Used most oft to extend large area of landscaping , many types of ground covers fly high under ambitious condition where other type of plants have difficulty growing . As the name imply , earth covers distribute via rhizomes or runners ; many are very useful in help to control wearing on hillsides , as shadowiness plant life or to provide persistence between landscape specimen plants .
Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)
Similar to the wide grown Nipponese spurge , this aboriginal ground brood for subtlety differs from its Asiatic cousin by its larger , denser foliage and proclivity to turn a reddish bronze in the pin . Plants reach 8 to 12 inches in tallness and spread to form clumps some 4 foot in width . Short spikes of pink to blank flowers appear in spring .
Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
aboriginal to the southeastern United States , this thin , woody , semi - evergreen vine is frequently grown on trellises but also performs well as a ground cover . The plant is named for the highly fragrant , yellow trump - shaped flowers which look around Easter . Plants are deciduous north of Zone 7 and do best in full Dominicus to part shade .
Coral Bells (Heuchera species)
Native , non - native and immense numbers of school varieties of coral bell are offered through nursery barter . Plants grow in clumps up to 15 in grandiloquent and wide , and the thin flower spikes which come out in late spring to former summertime grow up to a foot above the principal plant . Heuchera grows upright in part shade to part sun and comes in a Brobdingnagian range of colour , including a recent creation of a series of deep - purple allow for industrial plant .
Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera)
Unlike the creeping phlox seen often in full sun , the aboriginal creep phlox is a tincture - get it on plant which imprint dense Master of Arts in Teaching . Flowers are highly showy , appearing in April and May in shade of pink , regal and blue . Leaves are haired and stems are somewhat unenviable , reminiscent of petunia root . plant are reputed to have moderate deer ohmic resistance .
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Creeping thyme is a fragrant , gentle - to - grow dry land concealment for poor grime or full - Dominicus web site . It is often sold as a " stepable " plant for rock gardens or cubic yard with dogs . Also recognise as female parent - of - thyme , this plant is evergreen and sturdy to Zone 4 and produce light- to medium - regal flowers in the spring .
Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra cultivars)
This irksome spreader for softly shaded website has foliage resembling that of bamboo , cascade down over the 12- to 18 - inch mound the plant life forms . Many different naturalise varieties be , boast different - colour foliation from yellow to K to vary farewell . Hakone grass execute best in plentiful , well - drain soils .
Juniper (Juniperus species)
One of the very few woody ground wrap up useable on the securities industry , the evergreen plant ground cover juniper is available in several different colors , from light or dark green as well as drear , silver , yellow and amber . Ground cover juniper potpourri grow in height from several inches to two feet , and are first-class for dry , cheery or otherwise difficult growing sites . juniper are slow growers but form very dense mats .
Scotch Moss (Sagina subulata)
Contrary to its name , Scotch moss , also sometimes called Irish moss , is not a moss at all . Though it is doting of moist soils , all resemblances to moss ends there ; Scotch moss performs good in full - sunshine sites . Tiny , livid , star - shape blossom constellate the bright green foliage in spring . It is an first-class candidate for placement in rock garden or between paving Isidor Feinstein Stone .
Stonecrop (Sedum species)
This succulent - type industrial plant is deceivingly versatile . Sedum is drought and shade broad , but also grows well in full sunshine ; in milder climates , it persists through the winter in a semi - evergreen nation , and in the spring set up on a flush of new ontogeny along with flowers which range from white to yellow .
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
A favourite ground cover for deeply shaded sites , scented waldmeister grows speedily and is considered encroaching by some when it is not systematically oversee . One of the few edible herbs that flourish in shade , sweet woodruff ’s deeply divide foliage resembles that of lupin . clump of small white blossom appear in bounce .
