Growing
up we used Myrtle as filler in bouquets: my mother-in-law used
Periwinkle. Different states, same plant, Vinca minor, an evergreen
ground cover for sun or shade with small leaves and bright
lavender-blue flowers in spring and intermittently all summer. It is
not a native but it has become so ubiquitous that both Vinca minor
and Vinca major appear on the most recent lists of plants that have
become invasive in Virginia. Time to change!
Ground covers
are needed to hold soil in place and prevent erosion as well as to
plant in places where grass will not grow well, on steep slopes or
under trees. Ground covers are also useful as a background for
spring bulb displays, helping to disguise the faltering foliage as
the season progresses.
Pachysandra
procumbens, Allegany spurge, can be used to cover bulbs under
deciduous trees. Bulbs need full sun and Pachysandra does better in
part or full shade so it is not a marriage made in heaven.
If you are trying to simplify your life by reducing the time and
money spent on an expanse of lawn, ground covers can be useful in
shrinking your lawn. After using a hose to outline curves a foot or
so in front of a hedge, shrub border, or perennial bed, cut a new
edge with a sharp spade. All sorts of barriers are suggested to mark
the line between ground covers and grass but I really think a spade
is the easiest. A mulch will add to the appearance before the new
additions fill in.
For shade and part shade, there is Ajuga, a dependable evergreen
rosette of bronze or green foliage with late spring spikes of purple
flowers. It spreads modestly and requires no care. For shade and
part shade, Heucheras in an ever-widening choice of color are
popular. Since you may wish to keep that rich expanse of green,
muted greens or shades of silver, rose, purple, and chocolate might
be better than the distracting bursts of orange/coral/ lime.
A
cousin of Heuchera is Tiarella cordifolia, the foam flower. Both of
these native members of the saxifragaceae family have wands of tiny
graceful flowers but their foliage is a year round delight. You may
also find the hybrid of the two, Heucherella, which has the
advantage of growing in full sun as well as part shade. Two new
cultivars are ‘Tapestry’ and ‘Alabama Sunrise’ .The flower panicles
of the Heucherella seem more robust, but some gardeners tell me the
plants with Heuchera villosa genes tolerate our heat and humidity
more easily.
A
charming ground cover for shade is Cornus canadensis, a true native
dogwood. This bunchberry sports the typical dogwood flower facing
upward on a plant only a few inches tall. The foliage becomes a deep
red in fall. Cornus Canadensis prefers cool summers and may be
difficult to establish, ergo, it will be expensive.
For dry shade, nothing is more elegant than the barrenwort,
Epimedium. Small heart-shaped leaves are topped with pale yellow
flowers in spring looking like little jester’s caps. Other species
have flowers in white, rose, or red. Another woodland native for
shade is creeping wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens with tiny white
flowers followed by red berries. If you have a spot between
buildings in sun or shade you just want covered, Euonymous fortunei,
wintercreeper, will do the job. It is probably too invasive to be
let loose near a garden but it will cover a strip between two
hardscapes.
The list of ground covers for sun is extensive, including plants
usually not thought to serve that purpose, such as Nepeta
phyllochlamys. This four-inch tall catmint is grey with pale pink
flowers, and draws bees, not cats to your garden. Phlox sublata is a
fine plant for sunny places and the white or blue one is a
compliment to yellow daffodils. The hot pink is a screamer but the
fine ferny foliage of any of them is a plus all summer.
Delightful creeping Dianthus is another group that with small scale
silvery foliage that flowers off and on all summer. They are called
garden pinks but the term does not refer to the color although pink
is one of the favorite dianthus shades. I have read that the term
‘pink’ refers to the zig-zag edge on the petals. They are also
called Carnations and many of them are fragrant, clove-scented.
Several Veronicas are so low as to be ground covers. V. prostrate,
prostrate speedwell is mat forming with several cultivars of
wonderful blues but they do not last in long hot summers. Ice plants
on the other hand love it here! Why they call Delosperma ‘Ice Plant’
when they survive along your hot driveway without a care? The
foliage is succulent and the spidery daisy blooms cheery in several
bright colors.
For white to cool a sunny spot try snow-in-summer, Cerastium. The
foliage needs trimming back after it blooms to encourage further
flowering. Alyssum, usually a school bus yellow, also comes in white
and they are exceedingly generous bloomers, a trait not to be
sneezed at.