Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Overview: Spotted Dead Nettle - Lamium maculatum is a herbaceous perennial growing to 0.2 -0.9m at a fast . 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Texas tornados destroy homes, leave 300,000 without power, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting. However, it will grow out of its boundaries so trimming it back can help if you want to keep the yard neat. RELATED: 14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive. Ooo. In fact it thrives on summer drought in dry shade. Just beware: Its rapid growth makes this an invasive plant throughout the Eastern United States, as well as parts of Texas and the Southwest. This is a large plant with a horizontal growth habit (thus its species name). The silvery foliage of theseshade plantsmakes them a good fit for landscape designs with creative color schemes. Pachysandra is one of the most widely used ground covers in the country thanks to its extreme durability while it grows under challenging conditions such as too much shade and drought. While it prefers full sun, it needs regular moisture, especially during hot months. Most perennial ground coverings fall into these categories. One of the most popular is Carex pensylvanica, commonly known as oak sedge, and it can be found across the eastern half of North America. It does best in cooler summer weather and prefers full sun to part shade. Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. It grows low to the ground, making it a good alternative to grass in just about any climate. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Its native habitat is wooded areas, so it is perfect for a shady woodland garden. Yellow archangel has colorful leaves and flowers. Ajuga ground cover doing very well in low light. Care requirements for creeping phlox are few. It is a woodland plant that requires good drainage and shade. Lamium? There are more native species of sedge than any other plant in North America, and many make fine ground covers for shade. It forms a dense, 8- to 12 . The midsummer shearing also encourages a second flowering period in September. Hortster. This native, weed-suppressing ground cover spreads quickly by seed and offshoots to fill challenging spaces under tall trees, along the waters edge, or in that tough strip between the street and sidewalk. This easy-care mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. To propagate from the stem, cut the 10cm long portion of the stem and leave it to scab for some time. Bright pink, purple or white flowers are a bonus that draws in bumblebees from mid-spring to early summer. This easy-to-grow plant spreads and produces numerous offspring from seed. Plant this deer- and rabbit-resistant herb in the spring and its fuzzy leaves will cover large areas by autumn. This easy-care ground cover provides colors of purple, white pink and shades of light red. Once it settles in to its new home, this fern will speed up its spread and transplant easily if you find new shady places for it in your landscape. Soil & Transplanting. Height is a foot or so. Both their flowers and their foliage make an impact on the landscape. RELATED: 25 Plants That Survive With or Without You. And while deer might not like itspink flowers, they do attract butterflies and honeybeesits even believed that it enhances the flavor of the honey. Lamium needs shade and a fertile, moist but well-draining soil. This is a deer- and rabbit-resistant ground cover that is ideal for large swaths of landscape. They have silver foliage and produce showy pink, purple or white flowers in late spring. However, creeping ground coverings tend to spread the fastest. Those fleshy, bluish-green leaves help retain what little water it receives. It's also used for ground cover to stop erosion because its tough roots hold soil in place. Its ornamental value is twofold: it bears splendid blossoms in various colors (depending on the variety), and it displays eye-catching silver leaves, which provide color long after the flowers have faded. Although strawberry begonia is winter hardy in USDA Zones 7 through 9, some people in Zone 6b have reportedly had luck with it overwintering, too. It likes part to full sun. Here are our top 15 ground covers for shaded areas. Compost should be sufficient, as the plants do not require rich soil. I still like the stuff It is really a pretty ground cover. Going to google creeping jenny. Society garlic can also tolerate dry conditions. 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. Lamb's Ear. The little silver leaves of lamium are like bits of glitter strewn about the garden floor, reflecting any dappled sunlight that finds them. Finely textured, semi-evergreen, bright green blades form a slowly spreading mass that tops out about six to eight inches tall. Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. This clumping perennial is less than a foot tall, with slender, long, arching leaves. Locate where the runners have rooted themselves into the ground. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. With society garlic, you can have your ground cover and eat it too! Spotted dead nettles are valued as perennial ground covers for the shade that will spread and fill in a patch of ground that might otherwise remain bare (except for weeds). It often grows vertically along trellises, but the plant can also serve as a ground cover. While this super spreader is a great ground cover to prevent weeds, if you want your vinca minor to play nice with other plantings, youll need to cut it back on a regular basis. Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more. Plant Lenten rose ground cover in the early fall or late spring but away from the path of bitter winter winds. This perennial creeper is a great ground cover that will quickly carpet your landscape with pretty and small flowers. Creeping liriope plants make low-maintenance, tough, and drought-tolerant ground covers with spikey flowers and grass-like foliage. While this glossy, strappy green is popular in the southern states, it can survive anywhere. Copyright 2013-2023. Dont worry if it doesnt reappear first thing in spring. No special soil is needed for it to flourish and reseed. Bloom time begins sooner, of course, after a mild winter, since plants do not have to regrow. However, the more sunshine that you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil. Many plant species from the genus Sedum are native to North America. It prefers full shade, but can handle some morning sun. Bishop's Goutweed While it works great for ground cover in a shaded area, you will never, ever get rid of it. True blue flowers are rare, especially late in the season. Its a relative of mint, so its guaranteed to spread, and its hardy in the cold of Zone 3 but can take heat up to Zone 8. But they are not grasses, and are instead herbaceous floweringperennial plantsin the asparagus family. This common weedy plant is a member of the mint family and forms early groundcover mats, with fuzzy . This is a highly invasive plant but it's also popular for growing on huge swaths of areas that need ground cover and won't encroach on another's property. Yellow archangel ( lamium galeobdolon) Curious reddish brown flowers bloom in spring at ground level under the foliage. This is a slow-growing and long-lasting ground cover that simply needs pruning every so often to prevent it from growing leggy. The ground has only recently thawed and most are waiting for just the right amount of consistent warmth and moisture before coming up. Hardy in zones 7 through 10, these low maintenance ground cover plants love full sun and heat. 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. When not in bloom, the heart-shaped, dark green leaves with purplish undersides make an attractive deer and rabbit resistant ground cover. When several are planted together, they form a dense hedge that thrives in almost any type of soil and full sun. Lamium A great solution for ground cover in a shaded area until it takes over in 5 years. The soft moss-like foliage of this plant forms a dense mat underfoot. It isnt too particular about soil type as long as the drainage is decent. Hedera helix. Nepeta x faassenia, commonly called nepeta, nepeta catmint, or Faassen's catmint, is one of several perennial catmint plants. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. In early spring, flowers that look like fairy wings appear on this perennial. It grows best where it has plenty of space to spread out. Rock cotoneaster is considered a full-shun shrub but benefits from some afternoon shade. These plants spread out, and you can keep them under control by pruning, too. Shown: 'Spotted deadnettle' (Lamium maculatum) Tall-Growing Blooms are cream colored. This ground cover forms a low-growing carpet that spreads quickly as its stems root when they touch the ground. This quickly spreading ground cover forms a tight, six- to 10-inch tall mass of shiny green foliage that blushes bright red and bronze beginning in early fall. 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. While it is not a spreader, it is large enough to take up space as the spring and summer months advance. It has a stripe down the middle that can be white, yellow, red, or silver. Using several ground covers can add variety to the landscape and prevent soil erosion. Creeping thyme (also known as mother of thyme or wild thyme) is a creeping, woody-stemmed perennial that is a favorite plant to use for a low-maintenance ground cover serving as a filler between garden stepping stones. Our native white wood aster (Aster divaricatus), which grows in USDA Zones 3 through 8, spreads underground and by seed to form dense colonies even in dry shade conditions. The unusual common name of "dead nettles" alludes to the fact that, while it resembles stinging nettles, the stingers are dead on L. maculatum, rendering it harmless. A popular climbing vine, English ivy will creep along to cover the ground if you let it, and thrives in the shade. I think I'll try some . Lamium needs shade and a fertile, moist but well-draining soil. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride', Zones 4-8) is one of the fastest-growing ground covers. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. This vining plant, also known as dead nettles, can tolerate cold, heat, and drought, and its deer resistant. Ground-huggers in the 1- to 3-inch range that tolerate foot traffic can be used between stepping stones. Once established, its drought tolerant. Despite its vigorous growth, it's not considered invasive. Excellent evergreen ground cover for shadeThe North American native speciesPachysandra procumbensis harder to find but a more graceful and less spready choiceGrows 6 to 10 inches 15-25 cm tall. If those conditions describe your landscape, then you may want to check out this wonderful little relative of the dogwood trees. There is also a pink flowering form. Another bonus is that it is common and considered one of the cheapest ground covering plants. Yet, it quickly covers the ground and produces clusters of white flowers. It also doesn't die back in the winter. book to class, Report: Houston ranked No. The leaves, bulblets and bulbs of the nodding onion plant are edible with a strong onion flavor, but its more common to grow Allium cernuum for its easily identifiable flowers. 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. To encourage new growth in the springtime cut spotted dead nettles back after the first frost or in the late autumn, depending on where you live. Susan has received visitors from around the world in her home garden which has been featured in numerous gardening publications. The low-lying, flowering ground coverit grows no more than 4 inches tallcan endure being stepped and stomped on, making it a smart choice for planting between pavers or for replacing grass entirely.