Groundcovers for Foot Traffic

18 years ago

We just installed an xlarge flagstone patio. I want to plant low growing ground covers that can withstand moderate to heavy traffic. I've looked into steppables but want "hands on" advice. I've planted the following in the areas that are not really being stepped on: Veronica repens (Speedwell), Sedum 'dragon's blood' stonecrop, scotch & irish moss, Rupturewort glabra. Not really looking for "flowers" as much as greenery. I want to surrond the stones with shades of green. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (9)

bobbygil
18 years ago
How about Mazus? It can take alot of walking on. It spreads fast but not invasive.Has really pretty flowers for a month in the spring and can take alot of water
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
18 years ago
Hi Thirsty,

About the most foot traffic tolerant "patio stuffer" you can get is woolly thyme, Thymus praecox 'Pseudolanuginosis'. It has gray-green, fuzzy leaves and lavender-pink flowers in early summer. You could also use a variety of the other creeping thymes which come with foliage color ranging from light to deep green and flower colors ranging from white, through the pinks, to a deep rose-pink on T.p. 'Coccineus', red mother of thyme. They're all easy to divide into whatever size you need for planting and very easy to grow. Here's a link to the woolly thyme page on perennials.com, but you can search for creeping thyme in the "keyword or plant" box to see details about all the others. Some of the creeping thymes get several inches high, so be sure you check the height of any you're considering. Any of the Thymus praecox's should be fine.

Skybird

P.S. Turkish veronica, Veronica liwensis is another good veronica for this purpose.

Here is a link that might be useful: Woolly Thyme
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Karolina, for heavy foot traffic, grass is probably your best bet. Just set the stones at a level so the mower can ride over them, and be sure to use the recommended base under them so they don't move with freeze thaw cycles. Most ground covers either have blossoms and therefore bees (which most folks don't want in their walking paths) or are better suited to light traffic. It is a great look to have plants growing between stones, but IMO is better along edges or on less used paths or on a patio out of the main traffic areas.
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Vinca is an invasive, as is English Ivy (hedera) both of which are used extensively as ground covers. An invasive plant can quickly overwhelm and displace existing native plants by reducing the availability of light, water, nutrients and space. They have few, if any,natural controls to keep them in check. Ecologists now rank invasions by exotic plants, animals, and pathogens second only to habitat loss as a major threat to local biodiversity. For more info go to the link below and click on "Plants for a Livable Delaware', a booklet by the U of DE Plant and Soil Science Dept. Information applies to the specific plant, even if it grows in places other than DE. Judy, DE Master Gardener Here is a link that might be useful: Home & Landscape Horticulture- De Coop Ext.
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" I roll the wheelbarrow" Wheelbarrows ain't feet. :-) Now mind, excessive foot traffic can certainly wear a path--we used that at a previous company to determine where to place a new walkway by simply not constraining employees and allowing natural wear to establish the new preferred pathway, then having the new walkway put in where the people had made the wear path through the lawn. QED and all that. (Thankew, thankew, my idea, since they'll simply step off the path in nice weather to use the path they prefer anyway, humans being cantankerous fools). But I digress, having just ejected a particularly cantankerous and maskless fool from Reopen PA off the property while planting. I'm still annoyed. Since I needed a medical test on Friday, there's actually a greater than average chance that I've been exposed, so...enjoy. I repeatedly walk the same path on the north face to no effect, but don't use a wheelbarrow, which concentrates its weight on the wheel--and on one small portion of the wheel. The physics is actually a bit complex due to the handles and angles. Seriously. http://physics.nmu.edu/~ddonovan/classes/ph201/Homework/Chap09/CH09P18.html Yeah. We should note that the force on the wheels differs as well; on the left, the design favors the weight to the wheel, but some to the man's feet. To the right, almost all of the load force is distributed through the wheel, while the man bears only some of the 'barrow's weight (even some of that is shifted past the fulcrum). And the inflation of the wheel matters. A "mushy" wheel will have lots of contact area with the soil and distribute weight, as damp soil will tend to fold around the wheel (and tend to deflocculate as well). ...OK, I'm going way too far down the rabbit hole again. I planted half the gardens and I'm meandering. NEWay. Sure, it could be compression damage from the wheelbarrow. Try some soap spray to loosen it a bit, and mix in a bit of dissolved sugar to kick-start the soil biology (just 1-2 tsp or so in a gallon of water will be fine), along with some fast nitrogen to move the system along--bacteria use nitrogen to carbon in a 1 to 9 ratio. Just make sure you're doing the math by element and not by compound, although mistakes are not usually serious as long as you stay under 1 pound fast N per thousand equivalent. :-) Don't add too much sugar, though, or it can get a little nasty smelling. A small handful over 5 square feet absolute maximum per month.
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Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
18 years ago
That should be spelled liwanensis. I left out a syllable--sorry 'bout that.
mspam
18 years ago
ThirstyGardener,
Creeping Jenny-Lysimachia nummularia-is a favorite of mine, but can only take light traffic, (it looks fabulous "dripping" into a pond).

I was just browsing the Steppables website and noticed that their descriptions can be conflicting. You are right in looking for first hand experience.

That said, I'd like to know how the Rupturewort glabra that you planted is doing.

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: CREEPING JENNY @ STEPPABLES
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
18 years ago
I'd be very surprised if Herniaria glabra (rupturewort is its common name) is hardy for you. Most references list it as a zone 7 plant. It is one of my favorite low-growing, traffic tolerating groundcovers, able to withstand a fair amount of shade and drought.

Blue star creeper (Laurentia/Pratia) is also a good choice for sunny areas (or light, dappled shade).

For hot, sunny and dry areas, creeping thymes are ideal. They need very good drainage and flowering will attract bees if that is a concern. Look for woolly under the correct botanical name of Thymus pseudolanguinosus - creeping thymes are Thymus serpyllum cultivars, praecox is a discontinued species name.
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
18 years ago
Hi again Thirsty,

Here's a link to another groundcover site, Jeepers Creepers. Just click on the individual plant to check out other things that have been recommended here. They give each one a "walk on" rating of high, moderate, light, or none. They list Herniaria as z5, and I'm in z5, but have never grown it myself, so I don't know anymore about it.

Have fun picking,
Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeepers Creepers
waplummer
18 years ago
I, too, have "an extra large flagstone patio. We initially tried thyme, but it did not thrive because it needed more sun. The plants in the cracks were not planned, but just occurred over the years. Among these "invadersÂ are: Asarum europium, Fragaria , Sanguinaria canadensis, Cystopteris fragilis, Astilbe chinensis pumila, Viola labradorica, Viola selkerkii. The latter merits a special mention. It appeared from from whence I know not and for 20-25 years it was a lonely Viola indeed. Then one year it proceeded to pop up in virtually every crack in the patio.
amyta
18 years ago
Try Blue Creeper. Works here between my stones.
organic_shamus
14 years ago
Are there types of steppables that can be trimmed using a power mower (on a high setting)?

Groundcovers for Foot Traffic

Comments (9)

bobbygil

Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado

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