Our property is about ¾ of an acre in size. The back of our property has a slightly slopped hill that has always been a landscaping problem. Over the years we have tried several groundcovers to manage this hill and other areas on our property. In this article, I’ll discuss six groundcovers to consider in your landscape.
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
What is a groundcover?
Groundcovers are low-growing plants meant to cover a particular area of your landscape. The most common form of groundcover is grass or your lawn. However, in the context of this article, we will not be including grass. A few characteristics of groundcovers include:
- They are not meant to be walked on
- Tend to grow vigorously and are hardy
- Are easy to propagate
- Require less maintenance than lawns
- Certain groundcovers can become invasive
Where to use groundcovers?
In our landscape, we use groundcovers in a couple of areas. First, we use groundcover on the slightly sloping hill in our backyard. This is a mostly shady area and there are large pine trees at the top of the hill. Second, we use ground covers in two large bedding areas. One area along the front walkway. A second area within an island in our backyard. Third, we use groundcover in a few areas where we don’t want to be bothered with planting other plants. In general, common uses include:
- Sloping areas to control erosion and where grass is difficult to grow
- Under trees and shrubs where it is shady
- As trailing plants in containers
- Personal preference
How to care for groundcover
It takes a few years for groundcovers to begin their vigorous spreading process. The biggest lesson we have learned is regarding weeds. It’s important that you prepare your site by eliminating weeds prior to planting groundcovers. A two-inch layer of mulch will help control the regrowth of weeds. There is nothing more frustrating than weeding within a groundcover.
Like any plant, certain groundcovers do better in sun and others do better in shade. Understand the light characteristics of the area where you plan to plant groundcover and match that against the requirements of the specific groundcover you chose.
Any plant, including groundcovers, will do better in an area where the soil is amended with organic matter. Compost or manures are popular organic matter amendments. In addition, it’s recommended to apply a complete fertilizer with a higher nitrogen component (12-4-8) at planting time. Fertilize in spring and fall for the first two years. Complete fertilizers are denoted by three numbers on the label, such as 12-4-8. These numbers are referred to as the NKP or nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium percentages contained within the fertilizer.
Plant groundcovers any time of year; however, fall is usually the best time. Fall takes advantage of cooler temperatures and natural rainfall. If planting during the summer, water frequently. Once groundcover is established, supplemental watering is usually not necessary unless there are drought-like conditions.
1. Pachysandra terminalis
When I think about groundcovers, pachysandra always comes to mind. It is the groundcover that has been in our landscape the longest. In addition, it has performed the best. It’s commonly referred to as Japanese Pachysandra and is an herbaceous perennial. It spreads via underground roots called rhizomes. It can take 2-3 years to establish.
Gardening zones 5-9
Family Buxaceae
Light requirements Part shade to full sun
Height 6-12 inches
Flowers Tiny white flowers
Bloom Time April
Watering Moderate
Plant spacing 8-12 inches apart
Maintenance Low
Plant pachysandra along walkways or under shrubs. Plant in mass on a slope. In our landscape, we have pachysandra along our front walkway and in a large garden bed in our backyard. Pachysandra did not perform well on the slope in our backyard. The slope has heavy clay soil with lots of rocks and the pachysandra had a hard time spreading.
2. Lysimachia nummularia ‘Goldilocks’ (Creeping Jenny)
The common name for Lysimachia nummularia is creeping jenny. I love creeping jenny’s lovely lime green leaves. Initially, creeping jenny started out as a ‘trailing plant’ in two of my summer container gardens. I bought two small 4” containers of creeping jenny and used one plant in each of my two containers. As creeping jenny grew, it touched the ground and I noticed that it began growing along the ground. At the end of the summer, I decided to plant the creeping jenny plants from both containers in the front of my vegetable garden (see picture above). It took off creeping from there.
Gardening zones 3-9
Family Lysimachia
Light requirements Full sun
Height 1-4 inches
Flowers Yellow flowers
Bloom Time June to July
Watering Moderate to wet
Maintenance Medium
Creeping Jenny spreads by its stems. Plants will take root where a leaf node growing along the stem touches the ground. It is considered invasive in some parts of the United States. Creeping Jenny does best where it can be left to roam and spread. In addition, it’s good to use in hanging baskets or containers. However, I notice that weeds can easily grow under the creeping jenny. Therefore, it’s important to prepare the bed by removing weeds and mulching prior to planting.
3. Vinca minor ‘Argenteovariegata’
Vinca minor is commonly used as a trailing plant in hanging baskets and containers. That is certainly the case for how I use vinca minor. However, one spring vinca minor was growing in a few of our flower beds. We decided to leave it alone because it looked nice. Each year it has come back and continues to spread. It now resides on the slope in our backyard. Surprisingly, it is doing very well on the slope.
Gardening zones 4-8
Family Apocynaceae
Light requirements Full sun to part shade (will tolerate full shade)
Height 4-6 inches
Flowers Violet Blue
Bloom Time May to June
Watering Dry to medium
Maintenance Low
The variety Argenteovariegata has green leaves with white borders and is sometimes called variegated vinca minor. It forms a mat as its stems grow along the ground. Plants will take root where a leaf node growing along the stem touches the ground. It’s a good groundcover for shady areas and on slopes. Watch this groundcover so that it doesn’t take over too much area.
4. Stachys byzantine (Lambs Ear)
Years ago, a friend gave me two Lambs Ear plants. The first thing we did was plant the Lambs Ear on the sloping hill in our backyard. Well, it did not do well in that space (shady, heavy clay soil). Two years ago, we transplanted the plants to a new bed along the side of our garage. The new bed receives full bright sun in the afternoon. In addition, we amended the soil with composted cow manure and peat moss. Thus, it’s absolutely thriving in its new location.
Gardening zones 4-8
Family Lamiaceae
Light requirements Full sun
Height 8-18 inches
Flowers Purple/pink flowers
Bloom Time May to July
Watering Dry to medium
Maintenance Low
Lambs Ear is one of those plants that grew on me. I did not love it at first. However, the soft, velvety, silver/blue fuzzy leaves are beautiful. While I’m not crazy about the flow spikes that appear each year, they do add some interest to the garden. Lambs Ear spreads by creeping stems that root as they grow along the ground. It can be effectively grown as a border or in a small area. Depending upon how Lambs Ear is used, it may need trimming each year.
5. Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed)
A landscape designer recommended we try Ajuga on the slope in our backyard. First, we learned there are many varieties of Ajuga. The variety we chose is Chocolate Chip Ajuga. The Ajuga is growing slowly. Each plant has only spread about twelve inches after two years. We continue to monitor and see how it progresses.
Gardening zones 4-9
Family Lamiaceae
Light requirements Full sun to part shade
Height 4 inches
Flowers Blue
Bloom Time May to June
Watering Medium
Maintenance Low
Ajuga forms a mat as its stems grow along the ground and spread 8-10 inches. It spreads by creeping stems that root as they grow along the ground. It is effective at preventing weed growth. You can use it to fill in large shady areas where grass is difficult to grow.
6. Thymus citriodorus (Golden Variegated Lemon Thyme)
In our garden, we have two varieties of thyme growing. In the vegetable garden, thyme is growing as an herb. We frequently use this thyme in recipes we prepare. Second, we have variegated lemon thyme growing. This variety is used as a groundcover, With its tiny variegtaed leaves it is beautiful. This variety is planted along and in between slate pathway stones. Very pretty.
Gardening zones 5-8
Family Lamiaceae
Light requirements Full sun to part shade
Height 6-12 inches
Flowers Pale Lilac
Bloom Time July
Watering Dry to medium
Maintenance Low
Variegated Lemon Thyme is a great groundcover because it tolerates drought and poor soil conditions. It has woody stems that may need to be trimmed once a year to remove old woody growth. This variety of thyme can also be used in culinary recipes and its leaves have a heavy lemon scent.
Additional Information
Here is a list of posts that you may also find interesting to read.
- 6 easy steps to divide Siberian Iris
- Brilliant Method to create new garden beds: Lasagna Gardening
- Profusion Zinnias: An awesome flower to grow
- The Importance of Native Plants
- Are volunteer plants a bonus or nuisance in the garden
- How to use perlite vs vermiculite in the garden
- Flowers in the vegetable garden, 7 that provide beneficial effects
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