Shrub and ground cover gardens

Shrub and ground cover gardens are another recurring theme in the Biblioteca degli Alberi Park. These are used in a playful and formal way, in compositions in which are recognizable the skill and training of the Dutch designer. For example, boxwoods are used in groups of 4, in the shape of a cube, in geometric compositions of crossed rows. Bamboo and Ilex crenata are modulated in a punctiform way but according to precise lines on large lawns or bark surfaces. Rubus and Viburni are used according to the same punctiform principle on large surfaces, this time of different ground cover. The same widely used ground covers have been carefully chosen according to design principles, with combinations openly modulated in order to compose a large colorful canvas, in which textures and colours of flowers become compositional elements of the ‘bigger picture’ of the park.

SPECIES LIST
Shrubs and creepers:
n° plants: 4.192

• Buxus sempervirens Noble evergreen shrub that everyone knows by the name of Boxwood, it has small round dark green leaves. It grows slowly and upright. Historically used in topiary art, especially in formal gardens, it is suitable for borders and hedges since it supports cutting and pruning well.
• Ilex crenata ‘Soft touch’ Evergreen shrub featuring slow-growing, dense and compact foliage with small dark green lanceolate leaves, rustic, drought-resistant, cultivable in all soils in full sunlight or half-shade.
• Azalea viola da lago A particular azalea hybrid, it has a characteristic deep purple flower that marks its abundant flowering in early spring.
• Lespedeza thunbergii Shrub with deciduous leaves that reaches a height of over 150 cm, with small oval green leaves, featuring a compact bearing. Unusual purple flowers bloom on elegantly arched branches to form colourful cascades in August and September.
• Hedera helix Evergreen creeper or ground cover plant. It features dark green foliage with slender light green shoots and unusual aerial roots that allow the plant to cling to any type of support, in this way reaching considerable heights.
• Rhododendron ‘Palestrina’ Evergreen shrub that reaches a height of about 100-130 cm, featuring small lanceolate leaves light to dark green in colour. A multitude of pure white flowers with a light variegated yellow-green throat appear between March and May.
• Lonicera nitida Compact and fast growing evergreen shrub that usually does not exceed 80 cm and that withstands both drought and pollution very well. It has small leaves that are typically dark green on top and lighter green underneath.

Bamboo:
n° plants: 141

• Fargesia spp. Evergreen bamboo with narrow leaves that is fast growing and that resists the cold. It adapts to being planted as a hedge as well as in groups or as a solitary plant. It tolerates all types of soil well, and stands out owing to its ability to thrive in all exposures.

Ground cover:
n° plants: 6.285
surface area: 3.065 mq

• Carex morrowii Evergreen perennial herbaceous plat that reaches a height of about 40 cm and that forms thick tufts with its linear dark green leaves. It easily adapts to all soils and is used to create borders or as ground cover.
• Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ Evergreen perennial herbaceous plant distinguished by tufts of a beautiful deep purple-black fogliage and small white-pink flowers that stand out on the dark fogliage. It blooms between June and July. It is commonly used for low borders or as low-maintenance ground cover.
• Ajuga reptans ‘Black Scalop’ This evergreen perennial plant is a creeping ground cover with distinctive fogliage that is almost black tending toward purplish-reddish in the winter. It produces lovely blue flowers significant in their formation and expanse.
• Carex pensylvanica Evergreen perennial herbaceous plant that forms thick tufts of pale, linear leaves about 30 cm long. It is used for low borders or as ground cover, an in nature takes in and provides materials for bird nesting.
• Rubus fruticosus ‘Thornless Evergreen’ A particular variety of blackberry whose bearing tends toward upright, with characteristic white stalks that stand out against the green of the vegetation and are easily seen during the winter. It can grow up to two metres in height and form an impenetrable vegetation.
• Viburnum bodnatense Rustic shrub with deciduous leaves that can reach a height of 250-300 cm. A peculiar viburnum, it is one of the first plants to announce the arrival of spring. In fact, as early as the end of winter it is covered with many dark pink flowers even before the leaves have formed.
• Vinca minor Evergreen perennial plant with a prostrate and ground cover bearing, with small bright green leaves forming low compact cushions, with showy blue/purple flowers between April and June. It is an excellent and versatile ground cover to use at the foot of trees and shrubs.
• Pleioblastus viridistriatus Evergreen graminaceous plant that reaches a height of about 80 cm, with characteristic extended variegated green and yellow leaves. This compact bamboo has a very vigorous root system and is suitable for cultivation in a vase. Of Japanese origin, it has been known in Europe as an excellent ground cover since as early as the late 19th century.
• Narcissus cyclaeminus Very vigorous perennial bulbous plan with narrown leaves and leafless stalks that carry large bright yellow flowers from February to March.
• Heuchera ‘Lime Marmalade’ Perennial ground cover plant that reaches a height of about 30-40 cm, produces unusual lime-colour leaves and reaches the peak of its ornamental value in the summer when it produces white-lime flowers.
• Veronica repens ‘Sunshine’ Deciduous, dense ground cover plant that forms an even carpet of tiny light green leaves on which small pure white flowers appear in late spring.
• Festuca glauca Evergreen graminaceous plant with a bearing marked by compact tufts, and a characteristic ornamental blue-grey colour of the foliage in the midst of which its spikes appear between June and July.
• Dianthus arenarius Evergreen perennial plant about 15 cm tall, rustic, featuring tiny green and fragrant foliage. Its pink and fragrant flowers with characteristic frayed petals appear in abundance between May and June.