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When you hear the word “groundcover,” what comes to mind? After “Ho-hum,” probably a few too-familiar genera, right?It doesn’t have to be that way. There are strikingly different, even fascinating, perennials that serve the groundcover function without putting you to sleep. Low-growing doesn’t have to mean low margin.Here’s the lowdown on some short stuff we think highly of. Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’ Brass buttonsGround-huggers don’t come much closer to the ground than this. The c

Their Latin name changed from Cheiranthus to Erysimum years ago, but gardeners still call them “wallflower.” By any name, they’ve adorned our borders for decades.The Glow™ series updates the genus with its compact, ground-hugging shrubby habit and extended bloom time. Once established, they like their soil on the dry side – perfect for water-conscious areas and for reduced maintenance everywhere.They’re brilliant at lighting up containers, too, alone or in combination. And they play well with Il

The current hunger for succulent plants of all kinds has increased awareness of this tough, fascinating genus. But do gardeners and growers who’ve recently discovered it realize how long it’s been in cultivation?Mankind’s love for this genus goes back centuries. The name is Latin for “always living,” a testament to its durability. In antiquity, it was used in medicine and magic. Its juicy flesh was credited with healing stings and sores, much as Aloe is today.It’s said that only two things can k

Call us biased, but we think every garden should include grasses.We know some don’t, but we’re working on it.Call us crazy, or lazy, but y’know what else we think?We think gardeners and landscapers should leave grasses right where they are in fall. Let ‘em stand. Ignore them while you do other cleanup chores. Ornamental grasses provide movement, interest and sound even in winter, even when dormant, just as they did all summer. Standing proudly through a blanket of snow, they give gardeners some

We know. It’s hard to conjure April showers and May flowers while December frost and January sleet lurk just below the nearer horizon. But dates on the calendar are like objects in the side-view mirror: Closer than they look. Spring sales are really not so far away. Now’s the time to do the kitchen prep for two early risers that will be key ingredients in your future inventory. Phlox subulata “Moss phlox” One of spring’s earliest harbingers, tough, colorful and cheerful. If it wer