On 8/23/2009 3:33 PM, Sspider wrote:
Thank you, David. I shall try that. Does it spread fast? About how
many plants would I need?

David E. Ross;862030 Wrote:
On 8/20/2009 9:11 AM, Sspider wrote:-
I have a 10m x 5m soakaway, which at the moment is lying fallow. I
can't cover it with grass because we can't take the mower over it and
we can't plant anything with deep roots because of the pipes. But I
would like it to look attractive.
I have an enormous garden so don't want to have to spend a lot of
time
weeding this area - it is not actually part of the garden, just very
visible.
The area is well-drained and the climate here (mid-France) is mild
but
we do get frost in the winter.
Can anyone suggest what I should plant?-

Cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana, also known as P. verna). Spreads
to
form a low mat. Has small yellow flowers on and off, except in the
winter.

Plant them about 30-45 cm apart. Plant them now, to get roots
established while the soil is still warm from summer (even if the air is
cooling towards fall).

Cinquefoil can become invasive. They spread with runners, which should
be trimmed from the edges of the area. They sometimes reseed, starting
new plants outside of the area. I have a flower and shrub bed with
cinquefoil growing as a ground cover.

About every 2-3 months, I trim the edges with grass shears and dig
seedlings out of the surrounding walkway (decomposed granite) with a
paring knife. Since I am retired and enjoy puttering in my garden,
keeping the cinquefoil under control is not a major burden on me.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary