it keeps its color without fading till the cold sets in, when it becomes burgundy. The leaves brown out during mid-late Winter some years, dissolve on their own by early Spring & grow back lushly. Needs good drainage in the Winter wet here & fairly rich woodland-type soil. Another you might consider is Salvia lyrata. That does keep its purplely leaves here all year round, can take moderate drought & grow in any soil, sun or shade. Bought it as a native years ago & planted it in a previously hopeless spot next to the driveway. Did so well & looked so fetching, started trying it elsewhere. Originally concerned it would reseed with abandon, have not found that in the last 12 years. Foxgloves reseed more gleefully here. Pleased with a few trialed as an edging, moving volunteers to form one now. The flower stalks give a similar impression as the heucheras, but are less showy, a bit more substantial & more enduring. Bees, butterflies & hummingbirds like them. If you want no reseeding, clip the flower stalks before they dry. Even left to dry & fall or be eaten by finches, reseeding not a problem here. Seedlings easily relocated or pulled, as are mature plants. I've become very fond of them. Well behaved & don't crowd out companions. Mine looks most like Purple Volcano due to its closed flowers, rather than Purple Knockout. The foliage has a velvety appearance. Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia lyrata This post was edited by vasue on Mon, Jun 9, 14 at 12:33
...See More
purple/ red foliage
Q
Comments (4)
Perilla will do well in a hot climate. So will amaranthus. Both attract grasshoppers, so remember - you've been told! Both are pretty, however, and both can become weeds if you don't stop them self-seeding. You could try purple sage - tinges of purple, very pretty. Also look for ornamental kales (which are edible). Very nice as a border. Herb Robert has interesting foliage, can be green with red stems, or rusty red. Certain species of Rosella (members of the Hibiscus family) have purple foliage. Look for Bugle, a colourful ground cover. Beetroot leaves often take on a purple colour. Try varieties of lettuce - you can get reddish-brown ones and purple ones which are very attractive. Plant some garlic chives or onion chives - both have purple flowers. Catnip also has prolific purple flowers. You might not want to restrict yourself to red or purple. Other colours can give a great contrast to just green. Have you thought of something like a golden oregano? The colour is stunning amongst a lot of greenery. Like any oregano, it will spread if you don't watch it, but I've never found it too dreadfully aggressive. Take a look at Ginger Mint - striking variegated yellow/green leaves. For colour in my all-herb garden, I've got nasturtiums and chillies. Those chillies are great for colour - you get green, yellow, orange and red all at once, and in my subtropical climate they fruit all year round. You get get varieties with deep purple leaves. The nasturtiums of course have brilliant colours - I get deep red, orange, yellow. You can train nasturtium up a trellis for a great splash of colour. Also think of silver plants, like Santolina, Lambs Ears, or wormwood, or a curry plant.
...See More
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
I just though of another possibility that would look gorgeous with chartreuse foliage! Trifolium 'Dark Dancer' is a well-behaved, ornamental groundcover clover with dark burgundy foliage edged in lime green! I've grown a patch in my shade garden for years and the spread is modest but ongoing. Mostly evergreen in our climate as well.

Here is a link that might be useful:
girlndocs
Original Author
15 years ago
Gack! "Lamium purpurea" AKA Creeping Charlie? Uh, no. I have an alley full of that stuff already.

I completely forgot about Labrador violet. It's kind of a thug but it can't be any worse than V. odorata, can it? I might have a spot for it, if it doesn't crowd other things out, and I would think that it's small enough and my other stuff is big enough for it not to do that.

Pretty trifolium. Like the Acaena too.

Gardengal, I'm blowing you a raspberry. Pthhhhhhbbbtttttt! New Zealand Brass Buttons look purple to me. I always think they look like some cute-but-vaguely-disturbing alien species, tho.

Kristin
hemnancy
15 years ago
Acaena inermis 'Purpurea' has very delicate purple leaves and spreads well. Mine is in sun to part shade.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Purple-foliaged groundcover for perennial bed

Comments (5)

bullthistle

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Related Discussions

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

girlndocs
Original Author

hemnancy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Purple-foliaged groundcover for perennial bed

Comments (5)

bullthistle

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Related Discussions

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

girlndocsOriginal Author

hemnancy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

girlndocs
Original Author