Does your Perennial Garden sometimes seem to you to be a dry and barren land, void of the interesting things that you see in other’s gardens? As you aspire to fill in the bare spots in your perennial landscape, or until you can invest in your next flowering shrub or perennial bulb or plant, I want you to consider the versatile perennial –Ground cover.
Ground cover comes in many forms. I have seen shady lawns intentionally filled with moss which keeps the maintenance of the lawn to a minimal, not much mowing involved. Moss is a perennial in itself. In the same way, you can fill in the voids in your perennial garden and landscape with what we in the business call Ground Cover.
I am going to highlight in this article, six of my favorites that bring such grace and elegance into my own perennial landscape. Ground cover serves two purposes for me in the garden, visual attractiveness and weed control.
There are a few reasons that I have chosen the Ground Covers that I am showcasing in this article. One is because of the ease of transplanting. You can basically lay a bareroot piece of the ground cover on the soil’s surface where you want it to take off, cover the roots, and watch it grow. Not much digging involved, which the L4 disc in my lower back really appreciates. They are fairly tall in the landscape, and therefore, camouflage some of the perennials I contain in pots and garden containers. They are very easy to share with other gardeners and to propagate to expand your own garden. This is especially wonderful and useful for low budget gardeners.
SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN (Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’)
Snow on the Mountain is a rapid growing ground cover with variegated foliage of soft light green and creamy white. It will display dainty white flowers in summer. It is also known by the name of Bishop’s Weed or Goutweed. Aegopodium will rapidly fill space under trees or on slopes where nothing else will grow. It quickly forms a dense weed-proof carpet, even under challenging conditions. It thrives in part shade to full shade and is very versatile in the perennial garden. I have it successfully planted under some shady Cedar Trees where nothing else wants to grow. It grows in USDA hardiness zones 3-9 and is considered a perennial ground cover. It has a spreading habit and grows to 8 to 10 inches in height and 1.5 to 2 feet wide at maturity. It is deer resistant and is extremely attractive when used as a ground cover in the mixed shade border.
VARIEGATED YELLOW ARCHANGEL (Lamieasrum galeobdolon)
Yellow Archangel is an herbaceous perennial ground cover in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is hardy in USDA hardiness zone 4-9 and resembles very similarly deadnettle’s elliptical to triangular coarsely toothed edged leaves. The Yellow Archangel is semi-evergreen, retaining their leaves through mild winters but dying back to the ground in cold climates in the winter and reemerging in early spring. This creeping plant spreads by rooting at the nodes, from stem and root fragments, and by seed, thus making it a noxious weed in some areas of the Pacific Northwest where it has escaped cultivation and invaded forested areas.
Yellow Archangel if easily grown in most conditions from part sun to full shade in many types of soil. Although it prefers moist soil and growth will be more dense under these conditions, it tolerates drought and dry sites. It can be used, in trailing form, in hanging baskets or to make a dense ground cover that out competes weeds. It combines well with other shade loving perennials including ferns, bleeding heart (Dicentra spp.), wild and European ginger (Asarum canadense and A. Europeaum) and hostas, especially the larger blue leaved variety making a strikingly beautiful contrast in the perennial landscape. The Yellow Archangel can be propagated at any time during the growing season by division of crowns or from rooted stem cuttings.
CHAMELEON PLANT (houttuynia cordata)
The Chameleon plant, also known as the Rainbow plant, is a ground cover in the Saururaceae family native to southeast Asia. With a creeping habit, it spreads quickly by rhizomes and continuously spread along the ground as it grows. While it is very shade to full sun tolerant, it does not tolerate drought conditions well, preferring moist soil to shallow standing water, which is excellent if you have a very wet area in your perennial garden. This plant can become problematic to remove once established so exercise caution when selecting this plant in your landscape by putting it in a 1-2 gallon container in the ground, or an area bounded by sidewalk or driveway to contain it, which will keep it’s rhizomes from spreading underground.
It’s heart shaped variegated leaf and fragrant white flowers make a beautiful ground cover in areas of your perennial garden you are trying to prevent weeds, as the Chameleon will out-compete most weeds. The leaves vary in color, from solid green to variegated dark green and pale yellow, to pink trimmed green foliage, to green with deep red vane-ing, depending on the sun exposure, making a splash of white, pink, yellow and red which draws the eye in, where evergreens, or non-bloomers, may not add drama to your perennial landscape. It is versatile and can be grown indoors as a potted house plant. It is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and will grow 1 foot tall and 18″ wide at maturity.
MONKEY GRASS (Liriope)
MONKEY GRASS is a low-growing, easy-care evergreen grass like plant that is perfect for ground cover. Also called lilyturf, monkey grass is easy to plant, survives drought, and is useful to decorate the perennial garden landscape. Monkey grass grows in full sun to complete shade, grows in a variety of soil conditions and requires little maintenance. It spreads underground through rhizomes and with many types of monkey grass to choose from, this plant makes an excellent choice for ground cover due to its versatility.
Monkey grass grows between 10″-15″ tall in clumps 12-18 inches wide and is a perennial in the Asparagus family (Asparagaceae). It is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4-10. It’s 1-3″ flowers form spike like clusters of purple, pale violet, to off-white on an elongated stem in summer and fall, making it a great choice in a less dramatic, non-blooming evergreen bed, causing drama and flare to draw the eye into the landscape. It is drought and highly salt-tolerant.
CREEPING JENNY (Lysimachia nummularia)
CREEPING JENNY is a species of perennial in the primrose family (Primulaceae). It is an herbaceous, semi-evergreen perennial that is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3-8. Considered to be an ornamental ground cover, Creeping Jenny will steal the show in your perennial garden. She is so versatile as a ground cover, but also provides drama in rock walls, hanging baskets, and containers as she “spills over” the sides. The Latin species name means “like a coin” and is attributed to the round flat coin-shape of its leaves. Lysimachia nummularia primarily spreads vegetatively, it can also spread by seeds dispersed through water. She is not known for flower but may produce small yellow cup shaped flowers at the leaf axils. In my opinion, it is her chartreuse orbicular shaped leaf that makes her most attractive. Creeping Jenny stands approximately one inch tall and spreads 12-18 inches.
Creeping Jenny is so easy to propagate, and I have shared many many times with friends and neighbors her beautiful greenery in perennial and cottage gardens. And I never miss where she was placed by them, because she is definitely a showstopper amongst any planting. One of my favorite ground cover choices.
WILD GINGER (Asarum spp.)
WILD GINGER is a heart shaped dense root perennial whose roots work together to form a solid ground cover in the shade. There are currently 60-70 species of woodland perennials in the genus Asarum. Their leaves vary considerably in texture, colors of green, and patterning. They all need rich organic soil with plenty of moisture to thrive. Under very favorable conditions they can spread quickly and vigorously, however, most spread slowly to form dense colonies once established. Most varieties can grow 3- 8 inches tall and are hardy in zones 4-8. Wild Ginger can be divided by cutting the thick rhizomes which grow very close to the soil surface. The best time to propagate is early Spring but the tough plants can be moved at other times of the year, although this will slow establishment. Preferring shade to mostly shade, as a ground cover, Wild Ginger typically spreads slowly and is not as aggressive as other ground covers mentioned in this article. It is considered evergreen and the roots are fragrant like the smell of ginger root.
This wild ginger has been in my garden for a great number of years, being polite and staying within its boundaries, not too aggressive, but striking all the same.
In closing, I enjoy the ground covers that I have gathered over the years and planted in my perennial gardens. They are nice to look at and serve the great service of weed control, and for that I am thankful.
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