Marianne's Response
A few questions
Would pachysandra and lilies make good bed fellows?
I understand pachysandra isn’t good for full sun so is there any other attractive groundcover that would work better from full shade to full sun that plays nice with others?
Lastly, will fruit trees grow well on a fairly steep hill?
Thanks,
Harold
Posted by Harold Fontana on November 1, 2021
Marianne's Response
Hi Harold, happy to help with your questions.
- Packysandra is an aggressive groundcover that would not play well with lilies in a bed because after a few years the roots of the groundcover would smother the lily bulbs.
- The best groundcover for a full sun to shaded site depends on where you live, the soil and how much water the area gets. A native evergreen like kinninnick or Bearberry would work in the Pacific Northwest but in a warmer and drier climate lantana or a low growing juniper shrub might be better. Mixing in some large boulders and rocks as part of the groundcover might be a practical way to cover the area without resorting to just one plant. Then a combination of low growing shrubs like dwarf barberry in the sun and ajuga in the shade would allow for some bulbs such as lilies to be planted with the groundcovering plants. Sometimes the best advice is to see what is doing well at commercial installations in your area. What looks good at office buildings and in public parks?
- Lastly, the only way to grow fruit trees on a steep hillside (I have seen this done in Italy) is to make terraces into the slope so that the trees are growing in a level step rather than in a spot with a slope. That way the trees would capture some water from runoff.
- Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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