About
Pratia pedunculata 'County Park' is a mat-forming perennial in the Campanulaceae that produces sky-blue, star-shaped flowers. It originates from Australia and spreads by underground stolons, forming a low carpet. Flowering season runs from June to September. The cultivar can colonise adjacent planting if edges are not managed.
About the genus
Lobelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae comprising 444 species, with a subcosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate regions. They are known generally as lobelias.
Wikipedia contributors, "Lobelia", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Lobelia
In the garden
Pratia pedunculata 'County Park' sits in the Lobelia group within the Campanulaceae and is valued for its low, matted habit and sky-blue, star-like blooms. Native to Australia, this perennial forms a close-growing carpet by means of underground stolons and flowers from June to September, giving a reliable run of colour through summer into early autumn. Because the plant spreads underground, contain its advance with solid edging or plant it in discrete beds or containers where a spreading habit is wanted. Regularly check borders and lift or trim stolons that stray into neighbouring plants to keep it where required. Plants establish as a tight mat, so replace sections rather than try to corral individual runners once they have rooted. Use 'County Park' where a low, flowering ground cover is needed: it suits tight planting in mixed ground cover borders and will also work in gravel or rock garden situations where a carpet of flowers is acceptable. Expect a noticeable tendency to fill gaps; if you prefer a controlled patch, start with a defined planting area and inspect the margin each season to prevent unwanted spread.
From the Fenn Plants journal
- Notes on DaffodilsWhen to plant daffodil bulbs in the UK, how deep, how to naturalise them in grass, why daffodils stop flowering (“blindness”), and why you should never mix cut daffodils with other flowers.
- Keeping Your NerveHow to garden through a heatwave — the best time to water, why deep soaks beat daily sprinkles, caring for pots and vulnerable plants, and why you can let the lawn go brown.
- Made to LastHow to clean, store and protect garden pots and planters — the frost-proof vs frost-resistant difference, winter care for terracotta and ceramic, and how to reuse a broken pot.
More in the Lobelia genus
- Hypsela reniformis
- Lobelia 'Queen Victoria'Lobelia
- Lobelia fulgensCardinal Flower
- Lobelia laxiflora var. angustifolianarrow-leaved Sierra Madre lobelia
- Lobelia syphiliticaGreat Blue Lobelia
- Lobelia syphilitica 'Blue Peter'Great Blue Lobelia
- Lobelia tupadevil's tobacco
- Lobelia × vedrariensis
