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hammerhugger

Growing Mazus replans for midwest?

hammerhugger
19 years ago

I saw this plant on www.pallensmith garden tour. It looks like it is blue and low-growing. It shows it between flagstone and looks so pretty. Looks to be some shade in the picture. I went to some data bases but could not find it. Anyone know anything about this plant and whether it would survive in zone 4?

Comments (5)

  • sanfan
    19 years ago

    Just found this at Wayside gardens. Just put the item number in their search. Hope this helps. The pictures were great. I'm going to have to look at this plant addition too. I'm a zone 4 ,but I have an area that is more 5. LOL

    Mazus
    Mazus reptans

    Foot traffic won't harm it

    Violet Flowers in Late Spring
    So dense and strong that foot traffic doesn't bother it at all

    Mazus reptans is a splendid ground cover for large areas, its dense, prostrate growth withstands heavy foot traffic. Spreads rapidly in sun or shade and moist soil. Violet flowers appear in late spring; small leaves retain color into winter. Zones 5-9. 3-inch pot.

    3-inch Pot Item # 43459
    Mazus

  • ironbelly1
    19 years ago

    OK, Hammer ... It is time you had a little lesson in botanical Latin. ;-)

    In the first place, you are having trouble finding out about this wonderful little plant because you are spelling it wrong. Once you start to gain a little knowledge about what things mean in the botanical names, it will bolster your gardening skills and selections tremendously. (Yeah ... it takes a while.)

    The botanical name of this plant (it does not really have a common name) is: Mazus reptans. The word "reptans" means to creep or crawl. (Think about reptiles.) This little ground cover plant performs exactly as its botanical name would infer. Now that you know that, anytime in the future you see the botanical name of a plant including "reptans" in the second half, you will automatically have a good idea of its growth habit.

    If I were describing it to you in a conversation, I would probably use the word "scamper" because this ground hugging delight tends to really take off when it is happy. It is probably going to need a little extra water from time to time if you want it to do well when it gets really dry. This plant originates from the Himalayas and is variously listed as either a zone 4 or zone 5 plant.

    Another thing about botanical names is that often families of plants will have some defining characteristics that give you some idea about them even if you have no idea what plant you are looking at. Pay attention to the shape of the flowers in the second picture below and you will begin to see a pattern with a lot of the plants in the family Scrophulariaceae.

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    IronBelly

    Here is a link that might be useful: Mazus reptans

  • hammerhugger
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Ironbelly, I was only typing the name that was in my gardening newletter that I get daily. Now I know more about it. Thank you.

  • ironbelly1
    19 years ago

    Hammer,

    I checked out his newsletter (see link below) and if this was the same picture you were looking at, I can certainly see why you became enamored with this plant.

    I know that growing information so often states that you can walk on this plant but I think this is a bit misleading. It will take light foot traffic -- with the emphasis on "light". It will do well between flagstones as pictured because people, at least in nonpublic areas, tend to avoid stepping on pretty plants growing between the cracks. This human tendency is something to be aware of. Unless the walkway places these plantings at comfortable distances to avoid stepping on, it can make a garden visit quite tenuous for guests. They become so worried about avoiding missteps that they cannot enjoy looking at the rest of your garden -- and it doesn't matter even if you tell them it is OK.

    Regardless, this is a wonderful little groundcover even when not planted in a walkway. You should have little trouble finding it in any of the better nurseries.

    IronBelly

    Here is a link that might be useful: Newsletter