Cotula leptinella ‘Platt’s Black’
“Dollhouse Fern”

While not entirely uncommon, this quaint groundcover is certainly deserving of praise & comment. I’d say it’s one of my favorite groundcovers - as it’s just so compactly growing, & the texture is so pleasingly like little black feathers. This New Zealand native is shallow rooted but not at all invasive. It’s malleable, & doesn’t get distressed over being dug up, divided up, & moved around. It’s evergreen (ever-grey?) in USDA zones 9 & up, & though it goes deciduous in colder places it returns easily. Its shallow-rootedness means that regular moisture is important, & occasional feeding is appreciated. Tolerates light foot traffic, & works extremely well between stepping stones so long as it gets regular water. The more light it gets, the darker the leaves will be. Though the foliage (& occasional, very inconspicuous yellow button flowers) never reach more than 2” in height, you can expect plants to spread to at least a foot.

Claire Woods
Propagator