Gardening Australia – September 2019

62 SEPTEMBER 2019 GARDENING AUSTRALIA

CORSICAN MINT
(Mentha requienii syn. M. corsica)
Small, round, pale-green leaves are topped
with tiny purple fl owers on this mint during
spring and summer. It withstands light foot
traffi c and releases a peppermint fragrance
when stepped on. Like all mints, it can be
invasive, especially in the ideal conditions
ofmoist,fertilesoilinsemi-shade.
1–2cm 60cm
WT CT

CREEPING THYME
( ymus serpyllum)
This edible herb puts up with some foot
traffi c, and the small, almost stalkless oval
leaves give off a delicious scent when they
are crushed. It is an excellent groundcover
for a sunny position. Flowers can be lilac,
purple, magenta or white and appear in
late spring to summer. Plants root from
nodes on the stems, enabling them to
creepalongthegroundandfillingaps.
3–8cm 30cm
WT CT

SOCIETY GARLIC
(Tulbaghiaviolacea)
A clumping,drought-tolerantperennialwith
fi ne blue-greenorvariegatedfoliagethat
producesagarlicsmellwhencrushed.
Dainty, star-shaped,mauveflowersappear
onlongstemsfromspringtoautumn.
30cm 20cm
TSTAWTCT

CREEPINGOREGANO
(Origanumvulgare‘Humile’)
The brightgreenformofcreepingoregano
makes anexcellentperfumedgroundcover,
as the scentisreleasedwhenthefoliage
is crushed.Thesameappliestothegolden
form (O.vulgare‘Aureum’),andtheyboth
produceprettypinkflowersinsummer.
These plantsneedregularclippingifthey
are usedbetweensteppers,butarebest
grownasedgingplants.
5–15cm(tallflowerspikes) 30cm
ST A WT CT

PROSTRATEROSEMARY

(Rosmarinusocinalis

ProstratusGroup)

Anaromaticculinaryherbwithscented,

needle-likeleavesandlilac-blueflowers

inlatesummertospring.Thiswaterwise

rosemarygrowsinpoorsoilsandisa

greatchoiceforcoastalareas.

30cm 60–90cm

STAWTCT

LAWN

Installingsteppersthroughlawn,including

lawnalternativessuchasZoysiatenuifolia,

ispopularbecauseitaddsvisualinterest

toanexpanseofgreenandreduceswear

onthelawn.Astepperheightthatisflush

withthelawniscrucialformowing.

3–8cm various

TSTAWTCT

GOLDMOUND

(Sedummexicanum‘Gold Mound’)

Thisspreadingsucculentgroundcover has

soft,needle-likefoliagethatislime-green to

yellow.Itproducestiny,star-shaped yellow

flowersinspring.Low-growing and easily

crushedunderfoot,itissuitable only for the

edges.Ittoleratesdroughtand light frost.

15cm 1m

ST A WT CT

ABOVE

Zoysia tenuifolia needs little trimming, so is

a good alternative to grass between pavers.

RIGHT

Society garlic produces beautiful mauve

star-shaped  owers among its  ne leaves.