Perennial Ground Covers
1) are reliably perennial – they live from year to year and
2) grow quite quickly to cover the ground.
Perennial Ground Covers Come With Warnings
The advantages of ground covers are that they cover bare ground and often grow where no other plant will survive.
This often makes them candidates for garden thug status. If a plant will grow and cover the ground, it seldom makes a distinction between the area you want covered and the area it wants to cover.
It is up to you to enforce the limits with edging material or sharp shovels. In my opinion, plants that are primarily used for ground covers should never be allowed into good perennial gardens.
Aegopodium or goutweed/bishop’sweed is a perfect example. This is a rampant spreader that will “eat” many nearby plants as it spreads by underground rhizome. It makes an excellent ground cover for wasteland areas but if put into a good garden, it will simply smother shorter plants and invade the root areas of taller ones.
Here are the Myths of Ground Covers where I describe some of the common questions and advertising myths of this class of plants.
Not for the marketing people in the nursery trade!
Plant Lists
Here’s a list of plants that make decent ground covers. Most of them come with a warning about their ability to spread and the simple growing instruction of put in ground, water, stand back!
A list of ground covers for shade. Print it out and take it to the garden center with you.
A list of ground covers for sun. Print this one out and take it to the garden center with you as well.
Evergreen ground covers - here are a few that might do the job in USDA 4.
Specific Plant Information
Aegopodium or Growing Goutweed is a no-brainer but this plant comes with a fast-growing potential thug warning.
Q&A: Do I really have to weed out goutweed?
Ajuga or Bugleweed is a good flowering plant with a wide range of varieties for many uses.
Asarum or Wild Ginger is a lovely evergreen ground cover that isn't invasive.
Campanula or bellflowers make delightful and long-blooming ground cover plants for sun or medium shade.
Convallaria or Lily of the Valley is a classic shade-loving ground cover that can become a bit of a thug if you're not careful.
Epimediums are one of those tough plants for shade - if you can't grow this plant, you had better consider mulch or silk flowers.
Hedera helix or English Ivy is one of the classic perennial ground covers although it can escape and become a problem plant in warmer climates.
Lamium or Dead Nettle is a wonderful perennial ground cover - not invasive and flowering.
Questions and Answers
Use this form for questions. I do my best but can't guarantee to answer all individual questions.
Ask a Perennial Ground Cover Gardening Question
If you have a question about shade perennials, then feel free to ask it using this form.
If you have a picture of the problem or situation, feel free to upload it here as well (keep the pic under 100K please for faster uploading)
On some browsers the entry boxes are a little hard to see - name and email boxes are either immediately to the left of the captcha box or right below it (close to the submit button) depending on your browser settings.
What Other Visitors Have Asked about Ground Cover Perennials
Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...
how to kill perenial ground cover
I bought a house that I just found out has perennial ground cover growing out of control and I do not want it anymore how can I get rid of it!
Doug ...
Spring, sumer & fall ground ccover I am looking for a ground cover that will flower in the late spring, summer and early fall - are there any ground covers such as those - someone recommend ...
Need ground cover
Hi,
I have a sloped backyard, which is a bit rocky, and quite sunny. I would like to plant a ground cover on this hill, preferably by seed (as it appears ...
Ground covers that are safe for dogs Can you please tell me what groundcovers are SAFE for dogs? I don't care about the pounding it will take, just as long as it is not harmful to the dog....
perennial shade ground cover for dogs
need perennial shade ground cover that can take a dog's pounding. what do you suggest.
Doug says there is no perennial plant that will withstand dog ...
Growing chamomile(roman) as ground cover on steep slope
Hi,
I am in Zone 6A, and would like to use chamomile as a groundcover for a large hillside in my backyard. The hill is very steep, thus making mowing ...
Ground cover under a couple of cherry trees. I need some idea's of what I can plant under a couple of cherry trees. There is about a 4 foot wide raised flat area with a steep 3 foot slope down to ...
ground covers that are "dog friendly" What are good perennial ground covers that aren't poisonous for dogs & would be hardy enough for dogs to walk/run on?if any exist)-area is mostly shady ...
Ground cover with blue/purple spikes in May My gardnere just destroyed a bed full of ground cover we have had for 18 years. It is hardy with dark green leaves close to the ground and in May it produces ...
Rocky sloped area for ground cover I'm im businees in Clarksville Tn. I have a large area that we put down 4 to 6" rocks down to pervent moving. The only problem is 10 years later weeds ...
creeping flox has brown areas My creeping flox looked great during the spring months and bloomed beautifully. Now the blooming is done the have started to turn brown are they dieing ...
creeping phlox transplanting
What is the best time to replant creeping phlox?
Doug says that Creeping Phlox can be replanted or transplanted first thing in the spring (when the ...
ground cover for the flower garden I was considering replacing the mulch in my full-sun flower garden with a ground cover, I am concerned about it choking out other plants. Is there a suitable ...
Ground covers that dont take over?
Are there any ground covers that don't take over the garden?
Doug says that yes, there are indeed ground covers that don't take over but I can't speak ...
Need a low height shade ground cover for cemetry
I need to find a low height ground cover for a shade area in the woods. Please help- It is for a private cemetery. In PA.
Doug says that the shade ...
Yellowing Leaves on Lamium My husband and I have a wooded lot with perennial beds circling groups of trees. Since I had many large beds to plant in I started with grouncovers to ...
Common Vetch has overtaken Hillside Can you recommend a ground cover that will overpower the common vetch? I have tried round-up, but the vetch keeps coming back. It is a steep hill, so ...
best ground cover for sandy soil I have an area above a retaining wall that leads into woods. It has sandy soil and I am wondering if creeping phlox would be the best grown cover or if ...
Ground cover for a rocky, clay slope with some erosion.
Doug,
I hope you can help me find a fast growing ground cover for my very infrequently traversed backyard. I live in Missouri(zone 5 I believe)on a second ...
English Ivy "Eating" tree
