A curious groundcover for moist shade from Italy and Spain, which potted makes an excellent conversation starting centre piece for the dinner table. The purple hooded white spathes, that shelter the spadix and flowers, with their long tail-like appendages appear amongst the glossy, dark green, arrow shaped leaves like a family mice grubbing for food. Slowly spreading by the underground stolons to which it retreats during summer, emerging again in late winter with fresh foliage and a new family of mice.

Tolerates considerable dryness when dormant but demands adequate moisture in winter and spring while actively growing.

Resents disturbance and typically will not flower well until it's settled in for a year or two and then improving with time. In a container re-potting is neither desirable or necessary but annual replacement of the surface soil and the addition of slow release fertiliser will be greatly appreciated.

A diminutive wormwood from the Alps for tucking into crevices in walls and paths or as a companion for low growing Pinks and choice small bulbs, ideally close at hand for convenient petting, releasing its delightful aroma, and picking for home made aperitifs.

Forming a charming ground hugging mat of soft, winter deciduous, tiny, divided, silver leaves with small panicles of irrelevant, pale yellow flowers in early summer.

Strictly for very well drained soil and requiring little water.

A staple of gardens the world over though indigenous through most of North America. A suckering carpet of silver, broadly lance shaped leaves for borders and edgings or combined with other vigorous perennials, Bearded Iris maybe, in drifts or clumps. Cut down regularly to maintain broadest foliage and low growth or if left unchecked it will eventually form a dense mound of wiry, branching stems bearing irrelevant, small, pale yellow, button-like flowers, quite an effective silver shrub in wilder parts of the garden or fence line.

Very vigorous and perfectly drought tolerant on well drained soils, struggling in heavy clay though more successful in lower rainfall regions. Impervious to any heat and cold experienced in this country but, as with most of the genus, unlikely to tolerate the summer humidity of more tropical climes. Dead easy and indestructible.

Might work as a silver, water efficient lawn when mown routinely.

Broader, more simple leaved than A. ‘Silver Queen’ and perhaps better when kept low.

Forming a dense creeping mat of small dark green dissected foliage Crabling makes for durable unassuming edible groundcover in awkward spots, tolerant of heavy and shallow soil, periodic wetness and drying out as well as the occasional heavy boot (possible lawn substitute). Vigorous but not quite rampant, the shallow subterranean stolons, to which it owes its durability, are fairly easy to remove if invading in areas they are unwanted.

Winter dormant, allowing for easy clean up and weeding, ensuring a fresh look each year as well as letting in light for winter growing bulbs and annuals. In late summer taller spires of insignificant flowers add some temporary height, perhaps needed wildness, easily removed by a quick shearing/wowing which will yield fresh verdant growth in a matter of days and keep it looking good into winter.

The antithesis of Crabling it explodes from winter dormancy making a mound of feathery dark green, silver backed leaves and sending skyward leafy flowering stems, bearing insignificant flowers, adding lush foliage and temporary height to the garden without stealing the limelight from showier flowering plants or fine foliaged grasses.

Tolerant of heavy soils, periodic wet feet and dryness. It can be cut to ground level at any time resulting in a fresh crop of lush growth. Very quick growing but only sedately spreading b y its underground stolons. Shade will make it flabby.

The form to grow if your looking for a vegetable.