Spreading plants also offer weed control

Weed control can be such a time-consuming aspect of any gardener's year that anything with potential to share the burden may be viewed as worth considering.

- TOM PATTINSON

This said, limits of acceptability will inevitably vary in terms of obtrusiveness, safety, and environmental awareness.

In our garden, eyesores, herbicides and pesticides are out, the wellbeing of flora and fauna are in.

So, in search of natural help with weed control we turned to plants that are more than a one-act show.

These are attractive perennials, generally evergreen, that vary in height but have one vital thing in common - a spreading habit.

A group of plants that hug the ground, growing little more than knee high, are as popular for their weed-suppressing ability as the floral or foliage display they offer.

The periwinkles (Vinca major and minor) offer a choice of green or variegated leaves, with blue or white flowers.

Three ivy species (Hedera helix, hibernica and colchica) have some wonderful cultivars with variegated leaves.

Heathers line the driveway in this garden, and they are possibly the best permanent planting we've introduced.

The low mounds are so dense that weeds don't stand a chance of colonising.