Groundcover plants are a fantastic choice for low-maintenance gardens. As well as covering bare soil and suppressing weeds, many grow in difficult situations like dry shade, and they often have beautiful flowers or attractive foliage too. We’ve put together a list of our top 10 groundcover plants.
Top 10 plants for ground cover
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Geranium macrorrhizum is an evergreen hardy geranium with aromatic foliage and clusters of pink or white flowers in late spring. It’s tough and reliable, grows well in dry shade, and in autumn, the leaves take on red tinges, adding extra interest.
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Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle) is also good for dry shade. Less invasive than its cousin Vinca major (greater periwinkle), this evergreen perennial is good for spots where little else will grow, producing purple flowers from mid-spring to autumn. Cut it back in spring to keep it under control.
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Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge) produces rosettes of lush green leaves with serrated edges that form a dense mat of foliage, excellent for suppressing weeds. It grows well in shade.
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Epimediums (barrenwort) form mounds of heart-shaped leaves, with sprays of small flowers in early spring. They’re best in shade and cope well even with dry shade. Cut back the old foliage in late winter to make it easier to see the delicate flowers – this also promotes a flush of fresh new foliage for spring.
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Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ is a low, spreading semi-evergreen shrub with grey-green leaves edged in cream. It’s very tough, will grow in sun or light shade and is a great choice for low-maintenance gardens, needing just an annual trim with the shears to keep it neat. The leaves become pink-tinged in winter and may drop in very cold spells.
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Hebe pinguifolia ‘Pagei’ is an evergreen shrub that forms a low, spreading mound, with small grey-green leaves and occasional spires of white flowers. It’s happy in sun or part shade, and ideal for coastal gardens.
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Campanula carpatica (tussock bellflower) is a beautiful flowering perennial with violet or white bell-shaped flowers all through summer, especially if regularly deadheaded. It does best in full sun.
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Thymus serpyllum is one of several species of thyme known as creeping thyme for their low, spreading habit. It’s ideal for hot, sunny sites with well-drained soil, where it forms a mat of aromatic evergreen foliage covered in clusters of tiny pink flowers in spring.
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Sedum cauticola (stonecrop) is a low-growing succulent with small, fleshy leaves. it makes excellent ground cover for hot sunny spots with well-drained soil, and bees love the nectar-rich pink flowers that appear in late summer.
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Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican fleabane) is a semi-evergreen perennial that flowers literally for months, producing a plethora of small white daisy-like flowers over mounds of green foliage. It grows well in the sun, and is very low-maintenance – just cut back to new growth in spring.
If your beds have bare patches that need covering, come in to Fernhill and see our wide range of ground cover plants. We’re sure you’ll find what you’re looking for!
