While some have small flowers, the main focal point is the colorful foliage, which ranges from chartreuse to bronze. Read more about purple dead nettle and henbit. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. This plant thrives in wet soils, which is why planting it in dry soil and denying it water helps keep it in check. plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Otherwise, no pruning is needed, and if you're using it only for ground covering, watch that it does not grab hold of a tree bark or the siding of your house because its roots will dig in, making it hard to remove without damaging the surface. Turf lawn grasses are by far the most popular ground cover plant in residential landscapes, but some places aren't really suitable for grass growth (like arid desert yards) and some people simply prefer more diverse or unique "lawnscaping.". The silvery foliage of theseshade plantsmakes them a good fit for landscape designs with creative color schemes. 20 Ground Cover Plants to Fill out Your Garden, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Spotted dead nettles will naturalize in some areas. manure tea is a good alternative. North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. 7. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. Its off the menu for deer and rabbits, but a feast for pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Another bonus is that it is common and considered one of the cheapest ground covering plants. David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. Good For: Plant Hardiness Zones 3-10 SHOP DEAD NETTLE SEEDS skymoon13 // Getty Images Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 10 Creeping Phlox Basket of Gold also goes by the name yellow alyssum, another reference to its adorable clusters of bright yellow flowers. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. It grows in little clumps, likes moist soil, and prefers full to part sun. A tall border, such as a retaining wall or large rocks, will do a good job containing growth without the need to prune. Dig out rhizomes to keep in bounds. Susan has received visitors from around the world in her home garden which has been featured in numerous gardening publications. Lamium is in the mint family (Lamiaceae), which provides a hint as to its toughness. Planted in groupings, which spread rapidly, they make an elegant groundcover for moist, shady areas. They save their energy for the surprisingly large flowers, white on desert zinnia and yellow on prairie zinnia. It matures to a maximum height of only 6 inches, so many gardeners choose to plant creeping phlox on a slope or along the top of a retaining wall to appreciate its beauty from several angles. The dainty lavender flowers and vining evergreen leaves make this purple ground cover incredibly popular as a low maintenance ground cover for shade. In spring, tiny white flowers add to its ethereal beauty. This vining plant, also known as dead nettles, can tolerate cold, heat, and drought, and its deer resistant. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Ajuga spreads rapidly in varying conditions, tolerating shade or sun. Select Delosperma floribundum'Starburst', a mat-forming cultivar with pink flowers and white centers for zones 6 to 8. Lamium is one of the best choices for a tough yet showy perennial groundcover. The leaves, bulblets and bulbs of the nodding onion plant are edible with a strong onion flavor, but its more common to grow Allium cernuum for its easily identifiable flowers. The opposite leaves are silvery green with large silver blotches on the upper surface, lightening up a dark shady area. It needs full sun to survive. It can cover large areas if you let it, so take care to find a place where its spreading tendency will be welcomed. If you have bare acreage behind your home that does not lead to another property, Chinese lantern can be a great ground cover and filler. In fact, this short, squat plant is often seen dotting hillsides or banks. Choose native common yarrow. Q. This plant forms a ground-hugging mat topped with wispy white flowers that flutter atop 15-inch-tall stems in late spring to early summer. If those conditions describe your landscape, then you may want to check out this wonderful little relative of the dogwood trees. While this super spreader is a great ground cover to prevent weeds, if you want your vinca minor to play nice with other plantings, youll need to cut it back on a regular basis. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch. One way to cut back on the energy and resources you put into your yard is to incorporate ground covers into the landscape. Lamium Excellent Ground Cover for Shade. Its brittle, fragile stems help keep it from becoming aggressively invasive and also allow bulbs and other perennials to penetrate its foliage. Some hybrids offer striking, flat flower clusters that bees and butterflies can use as a landing pad. And, of course, you can snip off the leaves for cooking. Plant it in full sun during the spring in cooler climates and in shadier areas during the fall in warmer regions. 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 25 low-maintenance ground cover plants in this list are vigorous (some more than others) but manageable, so they will fill in empty spaces without growing out-of-control. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. Replant them in a suitable location, and water. If you've seen the lavender fields in Provence, you know this sweetly-scented perennial with purple or blue flowers looks amazing planted en masse. Its a native to wooded areas and stream banks of the Appalachian Mountains, and easy to control. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Note: This plant is considered invasive across much of the northeast, some areas of the northern Midwest, and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Pruning it back can help keep rambunctious runners under control or set your mower to high and shear it back after it flowers in the summer. It grows low to the ground, making it a good alternative to grass in just about any climate. She is married to photographer John Everett and they have one son. This tuberous perennial has long, thin, chive-like foliage you can enjoy in the kitchen; the greenery is topped by tiny purple flowers in the summer, and its also available in a variegated type. Physalis. Most of my dl have been in the ground at least 6 months, so I'm guessing they are well established enough for a ground cover. And lasting from late spring to midsummer, and can be reddish-purple, pink, or white depending on the variety. Select either a shady or half shady location when growing Lamium maculatum. Hortster. Perfect for plantings under perennials or shrubs and as a groundcover or edging plant. Yet, it quickly covers the ground and produces clusters of white flowers. It is, therefore, a sterile plant that will not come true from seeds. It will happily soak up the excess moisture, especially if its a sunny spot. It does spread under the right conditions, but it is fairly easy to pull it out and keep it from taking over areas where it does not belong. Get daily tips & tricks to help make your best home, Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles. Stinging nettles also grow quite tall. It needs full sun to bloom best. Most perennial ground coverings fall into these categories. Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. An evergreen perennial native to North America, heuchera is known for its vibrant foliage, which ranges in color from silver to green to brown. Home Outdoors Yard & Garden Structures Planters. 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. Spotted dead nettles are valued as perennial ground covers for the shade that will spread and fill in a patch of ground that might otherwise remain bare (except for weeds). The foliage is evergreen and the 3-inch-high plant trails or spreads, favoring gravel and other sunny, dry conditions in zones 5 through 9. Growing and Harvesting a Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus). The leaves are fairly small, about one inch in diameter. The 'Six Hills Giant' cultivar is a good choice for covering large areas. They dont add much ornamental value, but they do help out the pollinators. Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. Care requirements for creeping phlox are few. Album has white flowers and white marked leaves. We recommend our users to update the browser. There are also several cultivars (all cold-hardy to at least zone 4, most 3 to 12 inches tall, and all wanting the sun/soil conditions of the species plant) of L.maculatum, including: While dead nettle plants areflowering perennials,stinging nettles, by contrast,arenoxious weeds(but edible when properly prepared). Spotted deadnettle. But they are not grasses, and are instead herbaceous floweringperennial plantsin the asparagus family. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. In mid-summer, however, they're dotted with beautiful purple-pink flowers. See this plant in the following landscapes: Wild Side- A Shady Garden Cultivars / Varieties: 'Album' However, keep it away from turf grass to avoid damage. Here in North American home gardens, it serves as a six- to 10-inch tall, slowly spreading ground cover for part shade to full shade. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Principal fired for reading 'I Need a New Butt!' Lamium will grow under tree canopies and fill in around taller perennials, tolerating some dryness from the roots of other plants, but it grows better with irrigation. Interrupted fern, like bunchberry and liverleaf, is a North American native that can serve as a low-maintenance ground cover for shade. While it prefers full sun, it needs regular moisture, especially during hot months. Yarrow can grow in full sun in nearly any soil and can tolerate drought once established. This easy-care ground cover provides colors of purple, white pink and shades of light red. Here are four options that we've grown in various areas around the . Mow it down once in late winter and watch the fresh green growth fill right back in. You can plant this drought-tolerant, low-maintenance ground cover at the edge of a rock garden or other space and more or less forget about it (except for occasional watering) during the summertime. It spreads rapidly by above-ground runners and is hardy to Zone 4. Try to plant it in large groupings on a hillside or along the house's foundation to prevent erosion. The attractive foliage has a silvery cast and shows well . Plant in the late spring. Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more. It's also toxic to humans and pets. Known as Lamium maculatum, this perennial plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and boasts a lengthy bloom time: from mid-spring to early summer. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. It does best in sun. One of the best fast-growing ground cover plants for full sun is flowering candytuft. Another method of control some gardeners use is placing saucers of stale beer among their plants, with the lip of the container at ground level. When several are planted together, they form a dense hedge that thrives in almost any type of soil and full sun. This is a lush trailing ground cover with. Creeping phlox is the quintessential ground cover plant. `Katie' ruellia has a taller cousin commonly called Mexican petunia. Mature plants that have gotten "leggy" should be cut down to just above the ground, which then will grow back into a bushy, compact plant. But its attractive variegated foliage spreads out to two or three times its height. It spreads by seed, but not aggressively, making its way around the garden in light shade to full shade conditions in USDA Zones 3 through 8. There may be restrictions on planting it in these areas. If you prefer a small hosta, opt for 'Blue Mouse Ears' that grows 6 to 12 inches high with round, heart-shaped blue-green leaves. Low-growing varieties of sedum make easy-to-care-for ground covers, especially since its fleshy leaves retain enough water to survive dry spells. You might not think of oregano as a ground cover, but this herb forms dense clumps of scented foliage. When planted in full sun it usually needs extra watering, at least until the plant is well established. It grows to a maximum height of about 12 inches with an 18-inch spread, and it flowers with white blossoms in spring. Alyssum is an annual ground cover that grows very well from direct sow seeding once temperatures have reached 65 to 70 degrees. 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. This easy-care, mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. Are rabbits attracted to spotted dead nettle? The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Eventually, they will form a mat. Check out these favorite ground covers that will require little effort on your part once you plant them. The soft moss-like foliage of this plant forms a dense mat underfoot. And beware that it is considered invasive in some areas of the Northeast and Northwest. In the right climate, brass buttons remain an evergreen ground cover year round. There are more native species of sedge than any other plant in North America, and many make fine ground covers for shade. However, the more sunshine that you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil. Good news. Plant ivy in the spring and you won't need to maintain it at all. To plant creeping juniper on a grassy slope, get rid of the grass, then lay down landscape fabric along the slope. 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. In addition to white flowers, you can find colors like moonshine yellow, paprika, or vintage violet. Many are perennials, some are annuals, and some make good ground covers, though they can be overly aggressive in favorable locations. Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. A popular climbing vine, English ivy will creep along to cover the ground if you let it, and thrives in the shade. It got its name from the way its red stems spread like strawberry plants do, and how its rounded, dark green leaves with white veins and maroon undersides resemble a begonia. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil. 16 inches apart for coverage in two seasons. Noteworthy Characteristics Attractive foliage makes a good groundcover. Check your plants regularly and if slugs or snails are present, handpick and dispose of them as they appear. It does best in cooler summer weather and prefers full sun to part shade. Lamium needs shade and a fertile, moist but well-draining soil. Providing extra spacing between plants can lessen leaf-spotting, but this somewhat defeats the purpose of growing spotted dead nettles, as one of their best features is that they spread and fill in an area, thereby crowding out weeds. The low-lying, flowering ground coverit grows no more than 4 inches tallcan endure being stepped and stomped on, making it a smart choice for planting between pavers or for replacing grass. In fact, beware of this potentially invasive ground cover, especially if you live near a forest. #9. The horizontally-spreading branches of creeping junipers make a dense mat that weeds cant penetrate. Planted in groupings, it makes a lovely ground cover. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Read our, Amethyst in Snow (Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow'), 31 Best-Deer Resistant Flowers and Plants to Grow, 10 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs for Landscaping, 18 Perennial Flowers That Bloom in Spring, Summer and Fall, 35 Types of Orange Flowers: Identification & Photos, 15 Best Plants for Drought-Tolerant Gardens, Angelina Sedum (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'), Rock Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis), Chinese lantern is also considered invasive. With society garlic, you can have your ground cover and eat it too! The promise is that Lamiums are fast-growing perennial ground cover or container plants that brighten partly sunny spots and produce charming flowers. Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to besemi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. Creeping Raspberry is a part of the Rosaceae family. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Lamium groundcovers are the right choice for High Mountain, shady gardens. But beware: This hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. While many shrubs give you flowers, the prettiest thing aboutCotoneaster horizontalis is its colorful, red berries. 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. In zones 6 through 8, it remains evergreen most of the year. Copyright 2023 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

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