Ground-huggers in the 1- to 3-inch range that tolerate foot traffic can be used between stepping stones. Ground cover plants are all-around problem-solvers: They retain moisture, control erosion, and provide.css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;} habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies. For companion plants, select other shade-lovers. Creeping thyme. Although not a U.S. native and with the potential to choke out nearby wildflowers, lithodora is not listed as an invasive concern. Whatever you decide to mix it with, remember to select plants that need partial to full shade. When several are planted together, they form a dense hedge that thrives in almost any type of soil and full sun. All our groundcovers are grown in biodegradable . But beware: This hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. If your garlic outgrows its space, thin it out and divide the old clumps every few years for a consistent ground cover. It likes full sun. World of Flowering Plants. It often grows vertically along trellises, but the plant can also serve as a ground cover. Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy' - Plant Finder - Missouri Botanical Garden RELATED: 30 Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever. Spectacular as a ground cover in the shade garden, Lamium maculatum (Spotted Dead Nettle) is a perennial plant whose appearance is unlike other perennial ground covers. Q. Lamium maculatum stays relatively short, with the typical cultivar standing less than a foot tall. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride', Zones 4-8) is one of the fastest-growing ground covers. Its not often that a plant is classified as an evergreen ground cover, a trailing plant for containers and a houseplant. With moist shade and deep, acidic woodland soil of good tilth, it will form a tight ground cover. Select either a shady or half shady location when growing Lamium maculatum. 25 Best Types of Ground Cover Plants and Flowers You Can Grow - Florgeous Common or Western yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is native to North America and can be found throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This native ground cover is as useful as it is pretty, acting as the larval host of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly and as a weed suppressing ground cover. Flowering Plants for Bare Garden Spots - Ground Cover Dogwood. However, creeping ground coverings tend to spread the fastest. There are more native species of sedge than any other plant in North America, and many make fine ground covers for shade. Although it is most attractive, I have found it less vigorous in our garden, but perhaps you will have better luck. A particularly vigorous variety, Walkers Low, was The Perennial Plant Associations plant of the year in 2007. Lamium. Its off the menu for deer and rabbits, but a feast for pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. 25 Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plants for Sun and Shade - The Spruce It prefers full shade, but can handle some morning sun. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive. Rock cotoneaster is considered a full-shun shrub but benefits from some afternoon shade. Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) grows as a spreading mat of herbaceous stems and leaves. Bright pink, purple or white flowers are a bonus that draws in bumblebees from mid-spring to early summer. plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. I've never tried that one. Much like the fictional character, it has golden hair (flowers) that spread enough to be effective in covering a certain amount of space, but the plant is not so vigorous a spreader to create a nuisance. Plant in the late spring. Its brittle, fragile stems help keep it from becoming aggressively invasive and also allow bulbs and other perennials to penetrate its foliage. Ice plant is a perennial succulent ground cover with fleshy leaves and colorful flowers. Though bugleweed's deer-resistant flower spikes can't be missed (they can grow 6 to 9 inches tall) this fast-growing perennial is a ground cover that has an aggressive creeping habit. Some hybrids offer striking, flat flower clusters that bees and butterflies can use as a landing pad. Because the leaves are scented when crushed, deer and rabbits may take one bite and then move on to something more palatable. The following could be some of the best choices, depending on your own unique landscaping needs: Their stems root where they touch the soil, allowing the plants to spread. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. A ground hugging creeper with silvered variegated foliage and some really pretty colored flowers Dead Nettles are an ideal choice for gardeners who want a tough plant with a variety of . Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to besemi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. Angelina Sedum is easy to propagate by rooting, so you can quickly fill an area with its succulent foliage. 100 Perennials for a Zone 3 Garden Send me the list! Here are four options that we've grown in various areas around the . Keep it in a shady spot, especially under trees and shrubs. Hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 8, it will be deciduous in all but the mildest climates. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Weed of the Month: Purple Deadnettle - Brooklyn Botanic Garden Read our. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It prefers moderate climates but is able to withstand full sun and drought-like conditions. Though this is considered a flowering ground cover, it's tiny white flowers are quite insignificant. They have silver foliage and produce showy pink, purple or white flowers in late spring. We recommend our users to update the browser. While it prefers full sun, it needs regular moisture, especially during hot months. Firecracker Sedum ( Sedum) Because the common name is often given as "spotted dead nettle". This vining plant, also known as dead nettles, can tolerate cold, heat, and drought, and its deer resistant. This native, weed-suppressing ground cover spreads quickly by seed and offshoots to fill challenging spaces under tall trees, along the waters edge, or in that tough strip between the street and sidewalk. Cutting the stems or pinching back to a joint will stimulate new growth for the plant. Creeping liriope plants make low-maintenance, tough, and drought-tolerant ground covers with spikey flowers and grass-like foliage. It can be excellent for covering large areas of difficult terrain, such as slopes where growing grass would be difficult or impossible. Plus, each is interesting enough to enhance your surroundings more than an ordinary carpet of grass. Both their flowers and their foliage make an impact on the landscape. Five Great Garden Ground Cover Plants - Dengarden This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. It does best in sun. A. Being creepersand having a tendency to spread, these classic cottage-garden plants are popular flowering ground covers. `Katie' ruellia is a good ground cover for sun or shade. Finely textured, semi-evergreen, bright green blades form a slowly spreading mass that tops out about six to eight inches tall. They have silver foliage and produce showy pink, purple or white flowers in late spring. With very attractive foliage and either white or pink flowers, Lamium maculatum makes an excellent ground cover plant for a shaded position. Lamium maculatum 'Orchid Frost' - Perennials Planted in groupings, it makes a lovely ground cover. Creeping Phlox. In shade, its OK if the soil dries out now and then. For example, choose Delosperma brunnthaleri, a hardy ground cover that grows around 2 inches tall and 2 feet wide with yellow flowers and ideal for zones 4 to 9. RELATED: The 15 Best Plants for Rookie Gardeners. When selecting a ground cover for shady areas, make sure to choose shade-tolerant plants that naturally thrive with minimal sunlight. Yellow archangel, also known as yellow Lamium, is very competitive and fast-growing in the forest habitats of western Washington and western British Columbia. If you are looking for a low-maintenance ground cover, sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a good pick, but only under certain conditions. Hmmm. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Water it during dry spells and give it a haircut at the end of its blossoming period. Many use the ground cover to define the borders of garden paths. Divide this plant in the spring for additional and long-living ground cover that can last for a couple of decades. RELATED: 14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden. It is an excellent choice as a perennial ground cover since it tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, although it grows most quickly in slightly moist, humus-rich soils. Once it settles in to its new home, this fern will speed up its spread and transplant easily if you find new shady places for it in your landscape. This item: Perennial Farm Marketplace Lamium m. 'Beacon Silver' (Dead Nettle) Groundcover, Size-#1 Container, Metallic Leaves and Pink Flowers $1495 Mixed Heart-Shaped Hosta Bare Roots - Rich Green Foliage, Low Maintenance, Heart Shaped Leaves - 6 Roots $1699 ($2.83/Count) Total price: $31.94 Add both to Cart Ferns come in many different colors, heights and forms. They may be plain green, but they are usually spotted or banded in silver-gray. USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7 When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. It grows to a maximum height of about 12 inches with an 18-inch spread, and it flowers with white blossoms in spring. Growing to a height of about 6 inches with a spread of 9 inches, it has waxy green leaves that should be removed as they turn brown. They thrive in or out of sunlight, and they seem to multiply on their own thanks to their rhizomatous roots. NC State University Cooperative Extension. LAY-mee-um mak-yoo-LAH-tum Description Fast growing; Spotted dead nettle is a good ground cover for moist, shady areas. Reaches 3 to 9 inches tall with a spread of 6 to 12 inches. It prefers full sun. It will happily soak up the excess moisture, especially if its a sunny spot. Susan Martin is a lifelong gardener who enjoys sharing her passion for plants, gardening and the business of horticulture with fellow plant enthusiasts across North America. This aromatic herb can be an invasive plant when grown in moist soil, where it sometimes spreads out of control. It's also used for ground cover to stop erosion because its tough roots hold soil in place. She was Features Copy Desk chief before becoming the first full-time garden editor for the paper in 1988. See more ideas about plants, shade plants, shade garden. If you are looking for a tenacious ground cover that will stare in the face of drought while living in dry, sandy soil in a shady area, either shadara's violets or yellow archangel or bishop's weed should work. Groundcovers | Bluestone Perennials Bloom time begins sooner, of course, after a mild winter, since plants do not have to regrow. Blooms late Spring to mid Summer. A native of Moultrie, Ga., she graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, formerly Queens College. When planted in full sun it usually needs extra watering, at least until the plant is well established. Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. They are tough and their easy-going adaptability to a wide variety of rocky slopes, clay, and alkaline soils keep them comfortable in the west. Kathy Huber has worked for the Houston Chronicle since May 1981. It forms a dense, 8- to 12 . Lamium - Excellent Ground Cover for Shade - Charismatic Planet Spread: Slow to medium growth rate; spreads via stolons to a height of 10 inches. Our native white wood aster (Aster divaricatus), which grows in USDA Zones 3 through 8, spreads underground and by seed to form dense colonies even in dry shade conditions. This plant is fast growing, and one plant can spread up to two feet or more within a year. See this plant in the following landscapes: Wild Side- A Shady Garden Cultivars / Varieties: 'Album' How to Care for Creeping Lamium | Home Guides | SF Gate Press Esc to cancel. She did graduate work through the University of Georgia system. Society garlic can also tolerate dry conditions. The small leaves are speckled with spots, which earns the plant its name. Named for the color and the shape of their flowers, brass buttons stand out perhaps most of all for their serrated, fern-like leaves. Botanical Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis This tall ground cover has a horizontal growing habit, give it plenty of water and afternoon shade until it is fully grown. Best Ground Covers as Grass Alternatives - Lawn Care Blog In early spring, flowers that look like fairy wings appear on this perennial. Within two to three years of planting, it forms a lush carpet of velvety, green, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground. And Beacon Silver has pink flowers and silvery leaves. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. The beauty of this easy-care perennial ground cover is that it's deer-resistant which means flowers may be trampled, but not typically eaten. 30 Perennials You'll Regret Planting in Your Zone 3 Garden Growing and Harvesting a Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus). It matures to a height of about 3 feet, and it, too, can be used as a taller ground cover. Keep in mind that smaller containers will require watering more often. Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. The spotted dead nettle plant is listed as invasive in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and is located mainly in the upper eastern states. Curious reddish brown flowers bloom in spring at ground level under the foliage. The name "Dead Nettle" refers to the fact that Lamium does not have the stinging hair characteristic of other nettles. While this glossy, strappy green is popular in the southern states, it can survive anywhere. which is great for using as a ground cover in large fields and gardens. Not picky, spotted Dead Nettles do just fine in average, well-drained soil. They dont add much ornamental value, but they do help out the pollinators. Lamb's Ear. Do spotted dead nettle attract butterflies? If you live in USDA Zones 3 through 9 and have a low spot where grass struggles because its too wet, try planting golden groundsel there instead. Creeping Raspberry is a part of the Rosaceae family. 17 Best Ground Cover Plants For Shade - Get Busy Gardening In spring, tiny white flowers add to its ethereal beauty. It also doesn't die back in the winter. Here are our top 15 ground covers for shaded areas. The only maintenance you'll need to do is remove tattered leaves damaged from a bad winter. Lamium needs shade and a fertile, moist but well-draining soil. This is a large plant with a horizontal growth habit (thus its species name). Spotted dead nettle has a wide range, but does not do well in very warm, humid locations. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.