Quick ground cover!

[PullingMySocksUp]

Our garden has a big border which was 100% pink geraniums. I’ve planted shrubs over the last couple of years but would now like to work on getting rid of the remaining geraniums.
I’m hoping for something quick growing to put weeds off. Doesn’t need to be as short as geraniums. Happy for a few different things. Should be slightly tolerant of drying out as our garden gets really dry.

Anything spring to mind? I am planning for spring now!

Forget-me-nots?! Although they can be a bit weedy too
I like a combination of forget-me-nots and tulips and aliums if you wanted to go down the bulb route in future.

I like nasturtiums but they don't get going until early summer.

I'm thinking of putting down a mulch of bark chips or Smart Cover to protect my dry bed from the baking sun (SE England).

I'm assuming you have 'normal' all year round geraniums rather than the fancy 'pelargoniums' which are more for pots . I'd plant some Johnson's blue geraniums which are beautiful there are some with delicate leaves too. ( you obviously have a garden which likes them! Go with them they're great ground coverers!!

Yeah they’re proper cranesbill geraniums.

Ha that’s not a bad idea, planting some other ones.

I do have bulbs planted. Bark is a good call.

Thanks!

I'm getting into aquilegia in recent years. They seem to set seed and I understand they change colour year on year? I like foxgloves too and make sure to scatter the seeds (biennials). Maybe get some salvia going too? I sowed clary sage the other year and it came up beautifully - dense and fragranced.

I struggle massively with poppies, I wish I could get them to germinate - I've tried all sorts!

Alchemelia mollis is good ground cover (ladies mantle I think is common name)

Gareth I LOVE aquilegia, ( I like it's old fashioned name; granny's bonnet) it never shows any problems, grows up every year, regardless of the weather, in my dry\sandy Fr. garden and on mum's shady southern Eng. balcony. (though it does appreciate watering\feeding). now and then!

Our poppies literally appeared! when we chopped down some leylandii trees. Now they come up every year purely by self seeding I've never planted one !!! They're like hollyhocks which only grow where THEY want in our garden. Valerian is similar.

I love sage, it grows well, and I have bought some clary sage seeds to plant in the spring it will be interesting to see how it gets on

I wasn't really keen on aquilegia when I started gardening but I love it now! Funny how things change

Something else has grown around the base and I forget all about the aquilegia until the delicate flowers pop up above 💓 It's started to thicken up a bit and look more substantial - I thought it was a bit pointless in its early years

I shook the dry seedheads about liberally in the late summer autumn. Probably should've kept some to sow in the spring but I figured I'd let it do its own thing

I might buy some poppies in pots this year to prevent my inevitable sulk!

My parents neighbours have some gorgeous pink ones in the front garden however the petals blew off in the space of two days
I've just remembered they told me to help myself to the seedheads and I forgot. Must remember this year.

I'm in the SE on clay (with lots of stones). My soil hasn't been improved that much - I mulch from the compost bin in autumn but I don't spend any time digging and enriching
I thought poppies weren't supposed to be fussy pah! Perhaps I need to turn over the soil more to activate them (lazy).

I've tried the big red ones (ladybird?), the little orange ones that are supposed to self seed everywhere and a smaller dark purple/black variety. Only the latter took but never reappeared the following year.

I've shaken thousands of seeds in every single bed (all aspects)
Actually one long sunny bed had a massive lleyllandii hedge removed when I moved in - I demand my poppies!

Our poppies literally appeared! when we chopped down some leylandii trees. Now they come up every year purely by self seeding I've never planted one !!! Poppies (the annual ones) are cornfield weeds. They grow and flower in the same year, so can't spend too much effort in growing "infrastructure", therefore they're not good at competing with other plants, so they need a patch of clear soil. They may have to wait for years for this, so they produce a huge abundance of tiny seeds which last for years. They recognise that turning over the soil (ploughing, or, formerly, animals rooting) leaves patches of bare soil, so they are triggered into germination by finding themselves suddenly on top of the soil and in the light. That's why they suddenly appear when soil has been turned over (eg WWI trenches).

My parents neighbours have some gorgeous pink ones in the front garden however the petals blew off in the space of two days The side effect of those beautifully delicate petals is they're not robust enough to last long. And so the plant relies on lots of flowers, each one lasting only a day or two.

My soil hasn't been improved that much Good for poppies - not so much competition from other plants

I mulch from the compost bin in autumn but I don't spend any time digging and enriching Digging for the sake of it is going out of favour now we know more about the importance of mycorrhiza (symbiotic soil dwelling fungi) in the health of plants. Worms will incorporate your mulch.

Gareth Mine are the big shaggy pink poppies, they are delicate but do, now, come up every year regardless of the 'space ' ,(there is very little in my garden ) I use ivy as ground cover. it's the light that has changed. You may have a problem with your clayey soil, they like the stoney and sandy earth here..

Though if it's any consolation the fields around here are now sporting the red traditional ones and we've had one appear which has not reappeared either!

Funny I've also tried to sprinkle the dried seed pods of my aquilegias around the bed where they are growing happily but with no success

Pulling I had a boring bed under pines, I haven't the time to fuss about with it esp. because nothing grows happily there. So I've removed the plants and have seeded it with grass that likes shade, and it's growing well, completely covering the ground so I'll just have to mow it next year and not worry about it , it is an answer to your problem esp. if you have little time.

Yes we were thinking of making it a bit narrower actually!
Interesting suggestions, thanks everyone.