Flowering ground covers

These are perennial plants to cover a small or large area

The term "ground cover" often conjures up visions of boring patches of plain green leaves — just enough to fill space but not satisfying for the color-loving gardener. Fortunately, sprawling perennials do an equally good job of protecting the soil and suppressing weeds. Mass plantings of these easy-care perennials are great for new gardens because just a few can fill a lot of space, making it easier on your budget. In established landscapes, combining individual shrubs with large beds of flowering ground covers dramatically reduces laborious mowing and trimming work.

Repeated blooms are best for smaller spaces

The best ground covers for small spaces have a long flowering season, but usually require light trimming or deadheading after the first flush to prevent blooms. Keeping these plants in manageable patches makes this tedious maintenance easier because you can reach all the plants from outside the bed. To fill a large space, you need a floor covering that will do a lot of the work for you. Fortunately, you have several good options: substantial clumps that spread widely in all directions, ground-hugging vines with stems that root immediately where they rest in the soil, or propagators that produce new plants from broad taproots. All 10 flowering ground covers I recommend score top marks for their long blooming season, resistance to pests and disease, and ability to quickly fill any size area.

1. 'Baths Pink' Lilac (Dianthus 'Baths Pink' )

'Baths Pink' Pink (Dianthus 'Baths Pink') fringed flowers give the plant a delicate look, but its robustness earns it a top spot in the flowering ground cover category. Older pinks have a reputation for "melting" in sultry summer weather, but 'Baths Pink' is more tolerant of heat and humidity. It adapts to a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. However, good drainage is essential, especially in winter. Late spring to early summer is the peak season for its fragrant blooms, but scattered blooms appear later, especially if you cut off faded flower heads. When the plants aren't in bloom, dense carpets of slender, blue-green leaves provide ample interest throughout the growing season and into winter.

Although I'm currently a fan of brightly colored flowers like 'Bath's Pink', I can't resist the soft blues and grays of catmint (Nepeta spp. and cvs.). My favorite is 'Walker's Low' (Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low'). Its compact habit makes an especially pleasing ground around hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs. The 15- to 20-inch tall gray-green leaves are attractive during the growing season and emit a minty scent when you brush them. From late spring to mid-summer, they are accented with purple-blue flowers 6 to 8 inches long; A mid-summer cut encourages reblooming in late summer and fall. Once established, 'Walker's Low' is very drought tolerant.

2. Oreganos (Origanum spp. and cvs.)

Flower is another great landscape for those who enjoy fragrance and flowers. While the spice-scented leaves of 'Herrenhausen' oregano (O. laevicatum 'Herrenhausen') lack the rich flavor of culinary choices, the attractive clusters of purple-pink flowers and deep purple bracts add flavor to the landscape. Plants grow in somewhat spreading, 1- to 2-foot-tall mounds, with small leaves that emerge purple in spring, rich green in summer, and deep reddish-purple in fall. 1- to 2-inch-wide flowering clusters appear in mid-summer and continue into fall (especially with deadheading); They are a favorite of butterflies and make wonderful cut flowers. A very low maintenance plant, 'Herrenhausen' is heat and drought tolerant once established

3. ‘Rozanne’ (Geranium ‘Rozanne’ ) 

Like oregano, many geraniums make excellent ground covers. Among these top options, 'Rozanne' (Geranium 'Rozanne') stands out for its profusion of flowers over a surprisingly long season. Beginning in early summer, spreading mounds of deeply cut, lightly colored green leaves bear 2½-inch-wide, saucer-shaped flowers. is closed. In cooler conditions or in some shade, the flowers are clear blue with a prominent white center; In hot weather or strong sun, they often appear lavender blue with a small white eye. A light mowing in mid-summer helps keep plants tidy and encourages good flowering in autumn. This selection is a bit slower to germinate in spring than other garden plants, so if you want earlier color, interplant 'Rosanne' with spring crocuses, species tulips and other small bulbs.

4. Asters (Aster spp. and cvs.)

The ground is something unusual, like a flowering ground cover. Most of the perennials that make up these clumps tend to grow out of the way, and cultivars of Aster oblongifolius like 'October Skies' can take up quite a bit of space, even in their first year. This fragrant aster doesn't bloom until early to mid-season, but it's worth the wait. Throughout much of the season, dense, 2-foot-tall mounds of thin green leaves look like small clipped shrubs. In the fall, they finally bloom, smothered in hundreds of fragrant, daisy-like lavender-blue flowers. 'October Skies' continues to bloom through the first few frosts and holds its shape well into winter, providing exceptional late interest. Individual plants are in separate clumps, but their tops spread slightly, filling a space about 2 feet across.

5. Yellow slack (Lysimachia punctata)

Combine bright flowers with colorful foliage and you've got a ground cover that's always eye-catching. Yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata) is known for its 1-inch-wide sunny yellow flowers that cover the upper half of upright stems from mid-summer to fall; 'Alexander' has the added feature of a white border around each leaf. Hardy and reliable, this 2-foot tall spreader can grow anywhere from sun to shade and wet and dry soil; Be aware that a combination of strong sun and very dry soil can cause leaf tips to turn brown. This species is not as invasive as its cousin the gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), nor is it related to the invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).

 6. Mexican evening primrose

Another fast-spreading Mexican evening primrose (Oenothera berlandieri). Don't let this deceptively good-looking perennial loose in your regular garden beds, but it makes a great ground cover if its fast-creeping roots can spread freely without encroaching on other plants (or your lawn). . It has small dark green leaves with a red tinge, and typically grows 6 to 12 inches tall. The cupped, 2- to 3-inch-wide flowers are bright pink to white. Flowers appear from spring to fall, sometimes taking a break during the hottest part of summer.

 7. 'John Creech' Sedum

If you want a plant with more restrained pink flowers, try 'John Creech' sedum (Sedum spurium 'John Creech'). Evergreen in temperate climates, it spreads slowly, forming dense, 2-inch-tall carpets of lightly scaly leaves. Bright pink flowers, ¼- to ½-inch wide, are borne in tight clusters just above the leaves. 'John Creech' usually blooms in mid to late summer, although gardeners prefer it to bloom in late spring and early fall. Full sun with dry soil is best for abundant blooms, but the plants also adapt to dry shade; Wet soil leads to loose growth, making weeds less likely to dislodge.