Associate the Pratia

As groundcover

The Pratia is valued for its ability to cover difficult areas to mow or grass and unsightly stony slopes. It is a remarkably invasive perennial, ideal as an alternative to lawn in less-trodden areas of the garden, whether sunny or shaded. The Pratia pedunculata is very assertive, so be sure to select its companions carefully to prevent it from smothering them.

To accompany it, choose other vigorous groundcover perennials to avoid having them overwhelmed by your Pratia. In shaded or semi-shaded situations, consider ivy such as Hedera algeriensis ‘Bellecour’, with its ample foliage of vibrant green, but which will not exceed 50 cm in height. Pair it, for example, with ‘Asarum that forms a carpet of dark green, heart-shaped evergreen leaves, to cover an area where grass struggles to grow.

To add colour, complement with flowering perennials such as vinca, hardy geraniums, Epimediums for the originality of their flowers, and with Pachysandra terminalis, a sprawling perennial adorned with beautiful glossy dark green foliage edged in silver.

To create an original and colourful groundcover on a challenging sunny slope, combine your Pratia with Muehlenbeckia axillaris, another very effective groundcover with small semi-evergreen square leaves.

Pratia pedunculata, Asarum europeum, Hedera algeriensis ‘Bellecour’, Epimedium warleyense and Pachysandra terminalis

In a woodland atmosphere

To plant a light woodland, Pratia is an interesting choice and makes an excellent ground cover, even beneath large trees. It creates beautiful, delicate, and colourful carpets of vegetation. It will appreciate cool soil in summer. Opt for cool tones and play with the various shades of green in the foliage. It will pair wonderfully with shade-loving perennials, such as ferns, like the Polystichum polyblepharum, a lovely fern with finely cut evergreen fronds and dwarf hosta varieties, among which it will wander. For flowers, consider pulmonarias. For example, you could pair Pratia ‘County Park‘ with the lovely starry blue flowers of Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’, a variety with navy blue flowers that can also thrive at the base of trees and conifers.

An epimedium carpet like Epimedium pubigerum with its evergreen foliage and delicate white flowers or Epimedium stellulatum ‘Wudang Star’ will also add a touch of freshness to this charming scene beneath the tree canopies.

Pratia angulata, Pulmonarias, Epimedium pubigerum, Polystichum polyblepharum, and Hosta ‘Ground Master’

With spring bulbs

Flowering in the heart of spring, typically in May-June with a resurgence until autumn if the soil remains cool, the Pratia creates a setting to showcase other vibrant blooms during the warmer days.

The spring bulbs will be good companions for the evergreen foliage of the Pratia. They will accompany or precede its flowering. In partial shade as well as in sunlight, it is wise to surround it with early and late bulbs. The Pratia, with its very soft hues of pastel blue or pure white in its form ‘Alba’, pairs well with a wide variety of bulb flowers. The Muscari and the botanical tulips will herald the end of winter. Towering above the bright green foliage of the Pratia, the tall white flower spikes of the Narcissus triandrus ‘Thalia’ will create a stunning effect.

Ornamental garlic and Camassias will take over the flowering in mid-summer when the Pratia has finished blooming, while some colchicums such as the Colchicum macrophyllum with its white flowers veined with pink will punctuate the display at the end of summer.

In the centre, Pratia pedunculata ‘Alba’, accompanied by Alliums, botanical tulips ‘Lilac Wonder’, daffodils ‘Thalia’, and Camassias

To dress a garden path

No more than 10 cm in height, Pratia wild and romantically highlights shaded or sunny borders. Its delicate water droplet-like foliage indeed provides an effective evergreen base for edging paths and walkways. In a naturalistic or wild garden, it serves as a whimsical alternative to more traditional borders. With its bright star-shaped flowering, Pratia adds colour to the edge of a path in the heart of spring.

Install a climbing rose like ‘Climbing Iceberg’ as a backdrop, which will bring a colourful and floral touch throughout the summer. You can enhance this border with soft and fresh tones by alternating various flowering bulbs, spring Crocuses, and the small ornamental Garlic Allium oreophilum, which will be perfect for flowering in May-June in this sunny border. A few Nodding Bluebells and Hyacinths will add rhythm to the border and brighten up this naturalistic scene earlier in spring.

You will intersperse other perennial plants to ensure a rhythmic effect: low grasses, also choosing evergreen varieties like Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’, with its ribbon-like green foliage edged in white, and scabious such as Caucasian scabious ‘Perfecta’ with lavender-blue flowers.

Pratia pedunculata ‘County Park’, pink Hyacinths ‘Fondant’, Allium oreophilum, Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’, and scabious

In a shadier border, graceful perennials like Bleeding Hearts and Astrantias will also be good companions.

To create a contemporary scenography

With its star-shaped white or sky-blue flowers in the ‘County Park’ variety and its small bright green leaves, the Pratia easily fits into the composition of a graphic, contemporary garden. For example, you can plant it in voluptuous carpets, paired with sturdy shade-loving perennials to create a minimalist scenography.

In the shaded areas of the garden, it enjoys the company of ferns like the Coniogramme emeiensis, which forms a large, very bright and graphic groundcover. They will create lovely trios of foliage with the hybrid Hosta ‘Herifu’, a small Hosta dressed in apple-green leaves margined with cream.

Place horsetails in the background, add a few blooms in subtle and pure shades: the Epimedium (x) youngianum ‘Niveum’, a particularly elegant dwarf form, and the small Polygonatum humile, which does not exceed 15 cm in height, will give you a modern and graphic scene.

Pratia in the centre, accompanied by horsetails, Polygonatum humile, Hosta ‘Herifu’, and Coniogramme emeiensis

For further reading

• Find our complete sheet on Pratia: planting, growing, and care