One more week, we continue talking about these species that can replace lawn areas, they are ground cover plants, available at Sala Graupera and suitable for use in sustainable gardening.
Today we will focus on Globularia cordifolia and Hieracium pilosella.
Globularia cordifolia or black herb is a species of the Plantaginaceae family. It is native to central and southern Europe. In Catalonia we find it naturally in calcareous, rocky and mountainous areas.
It is a creeping evergreen species that blooms during the months of June to August, with a very light violet-blue flower. Being a creeping species, it is logically low-growing, reaching 5 centimeters high by 15 or 20 wide. Globularia belongs to hardiness zone number 8, with an annual minimum average temperature range of -12.2 / -6.7°C, so it can tolerate strong frosts like those found in Mediterranean mountains.
Image of Globularia cordifolia. Source: floridaindependent.com
It is an ideal plant for sustainable gardening in rock gardens as its preferred exposure is in full sun and with very low water requirements. It simply requires support watering during the first three or four months and subsequently no watering will be necessary.
It is a species resistant to salinity and sea breeze, so it grows very well in gardens near the sea.
From Viveros Sala Graupera we recommend a planting density of about six to eight units per square meter, thus we will obtain complete ground coverage in a short time.
Another very interesting species is Hieracium pilosella, popularly known as Brush or health herb. It is a species of the Asteraceae family, from the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula, extending throughout almost all of Europe. In its natural habitat it lives in dry pastures and stony places.
It is a stoloniferous herb, with evergreen leaves in rosette form, green on the upper side and grayish on the reverse. Hieracium blooms in spring with composite yellow flowers.
Its herbaceous habit of between 1 and 5 centimeters high by 15/20 wide makes it ideal for forming completely dense carpets.
It belongs to hardiness zone number 5, with an annual minimum average temperature range of -28.8 / -23.4°C, so it can tolerate extreme frosts. Therefore it can be planted anywhere in our latitudes.
Image of Hieracium pilosella. Source: wikimedia.com
Its preferred location is in full sun, accompanied by any type of terrain, whether calcareous or siliceous. It is suitable for stony terrain. Always avoid planting it in poorly draining terrain, to avoid fungal problems in the roots. It is also drought resistant. From Sala Graupera we recommend establishment watering of about 6 months so that it will then be completely autonomous. It is advisable to do some support watering during very prolonged droughts.
It can be used alone (creating uniform carpets that spread autonomously) or covering spaces between plantings of perennials and shrubs. It can also be used in rock gardens.
We recommend a planting density of about 6 to 8 plants per square meter.
It is an ideal species for sustainable gardening, it needs practically no maintenance as it does not need to be mowed.