Strawberries are delightful, but their runners can take over a space.
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to top off its beautiful variegated foliage. Problem is, it just doesn’t know how to behave. It travels by underground rhizomes and will quickly take over any area, tending to move towards the sunnier parts of where it is planted. Strawberry (Fragaria). In the 1750s, Fragaria virginiana from
eastern North America was crossed with Fragaria chiloensis from Chile, resulting in the garden strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa. While the fruit makes strawberries very desirable, they are also very good travelers and will quickly fill a garden space via their above ground runners. Commer- cial producers often grow them in hanging baskets or on fields covered in plastic mulch to keep the fruit clean. In gardens after a year or two, fruit declines and you are left with a hearty groundcover. Orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva). This daylily is an ideal choice
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for farm properties that want to cover vast areas. They spread via un- derground rhizomes. Native to Asia, they are quite invasive in Canada. Orange daylily will grow happily in sun or shade. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). If the creeper only
conquered walls and fences, that would be one thing, but as its name implies, it grows horizontally as well as vertically and can be hard to control once established. There is a self-clinging variety known as En- glemann’s ivy that is less vigorous and will climb walls by means of sticky little feet.
Clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata) also known as Dane’s
blood. This is a beautiful flower from Britain and Western Europe and England that is very prolific and will spread by seeds as well as by under- ground rhizomes. Deadhead immediately after the first flush to prevent spreading by seed. I would be cautious with most campanula varities, nearly all of which can get a little out of hand. Common bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides). Also known as rampion and creeping bell- fower, is the hairbell often encountered in English literature. It is par- ticularly hard to deal with and you may never completely eradicate it.
Virginia Creeper covers a fence.
Above: Orange daylily flower. Below: Clustered bellflower is everybody’s favourite until it starts to travel.
16 • Summer 2012
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