Pratia pedunculata County Park

Pratia pedunculata County Park is a small perennial plant that is very resistant once well established and spreads enthusiastically, forming a more or less persistent wide carpet depending on the severity of the winter. Its spring flowering, with a thousand small stars of a fairly deep blue, illuminates and enlivens any setting, even in shaded areas. As it tolerates occasional trampling and keeps weeds in check, this plant can be used as an alternative to turf, especially in difficult to mow or difficult-to-turf areas, as well as to vegetate rocky slopes. Give it space to thrive, keep it away from delicate plants: in cool and humus-rich soil, which it prefers, the Pratia County Park can become invasive!

Pratia pedunculata belongs to the Campanulaceae family and is native to Australia and New Zealand, where it grows in wet and shaded areas. However, this perennial is not capricious as it thrives wonderfully in our more continental climates: it is much more tolerant and resistant than the helxine with which it can be associated, as it accepts both partial shade and full sun, humus-rich soils as well as drier ones and even frost. The 'County Park' cultivar stands out with its deep blue flowers.

This small ground cover plant is a formidable coloniser if the growing conditions suit it. It develops ramified superficial stems that root at the nodes in contact with the ground, as well as long underground stems, white and thicker than the aboveground stems, somewhat like couch grass. They form a network about 10 cm (4 in) deep, so that a new plant can emerge 1 m (3 ft) away from the mother plant. Not exceeding 5 cm (2 in) in height, it quickly spreads laterally, adapting to the contours of the soil over a theoretically unlimited surface, forming an elegant flowering carpet in spring, usually in May-June. The flowering often continues from late July until autumn if the soil remains moist. The small star-shaped flowers of this County Park variety are composed of 5 deep blue petals. They give way to small berries whose seeds easily self-sow. The foliage, evergreen in mild climates, disappears in winter if temperatures drop below -10 °C (14 °F). If the soil is too dry, it becomes deciduous in summer until the rains return. It consists of small leaves arranged in an alternate manner on the stems, bright green and oblong, with very slightly toothed edges. The plant's vegetative mat also acts as a living mulch, protecting the soil from heavy rains and erosion, while preventing water from evaporating too quickly in dry weather.

It is between the slabs of a Japanese step or a pathway that the Pratia pedunculata County Park is most unique. It can advantageously replace helxine in sunny areas of the garden as well as in cold climates. Highly adaptable, undemanding and extremely robust, this vigorous ground cover also offers an excellent alternative to turf in less well-trodden areas of the garden, both sunny and shaded, even under large trees. An unsightly embankment will also welcome this Pratia capable of discouraging weeds. However, it should not be planted in an alpine rockery with more delicate plants that it will quickly overwhelm and suffocate. In the shade, we recommend associating it with sturdy perennials to create a contemporary, minimalist design with a Japanese touch: for example, install ferns as a backdrop with a few epimediums mixed with helxine. In the sun, to dress up an English garden pathway and make it more wild and romantic, plant Pratia pedunculata in front of a small bed of grasses, scabiosa, sage, echinacea, and a few erect geraniums supported by chestnut stakes. The exuberant Pratia County Park can also create lovely decorations on the terrace, with its flowering stems cascading from vases and flower pots, at the base of larger plants.