You know those purple flowered spreading ground cover type plants...

[iwouldgoouttonight]

Does anyone know what they are? I keep seeing lots of them around this time of year and think they'd be good ground cover under my tree. Keeping meaning to take a photo when I see them but think I'd look weird photographing someone's front garden!

Aubretia

Violets? Periwinkles? Post a pic

Aubretia! Just looked it up and that's what it looks like. I'd wondered if it was periwinkle but the flowers aren't quite the same.

It does say aubretia likes full sun and where I was thinking of growing it is in the shade, does anyone have any experience of growing it? I have a sloped bed under a tree and want a colourful spreading ground cover type plant to go there.

How shady is it? Like dappled shade, shady for just part of the day, or totally shady all the time?

I have some campanula like this one growing in a gap at the base of a N facing wall. It gets barely any sun but it grows well and has tons of flowers.

I have aubretia too. I grew it from seed (very easy to do and cheap if you want lots of plants). I'm not sure if I put any in a shady area but it doesn't seem too fussy. I put some in an area with poor, shallow soil and it's still doing well.

Periwinkle will grow well under trees but you need to keep it in check.

Do you mean Vinca (periwinkle)? Some are quite invasive so check before you buy.

newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Apocynaceae/vinca-major-ha-gcarr1.jpg

I also have aubretia in my garden: s3.freefoto.com/images/12/43/12_43_3_web.jpg

Thanks for the suggestions. Its shady all the time just about, its against a north facing wall under a tree. Going to have a browse around the garden centre this afternoon for some ideas. I thought aubretia looked as though it might be a good bet because I've seen so much of it in gardens nearby, might risk it to see if it can cope in the shade.

pulmonaria/lung wort maybe?

Aubretia likes sun and is best growing over a south facing wall or suchlike. It may not do well under the tree if the tree is in leaf this time of year. If the tree is not in leaf and the bed concerned catches the sun you should be ok. Otherwise, vinca major and minor or anemone appenina will do better under the tree.

Brunnera is looking great at the moment,lovely blue forget me knot looking flowers over silver foliage,it needs to be in shade too.
Look for Jack Frost or looking glass,both are excellent.

campanula seems very happy in the shade

If you go on the Crocus website you can look for plants suitable to specific conditions (and then buy from somewhere cheaper!!)

I've got campanula by a north facing fence under a birch tree, it's unstoppable and lovely. Also agree with pulmonaria, does very well in similar spot furth down the bed, mixed in with ferns.

Also turf lilies for a bit of filler, though they don't do much of interest.

Ooo placing bottom right here as I want some of these and will most likely forget the name

My mother grew Aubretia under conifers in soggy clay soil. It grew and flowered very well - lord knows how; totally the wrong conditions but it did. Worth a try I'd say.

Violets - tiny purple flowers, much smaller than the leaves. Mine has finished blooming now.

I bought one small aubretia plant just as an experiment to see if it will grow, I also got a couple of ferns and hosta, but I want more flowering plants. Campanula sounds promising if it likes shade.

Slightly off topic but can anyone suggest a good value for money place to buy plants? Crocus has a really good selection, but as you said, its not the cheapest. I normally get seeds and things from Wilkinson's but they don't have many actual plants. Our garden cane is quite expensive too. Something online would be good.

*garden centre

OP you could also try Viola Labradorica - deep purple leaves and violet flowers and like shade. Very pretty and you'll only need one plant as they see themselves around the garden, in a gentle way.

For cheap plants my best source is Morrisons. You need to keep popping in, but they are excellent for shrubs and climbers in particular. They sell really good varieties. It is best to pot things on and nurture them a bit before planting out, but otherwise it is well worth keeping going back.

That's interesting to note Rhubarb - there's a huge conifer overlooking our garden and it would be interesting to see if Aubretia did well there, I luffs them