English ivy (zones 4 to 9) was a popular evergreen ground cover for shade in the U.S. for a long time. Your friends may mean well, but the reason they have extras to give away is that these plants are such rampant growers. This list of the best evergreen ground covers includes a variety of options for gardeners, from perennials all the way up to shrubs. These are not the only troublesome ground covers, but they are some of the most popularly sold and grown. Invasive Species Removal Description •English ivy (Hedera helix) is a non-native invasive evergreen climbing vine that covers and kills trees. The candytufts are also drought-tolerant subshrubs that flower best in full sun. Although an attractive plant, you may not want an entire yard of it. As with English ivy, the variegated cultivars tend to be less invasive; Burgundy Glow is one. If the tree is surrounded by a mat of ivy on the ground, you'll need to remove the ivy from the ground and control its growth so that it won't climb back up the tree. It also creates lovely displays of yellow flowers in spring. The formation of flower buds on Helleborus orientalis (zones 4 to 9) is a sure sign of spring. Read about the best flowering ground covers for your unique property, here on Gardener’s Path. Removing a donut-shaped mat of ivy from around the base of the tree is sometimes referred to as a "lifesaver" cut. We certainly don’t need to invite trouble into our gardens. Any remaining root will simply form a new plant and continue spreading. 2. This drought-tolerant plant is a perennial for full sun. The spot is mostly shady but in summer can get late afternoon to evening sun in spots. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. They're evergreen in the South, semi-evergreen in the North. Those leaves can be either evergreen or semi-evergreen, depending on conditions. But there are many other instances where the species makes itself too at home. Both Vinca and Pachysandra are deer-resistant and well-suited to xeriscaping in the shade. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. They are looking for instant impact and fool themselves into thinking they will stay on top of keeping it in check. has yellow flowers that only open during the day. It even grows well in shady sites, where you need splotches of white to brighten things up. Yet very often gardeners will plant a fast-spreading ground cover without really giving thought to what it will do in the future. Ground cover plants offer a low-maintenance alternative to the carpets of lawn to which we have become accustomed. You don’t often see these for sale in garden centers, but they do still get passed along from gardener to gardener, especially the seeds. Left on their own, they will take over. I know I do not want vinca, English Ivy, or other hard to maintain types. Ground covers are low-growing plants that spread quickly to form a dense cover. An easy-to-care for ground cover, there are a few varieties of thyme to consider. For the best display, grow masses of the plants on a hillside, where they will double as erosion-control plants. Check the list of introduced, invasive, and noxious plants for your state, before you let one of these plants ​on the loose. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. Bishop’s weed also goes by the name goutweed (a mishmash of goat weed—goats will eat it) or Snow on the Mountain. Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) This plant hugs the ground and is evergreen in our area. About Ivy Screens (Hedera helix)Hedera helix Ivy screens (a non-invasive variety) are an innovative screening solution that mean you can enjoy the security of a long lasting fence with the aesthetic and environmental benefits of a hedge. It’s true that these ubiquitous landscape plants make excellent evergreen groundcovers, … The formation of flower buds on Helleborus orientalis (zones 4 to 9) is a sure sign of … The species plant, Ajuga reptans (zones 3 to 10), is another invasive plant, so be sure to explore cultivar options here. One of the most widely grown is Autumn Joy. Lenten Rose. Not only are they low-maintenance shrubs, but they also can save you work by holding back the soil on erosion-prone hillsides, thanks to their sturdy root systems. While the following 7 plants are often sold in garden centers, they are true garden thugs. Although it's more often seen with blue flowers, the Alba cultivar of Vinca minor offers white blooms. There are places, like hillsides, where mat-forming plants are welcome. It may take a while, but eventually, they give up. Some types of creeping thyme (zones 5 to 8) are evergreen. While many gardeners who have succumbed to its charms, few would recommend it to others. These bushes become 2 feet tall x 4 feet wide; they're slow growers. They add beauty to the landscape and at the same time help prevent soil erosion. January 7, 2018 3:58 pm. If you can smother it, as described above with bugleweed, or use another technique to deal with plant thugs, you should have success killing it eventually. This fall I decided to pull up all the English ivy (Hedera helix) in my yard, something I’d been meaning to do for 20 years.I was pushed into action by hordes of Asian tiger mosquitoes (they hide in it) but there were other reasons, too, and I thought I’d post the complete list in case others might be on the fence about this invasive, destructive, non-native weed. Pachysandra terminalis (zones 4 to 8) is a classic broadleaf evergreen ground cover for shade and also tolerates dry shade. Many have attractive foliage, as well as blue flowers. This shade lover needs an average amount of water. Aureum has white leaves with golden margins; flowers are pink. For example, some have: Hedera helix Glacier, for example, is a cultivar with variegated leaves. Ajuga "Chocolate Chip" has gotten good reviews for being attractive, yet slow growing and fairly well behaved. Hedera, which we commonly refer to as English Ivy (pl. Unfortunately, it's invasive in some areas, so check around locally before buying it to avoid making a common landscaping mistake. Do you have a slope that’s hard to mow? Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. As it spreads, its roots from a dense mat, smothering out any nearby plants. Such plants are usually evergreens or have densely twiggy growth. For example, some evergreen ground covers like full sun and are suited to xeriscaping, while others will tolerate shade or want more water. While it has not been designated as invasive everywhere, it is still widely known to damage the buildings and trees it climbs on and clings to. Other species of Teucrium make excellent topiary plants. Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) is an excellent groundcover for shade. Both Autumn Joy and Chocolate Drop are upright plants; if you want a trailing plant to use as a ground cover, grow Angelina sedum. In full-sun, dry areas, Phlox subulata forms a thick, pretty carpet that keeps weeds at bay. To do so, suit … Then gardeners began to catch on to the fact that this woody vine is invasive in many areas (ask your county extension to check if your area is one of them). There’s no denying that the variegated form of Bishop’s Weed is an attractive plant. But you should not plant bugleweed anywhere near your lawn or garden beds. When planted in groups, heuchera works well as a ground cover or along garden edging. Although it looks delicate, phlox is extremely rugged, and it grows easily in shaded and full-sun areas. Always match a plant's growing needs to its location when selecting plants. In early summer it … A word of warning: these plants are popular pass along plants. GreenStrides: Great Native Ground Covers. No border, no matter how deep, is going to keep them in check and mowing just makes them shorter; they do not disappear. The Thymus citriodorus Archer's Gold cultivar is one. Many of the new types of English ivy can be grouped by how the leaf differs from the species plant. Various cultivars offer different features; for example: There are a number of plants in the Sedum genus, a group of plants considered "succulents." If you don’t want to be ripping them out for years to come, resist planting them in the first place. The plants can't photosynthesize, they aren’t getting much water, and they are over-heated. Where it is invasive, like in the Pacific Northwest, it will wipe out pretty much anything in its path, covering small trees, shrubs, and assorted vegetation, blocking sunlight and weakening them until it is the only thing left. I need a good low growing, low maintainance, non vining ground cover to plant under a circle of red tipped photinias in my back yard. But remember, the flip side of the coin for so-called “invasive plants” is that they are vigorous growers, meaning that they tend to be successful at filling in an area. While the odd topiary or trailing vine in a container is fine, use caution if you need to dispose of plants at the end of the season. Updated October 17, 2020. •As a ground cover, this ivy chokes out other plants, creating an “ivy desert” where nothing else can grow. Ivies), is a family of around 20 species of evergreen perennial plants. Its leaves are needle-like, but it's valued much more for its flowers, which form a thick mat of color. Here's how to do it: Doone Valley grows to 5cm in height, has a feint lemon scent and features green and gold leaves with a purple flower. The bush displays some resistance to drought once established. Plants will spread over time. Ground covers definitely have their place in the landscape, but they need room to roam. There are some promising new varieties with dark purple leaves, like Ajuga "Atropurpurea", bronze leave varieties, like "Gaiety", and some edged with white, such as "Silver Beauty". Creeping phlox is a classic perennial ground cover that's hardy in Zones 3-9. With Teucrium chamaedrys (zones 5 to 9), we transition from perennials to subshrubs (plants with woody stems). Whereas Vinca has both nice leaves and pretty flowers, Pachysandra is just a foliage plant. However, because of its self-sowing habit, you will find clusters of evening primrose popping up throughout your garden and yard. They cover the ground densely, keeping any other plants from gaining a foothold. Cotoneasters are popular garden shrubs and come in a range of forms and varieties. Juniperus horizontalis is classified as a shrub. Above: Native honeysuckles are not considered to be invasive like the Asiatic varieties. The one place English ivy is safe is as a houseplant, in a container. Hedera helix (English ivy) English ivy is a vigorous growing vine that impacts all levels of disturbed … They prevent erosion and don’t need mowing or maintenance. For many years the quintessential American shade ground cover was ivy (Hedera helix and cvs.). First things first: Protect yourself and your plants. The bicolored pattern can be thought of as an inside-out version of the more popular Euonymus fortunei Emerald 'n' Gold (where the green is in the middle of the leaf and the brighter color on the edge). Native Ground Covers, Vines, and Herbaceous Perennials for Riparian Buffers in Northern New Jersey Watersheds. The Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a low-growing, low-maintenance sun-loving ground cover plant that produces stunning flowers every year.This hardy tiny plant has tall long creeping stems that provide good evergreen cover in your garden. Euonymus fortunei Moonshadow is a broadleaf evergreen shrub for zones 5 to 8. It can take over disturbed areas and is considered weedy in urban gardens and turf lawns. If you’ve already planted Bishop’s weed and regret it, your best chance of eradicating it is to exhaust it. Actually, the pinwheel-flowered periwinkle can take more shade than the bellflower but both are noninvasive and shallow-rooted, making them easy to control. English ivy does not offer anything for wildlife or insects to munch on, so it will grow unchecked. Perfect for low foot traffic areas, thyme is soft to walk on, looks great, and can help you keep the weeds down. But, because it has a creeping form, it bridges the gap between subshrubs and the great majority of shrubs. In contrast with Vinca and Pachysandra, Phlox subulata is a ground cover for full sun. Trace runners of the invasive ground cover one by one. But you will never have just a little Bishop’s Weed. Like most Mediterranean herbs, it thrives in dry, well-drained soil. Golden creeping thyme (Thymus X citriodorus "Aureus') looks dainty, but it's a tough and fast-growing ground cover. Common invasive ground covers (periwinkle, English ivy and goutweed) are found throughout various areas of North America. Many plants are low-growing and spreading in habit and may be termed ground-cover, but the prime requisite of a good ground cover plant is to provide a rapid, dense cover, to suppress germination and development of weed seeds and to eliminate the need for weed control measures. Houzz: Native Alternatives to English Ivy, Japanese Pachysandra and Periwinkle. Lamium maculatum Orchid Frost (zones 4 to 8) is another pretty ground cover for dry shade. In some areas, plants like these go beyond aggressive and become invasive. There is also an attractive pink version (Oenothera speciosa) known commonly as showy evening primrose, Mexican primrose, or Showy Ladies, which blooms in the—you guessed it—evening. Creeping thyme has fragrant leaves; the smell is released when you step on it, so tuck it between garden stepping stones to enjoy both the sight of a green carpet and the smell of an herbal fragrance as you stroll through your garden. These last two plants are so vigorous, that they can only be recommended under the condition that non-invasive cultivars are selected. Grass is the best known ground cover, but grass is not suited to all locations. Add these ground cover plants and flowers to your garden to fix your yard's trouble spots, whether it's grass that won't grow, erosion problems, or boring beds. Whereas Autumn Joy has nice pink flowers, Chocolate Drop and Angelina are more often grown as foliage plants. They perform best in full sun. Grow it in shade in the South, and in full sun in the North. It can form dense carpet-like mats that displace other ground plant cover. The chameleon plant is a very rapid spreader. Ground cover plants. Although the flowers are hardly noticeable, it’s leaves are an eye-catching mix of red, cream, and green. By the way, evening primrose is no relation to the popular spring flowering primroses (Primula). Added benefits with Lenten rose are that it reseeds well and is vole-resistant. It was one of the only trouble-free plants available in nurseries to get the job done. Add them to your vertical garden kit. A semi-evergreen, it grows in zones 3 to 9. For partly to mostly shady sites, English ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) and periwinkle (Vinca minor) are very popular plants. They will survive in your compost heap. Compounding the problem is the fact that these aggressive plants are still widely available for sale. As a ground cover, the quick growth and dense cover shade out native plants and suppress their growth. I use it to rapidly fill in gaps between stepping stones or rocks. It’s hard for a new gardener, and many experienced gardeners who should know better, to resist this plant. An evergreen ground cover plant is beneficial to your garden in two ways, each of which has significant value even when found separately on plants! The most common complaint is that it moves into the lawn and kills the grass. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few innocent plants, to finally rid the area of this thug. It’s easy to see why gardeners are still tempted to grow them, but we have enough headaches trying to stay ahead of weeds. If you're looking to grow something different from what your neighbors have, try Chocolate Drop, so called for its deliciously dark leaves. Juniperus squamata Blue Star isn't a creeping juniper, but it stays short (3 feet at maturity). Bugleweed has pretty purple flowers and grows from ground-hugging rosettes. Be vigilant. Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is native to the Eastern United States. Bishop’s weed was first listed as invasive way back in 1863, in Rhode Island, however, you will still see if for sale. But for landscapes where it's not invasive (or where having a strong ground cover for dry shade is important enough that you don't mind the extra maintenance in having to control it), creeping myrtle (USDA planting zones 4 to 8) can be a superb pick. Follow the runner to the point where it emerges from the ground. There are several very attractive flowers in the evening primrose genus. The color will be best in full sun; water needs are moderate. It prefers its soil to be kept evenly moist but tolerates dry soil. Cut the runner 1 inch from the ground with pruning shears. It is an evergreen twining climber whose flowers are hummingbird and butterfly magnets. Other ground cover plants should be used where grass is difficult to grow or maintain.Unlike grass, most ground cover plants cannot be walked on. You can still find bugleweed in garden centers and it is still a very popular ground cover in some areas. That may sound nice for weed control, but it will eventually take over your garden plants, too. If it escapes into the wild, it can potentially blanket entire forests. There are many to choose from – basically any plant that will hug the soil leaving very little bare soil exposed can be classed as a ground cover, whether it’s a herb, perennial or a low-growing shrub. On wooden siding the dense cover retains moisture, which causes fungus and decay, while the rootlets pry apart siding and eventually rip your outer walls apart. This is often exactly what you want out of a ground cover. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series. There are several you can even walk on. One individual plant looks harmless and charming, but it will spread by runners and quickly form a dense mat. Variegated leaves are the trademark of these ornamental shrubs. For good ground covering plants to replace your ground covering English ivy, try blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) or tussock sedge (Carex stricta). Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) David Beaulieu is a garden writer with nearly 20 years experience writing about landscaping and over 10 years experience working in nurseries. Most are still trying to get it out of their gardens, decades after planting it. Species include: Iberis sempervirens Purity is a good cultivar for moon gardens, as its flowers are a brilliant white. Or grow the Ivory Prince cultivar, which is the only kind with flowers that keep their heads up. Rest assured, the roots are not only alive and well, but the plants have probably also dropped seed. 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