Common name:Dwarf Plumbago
Botanical name:Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Intense blue flowers adorn the glossy green leaves of this plant in late summer and fall. This 6" mat-forming ground cover does well in shade or sun, and in average soil.

Common name:Creeping Fig
Botanical name:Ficus pumila

This is one of the few plants that can attach itself securely to wood, masonry, or metal. Because there is no limit to its size, it can overcome an entire buliding. It is most often found in colder climates. This vine will not climb on the south or west walls. This plant is fast growing and can be invasive.

Common name:Blue Fescue
Botanical name:Festuca glauca

This ground cover/grass will grow less than 1' tall and has small, blue green leaves.

Maintenance Tips

Festuca glauca is a perennial clump-forming grass. It has soft straw-like leaves that form a blue-green dome that can get up to about 10 inches wide and tall. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil, but can tolerate slight shade, drought conditions, and poor soil nutrition. These will send out flower stalks in the summer, which should be cut back to the base after a few months to give them a cleaner appearance. They will also benefit from having any dead leaves pulled from the plant at any time of year, but the fall is typically the best time to clean up the foliage. It is short-lived in the landscape, with a lifespan of about 2-4 years after which it dies out in the center. Some might dig up and divide the living edges into several new plants, but most of the time it is easier to replace with a new one.

Common name:New Zealand Flax, Purple
Botanical name:Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum'

Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is an evergreen perennial. Big, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves can reach 5' tall. Leaves are purple red. Flowers stems reach high above leaves, bearing clusters of 1"-2" blossoms in dark red.

Maintenance Tips

Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is one of the most popular hybrids of Flax. This variety matures at 4-6' tall and wide. The leaves are strap-shaped, and deep purple, tall flower stalks appear in the summer up to 10' tall. To keep the maintenance as low as possible, plant in a location that is full sun, and well-drained and give it the space it needs to reach maturity. These plants are often the victim of poor pruning habits, with gardeners cutting the leaves off in the middle or shearing them because they are too large for the space they have been given. If this is the case, they should be transplanted to a location where they can reach their full size, or other plants around them should be moved out of their way. Old leaves rarely fall off of the plant, so removing them as they age will help keep the plant looking and performing its best.