Groundcovers For Any Situation

Groundcovers are a wonderful way to fill space in your yard or garden where you want to create a low-maintenance area. They provide a dense covering, discourage soil erosion and help prevent weed growth. The texture and beauty they can bring to an area is almost limitless. 

Groundcovers range from very flat and creeping to thick and running. You can choose flowering or non-flowering, deciduous or evergreen. 

The biggest obstacle is finding the right groundcover for your particular situation. Assess how much sun and water you get in the area you want to cover and then you will know what your choices are. 

To plant groundcovers, prepare the soil as you normally would, making sure the area is weed-free and well-drained. Once planted, keep weeds at bay by removing them by hand. 

There are many choices for different needs so the following is just a sample.

Shade-Loving Groundcovers

Most shade-loving groundcovers will tolerate damp conditions. 

• Pachysandra "Green Sheen" - This plant has a gorgeous, glossy-green foliage that's almost too pretty to be real.
• Ajuga reptans "Burgundy Glow" - This creeping evergreen groundcover has maroon and cream variegated leaves that give great texture.
• Pulmonaria officinalis "Spotted Lungwort" - This is a clumping groundcover with marbled foliage and weeping flowers. 

Full Sun-Loving Groundcovers

• Hemerocallis - Daylilies are great for full sun and will clump, forming a beautiful display of bright flowers for the summer.
• Euonymous fortunei - Wintercreeper has dark green, shiny leaves that in some varieties turn purple in the winter. It's very attractive.
• Trachelospermum asiaticum - Asiatic Jasmine is salt tolerant and drought tolerant making it great for hot, dry regions. 
• Duchesnea indica - Indian Mock Strawberry looks like a strawberry plant and even has fruit, though it's pretty tasteless. 

Pet-Tolerant Groundcovers

While no groundcover (other than astroturf or concrete) will truly stand up to pets walking or urinating on it, there are a few that will tolerate it to a small extent. 

• Hedera helix - English Ivy will withstand a bit of abuse from pets and children, and tolerate sun or shade. 
• Vinca minor - Again, Vinca will withstand pets and children, while also providing colorful flowers during the blooming season.

All-Purpose Groundcovers

There are certain plants that will tolerate all conditions.

• Hedera helix - English Ivy (and other varieties in the ivy family) will typically tolerate most conditions, as long as they aren't extreme. 
• Vinca minor - Vinca can take full sun to full shade, and still perform well.
• Lysimachia nummularia - Creeping Jenny is a gorgeous, flat, golden-to-chartreuse groundcover that performs well in full sun to full shade. It's great when paired with Hosta in a shade situation.
• Ranunculus repens ‘Buttered Popcorn' - This groundcover has a wonderful color and will tolerate full sun to full shade and even wet or dry environments. 

Armed with this information, you should be able to fill almost any spot in your yard with the groundcover of your choice. There are hundreds of others out there, though not widely available in nurseries and landscape stores. 

Photo Credit: stevendepolo, Creative Commons 2.0