This common weedy plant is a member of the mint family and forms early groundcover mats, with fuzzy . The ground has only recently thawed and most are waiting for just the right amount of consistent warmth and moisture before coming up. Wherever its branches make contact with the soil, it will put down roots, creating new plants. Thus you need to be careful in choosing the right spot to grow this plant. 12 Most Resilient Ground Covers For Your Yard - Bees and Roses 6. Lamb's Ear. Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. Candytuft is a ground-hugging, clumping, and flowering perennial that dies back each winter and rebounds each spring and early summer. Keep in mind that smaller containers will require watering more often. Creeping thyme. Noteworthy Characteristics Lamium maculatum, commonly called spotted deadnettle, is native to Europe and North Africa to West Asia. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. A native of Moultrie, Ga., she graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, formerly Queens College. Aronia is a pretty low-growing native shrub that has tiny white flowers amid glossy green foliage. Lamium covers well and adds colorful flowers, foliage and texture. . Spread: Slow to medium growth rate; spreads via stolons to a height of 10 inches. Those fleshy, bluish-green leaves help retain what little water it receives. This groundcover plant stays under a foot tall but slowly spreads outward. If the hill is big, remove the grass in stages so as not to take unnecessary chances with erosion. Daylilies:ground covers around daylilies? - Dave's Garden Rock cotoneaster is considered a full-shun shrub but benefits from some afternoon shade. 17 Best Ground Cover Plants For Shade - Get Busy Gardening Lamium (Deadnettle) Wonderful as ground cover in a shady area, Spotted deadnettle ( Lamium maculatum) can cover large areas quickly, prevailing in the most unforgiving of conditions. She has spent over two decades working in the horticulture industry on new plant development, garden design, sales, marketing and consulting. Interrupted fern, like bunchberry and liverleaf, is a North American native that can serve as a low-maintenance ground cover for shade. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. It likes full sun, and requires regular trimmings to keep it from taking over the yard. She's been a frequent speaker at various garden events. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive. Pink or white flowers bloom in spring and summer. It can even thrive in the acidic conditions under large pine trees. A tall border, such as a retaining wall or large rocks, will do a good job containing growth without the need to prune. Groundcovers | Bluestone Perennials RELATED: Bad Neighbors: 11 Plant Pairs Never to Grow Side by Side. The only real maintenance required is trimming it back after it has finished flowering, or whenever it becomes too scraggly for your tastes. However, sweet woodruff can be a good ground cover choice for dry shade, such as in areas under big trees. These plants spread out, and you can keep them under control by pruning, too. Yellow Archangel Botanical Name: Lamium galeobdolon Susan has received visitors from around the world in her home garden which has been featured in numerous gardening publications. Blooms are cream colored. It quickly forms a thick mound and blooms all summer long, producing a sweet honey scent that attracts pollinators throughout the season. Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. It prefers full shade, but can handle some morning sun. Lamium A great solution for ground cover in a shaded area until it takes over in 5 years. Are rabbits attracted to spotted dead nettle? David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. Keep it in a shady spot, especially under trees and shrubs. There are almost endless varieties of hostas that will fit your needs, many with variegated leaves and spikey short-lived and unremarkable flowers. At the time of this publication, there were 30 cultivars of L. maculatumlisted in the RHS Plant Finder, compared to 11 cultivars for all the other species combined. In the south, however, they may develop problems with leaf-spotting due to the high humidity. While grass is typically the best way to fill out empty space, sometimes low-growing plants are a better and prettier option. Not picky, spotted Dead Nettles do just fine in average, well-drained soil. Its cheerful bright lilac pink flowers add whimsy to the garden from early summer through midsummer. Though Lenten rose is not a rose (it's part of the buttercup family), its little buds are early season bloomers when it flowers at ground level in the late winter. She is married to photographer John Everett and they have one son. Best Ground Cover Plants to Prevent Weeds - Landscape Fix This is a slow-growing and long-lasting ground cover that simply needs pruning every so often to prevent it from growing leggy. Copyright 2013-2023. However, it will grow out of its boundaries so trimming it back can help if you want to keep the yard neat. The soft moss-like foliage of this plant forms a dense mat underfoot. Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more. .css-1byi7p4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#fff;-webkit-transition:background 0.3s ease-in-out,color 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:background 0.3s ease-in-out,color 0.3s ease-in-out;display:inline-block;background-color:#000000;border-radius:0.125rem;font-family:NeutraDisplay,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.79054rem;line-height:1;font-weight:bold;height:unset;letter-spacing:0.05rem;padding:0.6rem 1rem;text-transform:uppercase;width:auto;}.css-1byi7p4:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:#595959;background-color:#53c2be;}.css-1byi7p4:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}SHOP LILY OF THE VALLEY. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil. However, keep a good supply of glyphosate on hand to keep these in check! Though Chinese lantern is also considered invasive, it is a novel and colorful perennial ground cover with autumn interest because of its bright orange-red shaped seed pods that turn into papery husks. 25 Low-Maintenance Groundcover Plants That Look Great With Little Work Slugs and snails are attracted to the liquid, fall in and drown. Choose from an annual or perennial variety, and watch charming daisy-like flowers bloom throughout this bushy plant. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' 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. Glossy leaves in shades of deep green, bronze, and chocolate-brown make this perennial a great low-growing lawn alternative for almost any climate. It is also ideal for rock gardens, border edges, and even containers besides being an excellent choice for an ornamental ground cover. Though many annual flowers can be used for ground coverings, it can be laborious to replant large swaths of coverings yearly. Lamium Anne Greenway Need a good ground cover in the shade or morning sun. In fact, beware of this potentially invasive ground cover, especially if you live near a forest. Ruellia and lamium as ground covers - Chron (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You have entered an incorrect email address! Clover Unless you want it as your lawn or have a horse to feed, don't plant it. It is perfect for rock gardens, edging of pathways or front of the flower border. This lesser-known perennial has attractive little mounds of grassy foliage, and teeny ball-shaped blooms that pop up in late spring to early summer. Imagine sky blue flowers popping up in and around your shade garden in the springtime, swaying in the slightest breeze, rising above a carpet of Canadian wild ginger or lamium (see below). Lamium Ground Cover Evergreen - ground cover good RELATED: 25 Plants That Survive With or Without You. In ideal sunny conditions, Amethyst in Snow will spread quite quickly, but you can control it easily by pulling out stray shoots. 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. Though its lush leaves dont scream drought tolerant, sedum boasts an ability to root and thrive in even the driest, rockiest settingsthus earning it the familiar name stonecrop. The secret? The name "Dead Nettle" refers to the fact that Lamium does not have the stinging hair characteristic of other nettles. To plant creeping juniper on a grassy slope, get rid of the grass, then lay down landscape fabric along the slope. In either case, cut back shabby foliage after the first frost to make way for new growth in the spring. Lamb's ear creates a soft and silvery dense ground covering mat in a sunny area of your property. RELATED: 30 Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever. The best ground cover plants for shade in your yard - Lawnstarter Weed of the Month: Purple Deadnettle - Brooklyn Botanic Garden 10 Easy-Care Groundcovers That Thrive in the Toughest Spots Species can be annuals or perennials, with many valued for their ground cover abilities, pollinator-friendly flowers and preference of shady areas. Dead nettle, also known as Lamium, is a low-growing perennial with silver-splashed leaves and bursts of purple, pink, or white flowers that pop up in spring and early summer. Here's how: While they can self-seed themselves, spotted dead nettles do not do well if you try to grow them from seed. Place lamium where you won't be smashing it underfoot, though, because its stems are somewhat fragile. If you are looking for a low-maintenance ground cover, sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a good pick, but only under certain conditions. Because the common name is often given as spotted dead nettle. Each plant takes on a green fountain-like appearance: Long, lush shoots of chartreuse foliage sprout up from the soil, then softly twist and tangle for full coverage wherever planted. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Fun bonus: The flowers, either fresh or dried, can be used in salads or steeped in teas. Growing as high as 36 inches, it blooms all summer long with purple flowers. The plant's multicolored leaves and tiny pastel flowers look attractive by themselves along a walkway or mingled. 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. At least one like petunias. What plant labels typically fail to mention is that, under the right growing conditions, 'Amethyst in Snow' makes a flowering ground cover that will spread nicely. Whatever you decide to mix it with, remember to select plants that need partial to full shade. While this perennial spreads rapidly, you can mow it to regain control. With very attractive foliage and either white or pink flowers, Lamium maculatum makes an excellent ground cover plant for a shaded position. 4. 20 Best Lamium Varieties | Best Types of Dead Nettle - Balcony Garden Web Going to google creeping jenny. Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. Its a well-behaved spreader, and is not invasive. This is not the form of thyme used in cooking, but its fragrance will attract bees and other pollinators. It needs full sun to survive. But purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) takes advantage of the open expanses of soil and lack of competition. Its dense mats are threatening native plants on forest floors. The plant prefers partial shade or full sun and well-draining moist soil. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch. Oak sedge prefers partial shade to full shade in USDA Zones 3 through 8. I still like the stuff It is really a pretty ground cover. You will have a Lamium carpet by fall, and the following year you will perhaps be able to pen your own lamium nursery with which to supply all your friends. The little silver leaves of lamium are like bits of glitter strewn about the garden floor, reflecting any dappled sunlight that finds them. Dead-nettle, beautiful little ground cover - nature-and-garden.com This plant is fast growing, and one plant can spread up to two feet or more within a year. Whether you do it yourself or pay a landscaper, maintaining a vibrant garden and lush lawn requires time, effort, and money. Keep weeds at bay with spreading plants in your garden. In addition to white flowers, you can find colors like moonshine yellow, paprika, or vintage violet. This elegant fern looks as dainty as a pearl necklace, but is tough enough to survive winter growing in the Himalayan Mountains, where it is native. These waterwise plants are perfect rock garden ground covers in zones 4 through 9 for the hardier yellow prairie zinnia and 6 through 10 for desert zinnia with its pretty white flowers. 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. 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. Compost should be sufficient, as the plants do not require rich soil. Although rich, moist, acidic soils are ideal, this plant will also grow in alkaline, sandy and clay soils. It takes about 14 days until you see seedlings. `Katie' ruellia is a good ground cover for sun or shade. Type above and press Enter to search. Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) grows as a spreading mat of herbaceous stems and leaves. I think I'll try some . In ideal sunny conditions, Amethyst in Snow will spread quite quickly, but you can control it easily by pulling out stray shoots. The 'Six Hills Giant' cultivar is a good choice for covering large areas. Original Author. Spectacular as a ground cover in the shade garden, Lamium maculatum (Spotted Dead Nettle) is a perennial plant whose appearance is unlike other perennial ground covers. The promise is that Lamiums are fast-growing perennial ground cover or container plants that brighten partly sunny spots and produce charming flowers.