For inspiration in gardens and plants, I’ve always looked in directions different from most people. This is especially true for the October garden.

English gardens, while having lots to teach, don’t offer too many plants or even garden styles that work well in the South. Spain and Miami inspire me and provide plants and styles that suit our heat.

In a few weeks, I’m to lecture at the Clemson University horticulture students’ weekly seminar. My topic is creativity and travel: where to go, what to see, and how to find creative inspiration there.

Horticulturists often become the project coordinators for outdoor landscapes including decks, patios, pools, tiling and furniture. I’ve dealt with, been amazed by, learned from, and helped focus all those sorts of craftsmen this week in my work.

But my love is for plants. At Moore Farms, we recently did a groundcover planting of Ajuga Black Scallop, Asaram Callaway, Asarum splendens, Amorphophallus albispathus and Ardisia Amanogawa.

Dividing Groundcover Plants in the October Garden

One of the tricks I taught the new guys is that when doing a groundcover planting, divide your plants!

You want the look of an established planting and you want to get your money’s worth. So every plant I mentioned above was plucked out of its pots into divisions. Then the divisions are spread sporadically so the final look doesn’t remind people of plants just out the box from the nursery!

China Fir

In the same planting, we did a shrubby groundcover of Dwarf Blueberry, Daphne odora, and Cunninghamia lanceoata glauca (China Fir).

Yep, we planted 60 China fir as a groundcover.

The trick is that China fir, like many conifers, wants to have a central leader. If you chop the center stem out, the plant sort of flounders around for years trying to elect a new leader.

What is usually a big fir becomes a cool, fuzzy, blue groundcover with a texture that no other groundcover offers.