How to Grow Ardisia japonica: Planting This Shade-Tolerant Ground Cover This Way
Ardisia japonica is an evergreen small shrub in the family Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae), genus Ardisia. In folk usage it is also called laowuda, dijuizi, pingdimu, and other names, and it is a Chinese herbal medicine. The plant grows 10 to 30 cm tall. The leaves are nearly leathery, glossy green on top and pale green beneath. It flowers from June to September, with small white or pink flowers. The fruiting period is from August to December, and the fruit is red when ripe and remains on the plant for a long time, making it quite attractive.
Ardisia japonica can be propagated by sowing, division, and cuttings. According to records, seeds of Ardisia japonica do not germinate in the same year; they only germinate in May to June of the following year, and the natural germination rate is very poor, generally only 3% to 5%, so treatment with sulfuric acid is needed. Division propagation is usually carried out in spring and autumn: cut the rhizomes apart, making sure each section of rhizome has one branch, then plant them into prepared containers or onto leveled ground and keep them moist; they will take root in about 20 days. If cuttings are used, cut branches in May to June, about 5 to 8 cm tall, remove some of the old leaves, insert them into a prepared cutting bed, and keep the leaf surfaces and the medium moist; they will root in about 1 month.
Because it mostly grows in shady, damp environments such as under forests, in valleys, and beside streams, it is extremely shade-tolerant and is an excellent foliage ground cover plant for shady, damp environments. It is often used in shady, damp spots under patch forests and in shrub thickets, and it is a new favorite ground cover for under urban overpasses and elevated roads. It can also be used for potted ornamental display, and in plantings in rock gardens, flowerbeds, and flower borders.
Shade-Tolerant Ground Cover Plant: How to Grow Ardisia japonica
Shade-Tolerant Ground Cover Plant: How to Grow Ardisia japonica -- Ardisia japonica is an evergreen small shrub in the family Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae), genus Ardisia. In folk usage it is also called laowuda, dijuizi, pingdimu, and other names, and it is a Chinese herbal medicine. The plant grows 10 to 30 cm tall. The leaves are nearly leathery, glossy green on top and pale green beneath. It flowers from June to September, with small white or pink flowers. The fruiting period is from August to December, and the fruit is red when ripe and remains on the plant for a long time, making it quite attractive.
Ardisia japonica can be propagated by sowing, division, and cuttings. According to records, seeds of Ardisia japonica do not germinate in the same year; they only germinate in May to June of the following year, and the natural germination rate is very poor, generally only 3% to 5%, so treatment with sulfuric acid is needed. Division propagation is usually carried out in spring and autumn: cut the rhizomes apart, making sure each section of rhizome has one branch, then plant them into prepared containers or onto leveled ground and keep them moist; they will take root in about 20 days. If cuttings are used, cut branches in May to June, about 5 to 8 cm tall, remove some of the old leaves, insert them into a prepared cutting bed, and keep the leaf surfaces and the medium moist; they will root in about 1 month.
Because it mostly grows in shady, damp environments such as under forests, in valleys, and beside streams, it is extremely shade-tolerant and is an excellent foliage ground cover plant for shady, damp environments. It is often used in shady, damp spots under patch forests and in shrub thickets, and it is a new favorite ground cover for under urban overpasses and elevated roads. It can also be used for potted ornamental display, and in plantings in rock gardens, flowerbeds, and flower borders.
How to Grow Common Shade-Tolerant Ground Cover Plants
Like other plants, shade-tolerant ground cover plants have multiple functions: regulating environmental temperature and humidity, absorbing and breaking down harmful gases and dust, purifying the air, and balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide content in the air. At the same time, they make up for the shortcomings of other plants, growing well in areas with very little sunlight and in shady, damp environments, and providing good soil and water conservation. Using shade-tolerant plants for shade-area greening is an important measure for increasing green coverage, beautifying and scenting the environment, and improving the ecological environment. Here are several common shade-tolerant ground cover plants:
1. Ardisia japonica is an evergreen small shrub in the family Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae), genus Ardisia. In folk usage it is also called laowuda, dijuizi, pingdimu, and other names, and it is a Chinese herbal medicine. The plant grows 10 to 30 cm tall. The leaves are nearly leathery, glossy green on top and pale green beneath. It flowers from June to September, with small white or pink flowers. The fruiting period is from August to December, and the fruit is red when ripe and remains on the plant for a long time, making it quite attractive.
Ardisia japonica can be propagated by sowing, division, and cuttings. According to records, seeds of Ardisia japonica do not germinate in the same year; they only germinate in May to June of the following year, and the natural germination rate is very poor, generally only 3% to 5%, so treatment with sulfuric acid is needed. Division propagation is usually carried out in spring and autumn: cut the rhizomes apart, making sure each section of rhizome has one branch, then plant them into prepared containers or onto leveled ground and keep them moist; they will take root in about 20 days. If cuttings are used, cut branches in May to June, about 5 to 8 cm tall, remove some of the old leaves, insert them into a prepared cutting bed, and keep the leaf surfaces and the medium moist; they will root in about 1 month.
Because it mostly grows in shady, damp environments such as under forests, in valleys, and beside streams, it is extremely shade-tolerant and is an excellent foliage ground cover plant for shady, damp environments. It is often used in shady, damp spots under patch forests and in shrub thickets, and it is a new favorite ground cover for under urban overpasses and elevated roads. It can also be used for potted ornamental display, and in plantings in rock gardens, flowerbeds, and flower borders.
2. Hosta ventricosa is a perennial herb in the family Asparagaceae, genus Hosta. It is mainly distributed in wild mountain gullies and shady, damp places under forests in East China and Southwest China. It likes a warm, humid climate and shade, and avoids long periods of direct sunlight. Its tillering ability and cold hardiness are extremely strong, and it is not strict about soil requirements. It grows well in ordinary soil. It turns green in early to mid-April, blooms from June to July; when in bloom, the scapes emerge from between the leaves, and the flowers are relatively small and light purple. The fruiting period is August. From late September to early October it enters the withering period.
Hosta ventricosa is mainly propagated by division, repotting and transplanting in spring and autumn. After transplanting, Hosta ventricosa takes root very easily and shows results quickly.
Hosta ventricosa has a strong ability to adapt to the environment and is easy to manage. It has great ornamental value and greening function, and can be widely used in sheltered places such as under overpasses and elevated roads, in courtyards, residential communities, parks, and open spaces under greening forests.
3. Hosta is a perennial herbaceous plant with fleshy roots in the family Asparagaceae, genus Hosta. Its leaves are broad and unusual, glossy and emerald green on the surface, and the scapes stand upright above the leaf clumps; both flowers and foliage are beautiful. It blooms from July to September, with flowers as white as jade and fragrant, making it a beautiful and elegantly simple summer ornamental flower. Today there are many horticultural varieties, and more variegated-leaf varieties have enriched the visual appeal.
Hosta can be propagated by sowing and division, and some new horticultural varieties are also propagated by tissue culture. Hosta produces very few seeds; harvest them after autumn when the seeds mature but before the seed pods split, then dry and store them. They can be sown in early spring of the following year, in February to March, and the seedlings grow slowly. Division propagation is the main method of propagating Hosta. It can be done in both spring and autumn: in early spring before growth starts in March to April, or in autumn after the leaves turn yellow. Take out the roots and use sharp shears to cut at places where the root nodes are relatively sparse, keeping 3 to 4 buds per piece, with at least 2 buds retained. Division propagation can preserve the excellent traits of the variety, and the plants grow quickly and can bloom in the same year.
Hosta especially likes shady, damp environments. Strong sunlight radiation will damage chlorophyll, causing the leaves to turn yellow and the leaf edges to dry and scorch. In gardens it is most suitable for planting under patch forests, or in shaded spots beside buildings (on the north side) to set off the architecture, or in plantings beside rocks; it can also be grown in pots.
4. Ferns. Most ferns have strong shade tolerance, as well as strong adaptability and resistance, and can survive in poor environments, especially in places where the soil is relatively barren, shaded, and unsuitable for cultivated plants. In these places, using ferns for landscaping and greening is the best choice, and ferns grow quickly and have strong reproductive capacity, so a green belt landscape can quickly appear. In areas south of the Yangtze River, Dryopteris, Pteris, Matteuccia, Humata, Diplopterygium, and Pteris multifida are simple to plant, easy to manage, and quickly form a landscape.
At present, ferns used in commercial landscape applications mainly rely on wild collection and sporophyte division propagation. Wild collection causes serious damage to wild fern resources and the ecological environment, and division propagation has a relatively low propagation coefficient and poorer ornamental quality. Ferns, however, produce a large amount of spores, which is an effective way to rapidly breed seedlings.
Several terrestrial ferns such as Pteris multifida and Cyrtomium fortunei have strong alkaline tolerance and strong resistance, are easy to manage, and can adapt to almost all soil types. Cyrtomium fortunei can be used as ground cover on greenbelt roadsides, forest edges, and under forests. Pteris multifida has a delicate, soft posture, and when appropriately combined with stone features it can achieve a unique landscape effect. Cyclosorus and Parathelypteris are especially suitable for planting in large patches in green spaces, with a fresh, pleasant green color.
5. Indocalamus. Indocalamus latifolius is a shrub-type bamboo in the family Poaceae, genus Indocalamus, with a plant height of 0.5 to 1 m. Indocalamus is native to East China, Central China, and other places, with abundant wild resources and a relatively wide distribution, and it is also cultivated in Beijing and areas to the south. It has strong adaptability, is relatively cold-tolerant, likes moisture and tolerates drought, is not strict about soil requirements, and can grow normally even in mildly saline-alkaline soil. It likes light and tolerates partial shade.
Indocalamus can be propagated by sowing, division, or the buried-rhizome method. Among these methods, the buried-rhizome method is the most commonly used and also has a relatively high survival rate.
In gardens it is mostly planted under sparse forests, and can also be planted along riverbanks for bank protection. The culms can be used to make writing brush shafts and bamboo chopsticks, and the leaves can be used to make bamboo hats, boat awnings, and for wrapping zongzi.
6. Mock strawberry (Duchesnea indica) is a perennial herbaceous plant with fleshy roots in the family Rosaceae, genus Duchesnea, growing on hillsides, roadsides, in grass clumps, and in shady, damp places. Mock strawberry grows rapidly and has a strong ability to cover the ground. Its leaves, flowers, and fruit all have relatively high ornamental value. It blooms from April to May; when in bloom, small yellow flowers dot the plant, breaking the monotony of green and giving a sense of the vitality of life. After the flowering period, it is covered with small strawberry-like red fruits that are quite attractive. It has strong stress resistance, is easy and simple to manage, and needs no pruning, making it a rare new and superior ground cover plant.
The seed germination rate of mock strawberry is very low, usually not more than 10%, but its asexual reproductive capacity is very strong. For artificial lawn establishment, whole-plant transplanting can be used, or the entire stolon branches can be separated, or they can be cut into stem segments 20 to 35 cm long and buried in soil 3 to 5 cm deep, keeping the soil moist; a lawn can be formed in about 3 months.
Mock strawberry has relatively strong vitality, is evergreen, fast-growing, with fresh flowers and beautiful fruit. The plant is short and grows prostrate, and it is relatively tolerant of trampling. It is suitable for planting on slopes, under forests, in courtyards, and other places, forming a distinctive greening landscape and enhancing the wild charm of the city, making it a rare and excellent ground cover plant. At present, it has been used in large quantities at Shanghu Park in Changshu, Jiangsu.
7. Farfugium japonicum is in the family Asteraceae, genus Farfugium, and is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant. Its leaves are bright green and glossy, and it blooms in late autumn with yellow flowers. It likes partial shade and humid environments, is afraid of direct sunlight, and is cold-tolerant; in the Jiangnan region it can overwinter outdoors.
It is commonly propagated by division. In spring, when repotting and changing the soil, take the plant out of the pot, shake off the old soil, divide the clump into 3 to 4 parts, and pot them separately. It can also be cultivated in the open field, and after planting, management can be relatively extensive. In winter the aboveground parts die off, and in the following spring it will sprout and unfold leaves on its own. Farfugium japonicum can also be propagated by seed, sown in a seedbed every year in early spring, and transplanted into pots after the seedlings emerge.
Farfugium japonicum must not be too wet during the seedling stage, otherwise it is prone to disease.
It is suitable for large-area planting as ground cover under forests or under overpasses, in shady, damp places at forest edges, beside streams and gullies, and beside rocks. Here are several specific ways to use it: plant it on the north side of buildings, especially the north side of high-rise buildings; plant it in moso bamboo forests, sweetgum forests, or mixed deciduous-evergreen forests as ground cover for scenic forests; plant it on the north side of rock walls, or in the shaded corners of building walls; plant it under elevated roads and overpasses to form shade-tolerant flowering ground cover.
8. Glechoma hederacea, also known as fo'er cao, jinqian cao, and other names, is a perennial prostrate herb in the family Lamiaceae. The leaves are opposite, with long petioles, and the leaf margins have rounded teeth; both sides have short soft hairs on the veins. The flowers grow in the leaf axils, in whorls of 2 to 6, labiate, light purple or pink, blooming from March to April. Glechoma hederacea is scattered under trees, along roadsides, and beside streams, and likes shady, damp environments. There is now a horticultural variety, variegated Glechoma hederacea, whose growth habit is the same as Glechoma hederacea, with white edges on the leaves.
Glechoma hederacea is pollinated by insects, and the seeds can fall naturally to the ground after maturing, but because its stolons root at each node, asexual propagation is relatively easy. For artificial lawn establishment, the stolons can be cut into segments and inserted as cuttings, generally 2 to 3 nodes per segment, no fewer than 2 nodes. Ensure soil moisture in summer; they will root in about 10 days and form a good landscape effect in about 1 month.
In early spring, the small purple or pink flowers of Glechoma hederacea dot the green leaves, filling the gap at a time when most grass species have not yet turned green, and adding a bit of color to early spring.
The several plants above all have wild resource distributions in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region, and this is also one of the main sources of materials currently used in garden green spaces. However, this method cannot be used for the long term, and ultimately artificial cultivation and propagation are still needed. Moreover, excellent varieties of shade-tolerant ground cover are still very lacking. Therefore, researching fast and effective propagation methods for shade-tolerant plants and continuing to develop native shade-tolerant ground cover are important tasks for the next stage. As urbanization advances and urban building density increases, large numbers of shaded environments appear, and the required urban greening coverage rate is also getting higher and higher. Whether it is rooftop greening on high-rise buildings, greening and leisure plazas in city centers, or the areas under overpasses and elevated roads, all these places need greening. Patch forests are also one of the major directions of today's greening, with notable ecological benefits. Greening under patch forests and under overpasses and elevated roads is an important part of urban greening, and the important material for greening these areas is shade-tolerant ground cover plants.