Episode 154: The Cover Up Retrospective (Part 2)

Welcome to The Cover Up Retrospective Part 2 . This conversation features potential ground covers and ornamental vine choices to consider for your own garden. Master Gardener Volunteers Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas share some of their favorites in these three previously aired segments.

The first segment starts with a discussion of Green and Gold (a.k.a. golden star) which is a low-growing, clump-forming herb. It thrives in full sun or part shade with long-blooming yellow flowers. This ground cover is climate resilient, slow-growing, and does not have to be ‘pampered’.  Dutchman’s pipe , a relative of wild ginger, is a vine that can grow 15-30 feet in length and width. It’s a great option if you want to create a privacy screen as long as it’s given a strong support to grow on.Its tiny flower even attract hummingbirds.

Purple and white flowers are the theme of the second segment.  Wild Geraniums (cranesbill) and native Wisteria are the focus. A cousin of the annual geranium, the native wild geranium is a hardy perennial that comes in a range of cultivars forming mats of foliage that look great planted under shrubs or with spring bulbs. Don’t confuse the native American Wisteria with the invasive variety that can pull down structures and spreads easily. The native version can grow 15-40 feet so it does need a sturdy support. Planted in full sun, it will reward you with fragrant blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

The final segment features golden ragwort and climbing hydrangeas . Tim likes golden ragwort for its bright yellow flowers as well as its ability to compete with invasive plants like garlic mustard and Japanese stilt grass. It thrives in moist shady locations, naturalizes rapidly and has a long spring blooming period. Spreading via underground rhizomes, it forms clumping colonies and attracts multiple bees, butterflies and moths. Climbing hydrangeas, like other vines, need a sturdy support, like plenty of water, but are not very aggressive. Known for their attractive reddish-brown bark, they are happy in partial shade and produce fluffy white clusters of lace-cap flowers.

Host: Jean Thomas

Guests: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Photos by: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

• Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
• Dutchman's Pipe Vines: Plant Care & Growing Guide (thespruce.com)
• Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum – Wisconsin Horticulture
• Taylor's Guide to Ground Covers, Vines & Grasses (Taylor's Guide to Gardening): By The Editors: 9780395430941: Amazon.com: Books
• Groundcovers (Burpee American Gardening Series): Roach, Margaret: 9780671846473: Amazon.com: Books
• Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort)
• How to Grow and Care for Climbing Hydrangea

Last updated January 2, 2025