Guides: Ground Covers
Hardiness
Helleborus (Hellebores)
There are 17 Hellebore species. Most are native to the mountainous regions of Europe, especially the Balkan region of the former Yugoslavia, south along the eastern Adriatic to Greece and Turkey. Many of the species have been interbred, producing countless hybrid Hellebores in a rich array of colors and forms.
Echeverias
Native to Mexico and Central America, Echeverias are regarded by many as one of the most beautiful succulents. Evergreen, they form attractive rosettes of fleshy leaves and often resemble plum-petaled roses, waterlilies or ruffled lettuce. There are dozens of species, and hundreds of cultivars offering a wide array of colors, sizes or leaf shapes.
Ceanothus (California Lilac)
Ceanothus, commonly known as California Lilac, offers almost everything a gardener could wish for in a shrub: free-flowering, lovely foliage, ease of cultivation, drought and salt tolerance. Fast growing, these desirable shrubs draw attention with their stunning blue, white or pink flowers. When a California Lilac bursts into bloom, it is a breathtaking sight to behold.
Blueberries (Vaccinium)
Blueberries (Vaccinium) make excellent ornamental edibles. Evergreen or deciduous shrubs, they are worthy of inclusion in the garden where they offer multiple seasons of interest. They can be successfully grown in any size garden or planted in containers provided they are grown in acidic soil.
Dicentra (Bleeding Hearts)
Appealing to most gardeners, Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) are rhizomatous or tuberous perennials with heart-shaped flowers dangling in arching panicles or racemes above attractively divided leaves. Shade tolerant, they bloom over a long season, extending from late spring to early fall, in cooler climates. In hotter climates, flowering will usually stop in the heat of the summer, but may start again when the weather cools in late summer or early fall. Beautiful in leaf as soon as they sprout, they quickly add their charming blooms and make elegant additions to the garden when combined with other shade-loving perennials.
Galanthus (Snowdrops)
There are 20 different Snowdrop species and several hundreds of hybrids. Yes, several hundreds (!). The craze known as Galanthophilia has swept through the ranks of gardening enthusiasts in the past few years. While all snowdrops look the same to the uninitiated - dainty, nodding white flowers, with a dab of green, held on a thin arching stalk at the end of a thicker stem - they reveal their differences when you take a closer look.
Trilliums
One of the most beloved of the spring woodland wildflowers, Trilliums (Wake Robin) are remarkable rhizomatous perennials with unbranched stems, noted for the perfect symmetry of their leaves, petals and sepals which all come in groups of three, hence the genus name. Their blooms can be either showy or discrete, their foliage handsomely mottled. Jewels of the shade garden, they are fully hardy and will blossom and blend beautifully with other woodland plants.
Clematis - Montana Group
Healthy, sturdy, easy to please, the Montana group of clematis includes the most vigorous deciduous climbers within the clematis family. Their flowers are not as large or flashy as those of the large-flowered Clematis varieties, but they are full of charm, fragrant and so abundant!
Great Flowering Groundcover Plants: Campanulas
Some Campanulas experience both a dense and rapid growth which helps to suppress weeds while creating a terrific blanket of flowers and foliage. They are perfect candidates for banks and slopes or areas that are difficult to maintain. Rewardingly floriferous, they form a carpet of nodding bells and are hard to beat in terms of floral display. Some produce so many flowers that they nearly cover the entire plant.
Anthemis tinctoria (Golden Marguerite)
Eye-catching, Anthemis tinctoria is a vigorous perennial that will light up your garden throughout summer with its abundant blooms of shining golden yellow flowers atop a fragrant lacy foliage.
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Most Muscari species are so extremely winter hardy and easy to grow that no garden should be without them. They naturalize extremely easily and will come back year after year and multiply.
Gazania (Treasure Flower)
Native to South Africa, African Daisies (Arctotis) are showy tender perennials exhibiting brightly colored daisy-like flowers, up to 3 in. wide (8 cm), contrasting with their black or yellow center disks and their beautiful, finely cut, silvery-green foliage
Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish Bluebells)
Easy to grow, low care and incredibly good-looking, Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) is a great bulbous perennial to have! Each bulb produces attractive, nodding, bell-shaped flowers hanging from sturdy, round flower stalks, atop clumps of glossy strap-shaped leaves. Blooming heartily from mid to late spring, Spanish Bluebell is a beautiful and reliable addition to the landscape, where it will happily multiply in optimum growing conditions.
Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower)
Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower) is a rewarding little plant that can easily provide a great deal of pleasure! Offering dabs of bright colors in mid spring, mounds of abundant daisy-like flowers show off in shades of white, blue and pink over a finely cut fernlike foliage. These daisies are a delight and seem to last for weeks. Ideal to plant in quantity along paths and borders, even under shade trees. For sheer spring joy, plant a few!
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