Ground cover choices

3653 Views 13 Replies 10 Participants Last post by hap, May 8, 2008

mmichaud

Discussion Starter · May 4, 2008

Hello,

I am relatively new to garden railroading and I am looking for ground covers that can grow in mostly sunny conditions. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin so our winters can be rather cold at times. Would anyone have some recommendations and maybe some pictures of the proposed ground cover?

Thanks,
Mike

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jamarti

· #2 · May 4, 2008

I can tell you what not to use. Sedum. Planted some and it has spread like crazy. Have resorted to round-up. My dad was trying to grow it where it was not sunny. When planted in the sun it really took off. It grows over and under the track and evades other plants.

I have had good luck with some tymes. Lemmon tyme works well and seems to resemble the brush around the right of ways.

I live across Lake Michigan in Berrien Springs MI. Just a little further south then you. It may be a little more temperate because of the lake.

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Jerry Barnes

· #3 · May 4, 2008

Yeah, thymes are great. High Country Gardens has a nice catalog. There are dwarf types and creeping types. Some can get sort of tall, so read the labels. Have found it occasionally at local greenhouses, but that is sort of rare around here. I'm in Nebraska and they hold up pretty well.

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Dougald

· #4 · May 4, 2008

I am in the Ottawa Valley, Canada ... compared to Milwaukee, the climate is a bit colderr, wetter and the growing season shorter though snow cover is uaually very reliable.

You didn't say if your area was full sun or shade - most of my railroad related gardening is in the shade. There are very few shade loving ground covers for a colder climate (USDA Zone 3-4). Among the successful ground covers are periwinkle, lamium, and snow on the mountain. I also like bugleweed (ajuga) though it has a rather fearful reputation in warmer climates as being totally invasive. The cold tends to keep it well checked. Native mosses in your area will also do quite well in the shade if adequate moisture is available.

In the sunshine, most ground covers are invasive so beware. Sedums and tymes are the usual choices though many have good success with scotch or irish moss. I have had no luck with the last two as the deep winter cold here seems to kill them.

Pictures and details of all these are available via Wikipedia. Checking for recommendations at your local nursery is also helpful.

Regards ... Doug

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ohioriverrailway

· #5 · May 4, 2008

You can also try these folks: http://www.miniforest.com/
Lots of nice products and excellent service.

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sheepdog

· #6 · May 4, 2008

Also give these a look see... http://www.stepables.com/

Craig

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mmichaud

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 5, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone. Now it is time to do some more research.

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pdk

· #8 · May 5, 2008

Mike,

With at least twenty different groundcovers on my line I have become somewhat knowledgable.

Feel free to peruse the extensive pictures on my website and ask any questions if you see something you like.

[url]http://home.cogeco.ca/%7Edaisybeach/ [/url]

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mgilger

· #9 · May 5, 2008

On the MM&G I have found that both Sedum and Tyme do a good job of ground cover. I also have lots of Cactus, which like Sedum, spread like wild fire. I live in Northern Ohio and also get lots of snow.

The nice thing about Sedum is that it's very easy to pull out. If you have too much, just a quick yank and it comes out so you can replant in another area.

Regards,
Mark

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Bill Swindell

· #10 · May 6, 2008

Pete, what is a good choice for a ground cover that grows low to the ground and has small leaves? What I want is something that will resemble grass. This will be grown in Northern California. We very seldom have any freezing and there will be ample sun during the growing season.

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pdk

· #11 · May 6, 2008

Hi, Bill

â€œGrassâ€� is a pretty broad term, but if youâ€™re modeling in G-scale, the short answer is Creeping Thyme. Up close it doesnâ€™t look anything like grass, but it spreads out in a dense mat, grows fairly quickly and resembles a grassy patch from a distance. You will get flowers â€" I do, at least, in the Spring, but they donâ€™t last long, and while they do last, they are quite nice to look at.

Runners upâ€¦

Elfin thyme â€" smaller leaves but comparatively sloooooow grower
Wooly thyme â€" interesting plant but looks more like ground hugging vines
Moss sandwort (Irish) â€" good for 7/8ths but a bit tall for g-scale, and too uniformly green
Dianthus â€" great for representing tall wild grass in 7/8ths but in G scale it could get 12 feet high
Scotch moss â€" looks too much like, well, scotch moss (and too recognizable as such)

Ramblingsâ€¦

One of the strange things about garden railroading is that there is no go-to plant when you want to represent something as ubiquitous as â€œgrassâ€�. To me, itâ€™s more useful to think in terms of, how do I represent a meadow? In my experience, this can be done by mixing a variety of the above groundcovers (and others). The clincher comes when you toss in other small perennials which do an amazing job of standing in for shrubs, bushes and thickets. Thatâ€™s when it all comes together.

I am in zone 6.

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