What Ground Covers For An Alpine Slide Are Beautiful Even In Winter

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

7 ground covers for an alpine slide that are attractive even in winter

A feature of the alpine slide is that it contains plants that grow in nature on stony, poor, dry soils. Elegantly laid stones in combination with flowers look harmonious and sophisticated. And some ground covers will be attractive even in winter.

Periwinkle

Lesser periwinkle is an evergreen creeping plant of the kutrovy family. It can be planted both in partial shade and in sunny areas. It is not aggressive towards its neighbors, it surrounds other cultures with its flexible shoots.

In May-June, funnel-shaped blue flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter bloom. Single flowers can persist until the end of summer.

The flowering period is about a month. However, the periwinkle does not lose its decorative effect. Its oval leathery leaves of rich green color look very picturesque at any time of the year.

The evergreen plant never withers, the leaves do not lose their luster. Periwinkle remains green until winter.

Creeping insect

Tenacious creeping, or Ayuga, is a ground cover that is used on alpine slides to create contrasting spots, fill voids, and emphasize the beauty of soloist plants.

The tenacious adapts well to rocky soil, covering the area with a pillow of foliage. The color ranges from dark green to inky purple, crimson brown, almost black. The leaves have an unusual appearance due to the wrinkled surface and a peculiar sheen.

The foliage does not wither throughout the season. Until winter, you can admire the tenacity. It has a false ear with small flowers.

Ayuga does not require much maintenance. In extensive rock gardens, it grows freely. On small slides, overgrowth will need to be controlled. Tenacity does not suppress neighbors.

Acena sparkling

In nature, sparkling Acene grows in the Andes in alpine meadows. It is a creeping perennial growing up to 10-20 cm in height. Elongated silvery leaves with pointed edges retain their freshness year-round. The luminous velvet foliage is accentuated by flowers with purple anthers on long peduncles.

Acene forms a dense lace carpet on an alpine slide. It is planted around bulbous and other low-growing alpine solo plants. Acene is not aggressive towards neighbors, does not suppress them, is able to fill the voids between stones.

Loves open spaces, in shading the density of the cover weakens. Needs loosening of the soil and several waterings in summer drought. It hibernates under a snow cover and is frost-resistant.

Fortune's eonymus

Forchuna's eonymus is one of the most popular evergreens in the design of an alpine slide. It is a creeping shrub with variegated foliage. Dense green elliptical leaves have a yellow, white, cream border. There are variegated varieties. The bushes look spectacular throughout the year.

The euonymus tolerates pruning well, which makes it possible to form bushes of the most suitable shape for the composition. He is unpretentious and feels good on an alpine slide. The only condition is loose soil, dense soil will not suit him. Instead of constant loosening, you can use mulch.

The shrub can withstand the coldest winters. The snow covers numerous creeping shoots with a dense cap and prevents them from freezing.

Fortune's eonymus is planted on alpine hills next to coniferous bushes. The variegated foliage creates the illumination effect of the darker needles. Blooming crops look wonderful against the background of the euonymus.

Dammer's cotoneaster

Dammer's evergreen ground cover cotoneaster is valued for its short stature (no more than 15 cm) and the ability to fill a large area with shoots. One bush forms a carpet of woven shoots up to 1 sq. m.

The main advantage of the cotoneaster is its bright red berries, which cover the bush in August and last all winter. In the cold season, when foliage from most horticultural crops flies around, the cotoneaster adorns an alpine slide. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, but there are a lot of them.

This groundcover does not need fertile land, it feels great both in the shade and in a sunny place. For more abundant flowering and fruiting, several waterings are needed during the summer.

Hairy bone

Ferns are widely believed to thrive in humid, shady areas. The more unusual is the hairy bone on an alpine hill.

This evergreen fern is not a groundcover. However, it is able to grow and create dense openwork plantings.

The spreading leaves consist of small, bright green oval lobes with jagged edges. The green openwork "snakes" of foliage directed in different directions look unusual against the background of deciduous and coniferous crops, enliven the creeping ground cover.

Juniper horizontal

Of all the coniferous crops, it is the horizontal juniper that is able to reveal the beauty, layering, and density of its needles on an alpine hill.

The average height of the bush is 15-20 cm. This allows the use of horizontal juniper as an evergreen ground cover. Long shoots cover a large area. The dense and lush needles of the lateral branches are green or with a bluish tint.

Horizontal juniper has many varieties: dwarf, curly, feathery, densely branched. Each of them is able to decorate an alpine slide.

The plant is beautiful at any time of the year. In winter, the needles change their color. In different varieties, it becomes purple, brown, bronze-orange, purple. Thanks to this, the alpine slide does not look dull and faded even with the arrival of winter.