Groundcovers can soften and beautify an array of difficult situations in the garden and there is a cornucopia of colour and textures to play with.
There is a huge range of groundcovers available and it is vital to choose appropriate plants for particular garden conditions.
Exposed areas
Scleranthus uniflorus, cheerful bright green mounds that look similar to moss.
They have an attractive compact growth habit that clings to rocks and shapes into crevices.
Raoulia parkii, intricately patterned cushions of silvery-grey foliage in rosette arrangement, sprinkled with little golden button-like flowers in late summer.
Pimelea prostrata, blue-green foliage that creeps along the ground. It is graced with clusters of starry blooms in summer.
Wet, damp and shady areas
Gunnera prorepens, rounded bronze-purplish, green foliage that is low-growing except for the flowering stalks that appear in summer, donning scarlet fruit.
Blechnum penna-marina, small ferns with glossy green fronds, which are a tinted a rose colour when new and exposed to high levels of light.
Best for Dunedin and grow in a range of conditions
Leptinella: either L. minor (green) or L. `Platt's Black' (purple), tiny feathery fern-like leaves, a great carpet plant, excellent to grow along edges or between pavers.
Fuchsia procumbens, lush green, soft foliage that creeps and climbs curiously.
Has conspicuous yellow tubular flowers crowned with purple anthers in summer that mature to pinkish-red fruit.
Groundcovers are dotted throughout the Botanic Garden, particularly the rock garden and native collections, so have a walk around to get some inspiration.
•Hannah Pirie is a horticultural apprentice at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
