Mulberry Creek Herb Farm

Spikemoss, Ruby Red

Selaginella erthropus 'Sanguinea'
Sanguinea' refers to the ruby red color of the undersides of this, evergreen-on-top, foliage. No imagination necessary. An image of deep in the ocean, Jacques Cousteau shot of a swaying reef is instantaneous. Beuatiful contastly groundcover.

St. John's Wort, Mini Blue

Hypericum cerastoides rhodophaeum


Will this miniaturization stop? Call it our stand against the fast food super size craze. Even St. John's Wort has been ""lowered"" to a 3!"" Blue, oval leaves lay flattened on whispy branches but eventually layer upon one another to form a low mound. Like its taller cousin, bright yellow flowers show off in early summer.

Stachys, Mini Lamb's Ear

Stachys byzantina 'Silky Fleece'


Combine 2"" grey and silver touched mounds, purple flower stalks and lilac-plum colored spikes and you've got a soft bed for the wee folk and the lady beetles. 3/4 inch, woolly leaves like felt, create tight clustering groundcover and a dramatic patch of silver foliage between rocks.

Stachys. Dwarf Betony

Stachys officinalis 'Nana'


Perhaps it was the 1/2 pint-sized, violet pink flowers hovering 3 or 4 inches above the dark green rosette of leaves which inspired Cicely Barker to illustrate this ""Dwarf Betony"" about a century ago. Suitable for sunny faery gardens.

Star Creeper, Baby Blue

Pratia pendunculata (Laurentia)


Need a quick spreading groundcover for shade to sun, that has adorable baby blue, star-shaped flowers from late May until September? Flowers look like miniature umbrellas dancing above the dark green, corsican mint-like leaves (sans the scent). The perfect faerie garden plant or groundcover between plants or stepping stones. Likes loose, organic, rotted bark soil. Not invasive.

Star Creeper, Country Park

Pratia pendunculata 'Country Park'
Same as ""Baby Blue"" albeit dark blue flowers. Star creepers are a dream come true for all you folks looking for plants to tuch in between stepping stones or rocks in the shade.

Strawberry, Faery

Fragaria v. semper. 'Verbesserte Rugen'


Cute is good- edible is even better. This is not your main season, full sized berry but a delicious, pinkie sized fruit that you’ll be nibbling all Summer. Use as an effective groundcover under any shrub. Loves to spread (albeit slowly) over old bark mulch.

Strawberry, Woodland Faery

Fragaria vesva var. vesca
We were intrigued by this ever bearing strawberry for its fruits “arch over the foliage.” Yes, you get handfuls of berries throughout the summer but they tiny, (very sweet!) and a pain in the butt to pick. Anything that makes harvest easier, catches our attention. What a wonderful groundcover for part shade too.

Sweet Violet, Purple

Viola odorata 'Koenigin Charlotte'
Queen Charlotte is far more heat tolerant than our previously offered ""Linane"", which it now replaces. You can nibble on and crystallize the dark purple, incredibly fragrant flowers blooming all year although they only open up in cool weather. Five inch tall rosettes of heart shaped foliage hold flowers, for picking, in very early spring and then again in early fall until a hard freeze.! These plants will not re-seed themselves to annoyance. Easy to grow and enjoy! Divide in fall.

Sweet Violet, Sky Blue

Viola odorata 'Lavender'


A gift from the Wee-folk in our gardens. We didn't plant it. Lovely sky blue, fragrant flowers prevail whenever cool weather reigns. However as the temperature increases, the flowers open up pure white! We had to watch this several seasons to make sure it wasn't a mistake. Just as the skies are blue, sometimes they turn white too.

Sweet Woodruff

Galium (Asperula) odoratum
Freeze the sweet white May flowers that hover over dark green foliage, in ice cubes, to make ""May Wine"" during June's strawberry harvest. 3 tbsp blossoms in 1 gallon white wine impart a vanilla flavor. Add 1-2 cups fresh berries. This groundcover beat out the native violet (not to be confused with ""Sweet Violets"") and was weed-free by the 3rd spring. Essential faery garden plant. Be cautious if on ""blood thinning"" medicine.

Teucrium, Alpine Germander

Teucrium ackermannii
Find this in Mark's G-Scale railroad along the driveway where the blue needled leaves form a very low, waterfall mat with rose colored, hydrangea shaped flowers, all summer long. If you let it dry out a tad before watering again, it will give you heavy blooming in the spring, sporadic surprises in the summer and a nice rebloom in the fall.

Thrift, Mini Red-Leaf

Armeria maritima 'Rubrifolia'
Blooms non-stop during any kind of cooler weather. I like the reddish pink, round flower clusters that bob above but I adore the dark, reddish purple blades in early summer for their contrast in the garden or container. Ben suggested faeries use these flowers as ballons when they go on parade.

Thrift, Red Faerie

Armeria caespitosa 'Bevan's'
Actually it is more of a dark pine heading toward red, but, trust me, the flowers' hue is intense. In all other respects, it is very similar to ""Faerie"".

Thyme, Pink Chintz

Thymus praecox 'Pink Chintz'
Not quite as fuzy as ""Woolly Thyme"" but not as fussy, this hardworking goundcover puts on a dotted display of steady pink, beginning late spring and handles steady foot traffic.

Thyme, Red Mother-of-

Thymus pulegiodes


Like the mother of a toddler, it hugs (the ground) and moves briskly to fill an herb lawn, pathway or rock garden niche with glossy green leaves and dark pink, spring flowers within a couple of years. Mother of prostrate thymes, maybe, but red, definitely not!

Thyme, Tufted

Thymus caespititus


Pink flowers adorn this enchanting ""collector's"" thyme, late spring to early summer. Distinctive, feathery foliage forms a perfect mound. Not always hardy in northern Ohio, but a very well drained soil can help to overwinter it. At home in a mixed or hypertufa container.

Thyme, Wine & Roses

Thymus praecox 'Wine & Roses'
Rose-red, wine flowers pour over this deep green groundcover that sunbaths between stepping stones. Great partner at the foot of roses to prevent splash (and possibly "Black Spot"). Offers up a pleasant aroma as you step on it to gather a fresh bouquet of roses.

Thyme, Woolly

Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus 'Languinosis'


We have never seen flowers on this true variety of ""Woolly Thyme."" Too cold in northern Ohio? A popular groundcover which adores the sun even in between stepping stones, and is a natural for rock gardens and bonsai.

Valerian, Miniature

Valerian supina
For those of you fond of the delicate, fragrant flowers of ""Garden Heliotrope"" a.k.a. ""Valerian"" but not the four to five feet stalks, well how about this proud, 2 inch small cousin that flowers pink most of the summer? Forms a neat, 1 foot in diameter, tight mat of 1/2"" leaves. Native to high European Alps meadows.

Veronica, M & Mini Blue Carpet

Veronica spicata nana 'M & M Blue Carpet'
M & M Blue Carpet is a very sweet Mulberry Creek introduction selected from a seed grown variety that has extra small leaves, but all the same flower power as other veronicas. Bright blue buds pop up through the carpet of green leaves each summer. Slowly spreads to form a thick carpet. Plant about 6-12 inches apart for an eventually solid groundcover.

Veronica, Sunshine

Veronica repens 'Sunshine'


Tiny, pinkish spikes in June add another 75 watts to this already fluorescent gold leaved ground-cover. Needs full, hot sun for best color. Will also brighten any partially shaded pocket where thymes won't grow. Here the leaf color fades to lime green only to start over gold each spring.

Violet, World's Smallest

Viola verecunda var. yakusimana




It's BAAACK! Absolutely the world's smallest violet with a very long botanical name. Each heart-shaped leaf fits comfortably on the head of a pencil eraser. Tiny lavender & white flowers come out just above foliage during cooler weather. Will spread by seed, so use it between stepping stones in a moist shade. Never a nuisance.

Willow, Arctic Creeping

Salix arctica 'Petraea'
This slightly larger leaved willow was found grwing around Santa's workshop and was dropped off here last Christmas. This is a true Zone 1, Arctic, tundra plant that seems just as happy as a snowbird in the lower 48. What a great miniature ""Pussy Willow"".

Willow, Arctic Creeping- 2Year

Salix arctica 'Petraea'


This slightly larger leaved willow was found grwing around Santa's workshop and was dropped off here last Christmas. This is a true Zone 1, Arctic, tundra plant that seems just as happy as a snowbird in the lower 48. What a great miniature ""Pussy Willow"".

Willow, Mini Creeping

Salix repens 'Iona Form'




This is one of the world's smallest willows. Tiniest of catkins appear with the crocus flowers, followed by the flat growing stems letting out their 1/2"" willow leaves. Perfect railroad addition in the ""mountains"" or as a sacred tree in the fairie garden. Train upright for a miniature ""Weeping Willow"" by the pond.

Willow, Mini Creeping- 2 year

Salix repens 'Iona Form'


This is one of the world's smallest willows. Tiniest of catkins appear with the crocus flowers, followed by the flat growing stems letting out their 1/2"" willow leaves. Perfect railroad addition in the ""mountains"" or as a sacred tree in the fairie garden. Train upright for a miniature ""Weeping Willow"" by the pond.

Woodruff, Tiny Sicilian

Asperula gussonii


The softest imaginable, bright green, hummock covered with clusters of delicate mini trumpets. Native to the dry, rocky interior region of Sicily, this is rated as being one of the finest alpine rock garden plants. Ideal around railroad depots.

Woodruff, Tiny Sweet

Asperula suavis

• Exact 1/4 size version of ""Sweet Woodruff""! Just right in miniature, hardy, shade gardens and trough with mini hostas and primroses.

Yarrow, Mini Buttons

Achillea ageratifolia


Here's a yarrow that won't take over the border in fact, the blue gray, feathery foliaged, miniature rosettes spread slowly. Needs well drained soil, but frequent watering throughout growing season. Flowers are creamy white and 3"" high.