This one is a horticultural hybrid developed by crossing Nepata racemosawithN. nepetella. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They're also popular ground covers used to stop soil erosion. Here in North American home gardens, it serves as a six- to 10-inch tall, slowly spreading ground cover for part shade to full shade. nettles (Lamium maculatum) constitute the majority of commercially available varieties. Check out these favorite ground covers that will require little effort on your part once you plant them. Locate where the runners have rooted themselves into the ground. If you've seen the lavender fields in Provence, you know this sweetly-scented perennial with purple or blue flowers looks amazing planted en masse. Well to make a long stroy short the Lamium is gone and in its place we planted a very small ground cover called Tiny Thyme. Flowering Plants for Bare Garden Spots - Ground Cover Dogwood. Its off the menu for deer and rabbits, but a feast for pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Aronia is a pretty low-growing native shrub that has tiny white flowers amid glossy green foliage. It grows best where it has plenty of space to spread out. 6. Lamium is one of the choices for ground-cover especially if you are looking for ground-cover that is tough yet showy. 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. Water the seedlings and apply a mulch layer on top of the soil. The petite white star-shaped flowers provide a nice contrast to the deciduous green foliage. Ajuga ground cover doing very well in low light. This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs. It isnt too particular about soil type as long as the drainage is decent. Clover Unless you want it as your lawn or have a horse to feed, don't plant it. FYI: Full sun means an area gets 6+ hours of direct sunlight per day, part sun is anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of direct sunlight, and full shade is up to 3 hours of sun. When selecting a ground cover for shady areas, make sure to choose shade-tolerant plants that naturally thrive with minimal sunlight. The spotted dead nettle plant is listed as invasive in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and is located mainly in the upper eastern states. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. It prefers shade, but . Most perennial ground coverings fall into these categories. Ground covers are used to provide edgings to pathways, control erosion, and add interest to landscape design. Dig out rhizomes to keep in bounds. These deer-resistant plants are not bothered by rabbits either. plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Botanical Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis This tall ground cover has a horizontal growing habit, give it plenty of water and afternoon shade until it is fully grown. #9. Groundcover plants are helpful for weed suppression, while also adding texture and color to your garden with low maintenance needs. The kaleidoscope of red, blue and green all at once lights up the shade like ground level fireworks. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Principal fired for reading 'I Need a New Butt!' Read our, Amethyst in Snow (Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow'), 31 Best-Deer Resistant Flowers and Plants to Grow, 10 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs for Landscaping, 18 Perennial Flowers That Bloom in Spring, Summer and Fall, 35 Types of Orange Flowers: Identification & Photos, 15 Best Plants for Drought-Tolerant Gardens, Angelina Sedum (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'), Rock Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis), Chinese lantern is also considered invasive. In either case, cut back shabby foliage after the first frost to make way for new growth in the spring. Five Great Garden Ground Cover Plants - Dengarden But its attractive variegated foliage spreads out to two or three times its height. Overview: Spotted Dead Nettle - Lamium maculatum is a herbaceous perennial growing to 0.2 -0.9m at a fast . Lamium spreads quickly, so be ready to cut it back if it begins to encroach on other shrubs and flowers. It grows best in morning sun and afternoon shade. Good news. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Its variegated leaves and colorful spring flowers make Lamium a reliable choice for brightening shady garden spots where few other perennials will grow. Lamium - Excellent Ground Cover for Shade - Charismatic Planet If your garlic outgrows its space, thin it out and divide the old clumps every few years for a consistent ground cover. Spotted deadnettle ground cover grows about 6 to 12 inches (15-31 cm.) . Lamium will grow under tree canopies and fill in around taller perennials, tolerating some dryness from the roots of other plants, but it grows better with irrigation. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. Lamium is a fast-growing, perennial ground cover that deer and rabbits avoid. Whether you do it yourself or pay a landscaper, maintaining a vibrant garden and lush lawn requires time, effort, and money. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. 25 Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plants for Sun and Shade - The Spruce 7. It is far too unattractive a little for this low-growing carpet of leaves. Growing as high as 36 inches, it blooms all summer long with purple flowers. Leadwort is an excellent low-maintenance groundcover for putting on a late-season show. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. 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. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Root-hardy, it will return after a freeze, but in mild winters such as this year's, little damage is done to the foliage. They areespecially valued for use in shady spots, which is a condition that many plants dislike. Mature plants that have gotten "leggy" should be cut down to just above the ground, which then will grow back into a bushy, compact plant. Care requirements for creeping phlox are few. If you live in USDA Zones 3 through 9 and have a low spot where grass struggles because its too wet, try planting golden groundsel there instead. She has spent over two decades working in the horticulture industry on new plant development, garden design, sales, marketing and consulting. Keep in mind that smaller containers will require watering more often. Its a good idea to add some mulch around the plant to help suppress weeds. Imagine sky blue flowers popping up in and around your shade garden in the springtime, swaying in the slightest breeze, rising above a carpet of Canadian wild ginger or lamium (see below). Interrupted fern, like bunchberry and liverleaf, is a North American native that can serve as a low-maintenance ground cover for shade. 12 Most Resilient Ground Covers For Your Yard - Bees and Roses Pink or white flowers bloom in spring and summer. Common pests for spotted dead nettles are slugs and snails, which seem to be the main pests for this plant, although aphids can also attach themselves to the stems and leaves. While lamium looks great, it's not the best at dealing with high amounts of traffic, so make sure it's somewhere with less foot traffic. An evergreen perennial native to North America, heuchera is known for its vibrant foliage, which ranges in color from silver to green to brown. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. Select Delosperma floribundum'Starburst', a mat-forming cultivar with pink flowers and white centers for zones 6 to 8. They are tough and their easy-going adaptability to a wide variety of rocky slopes, clay, and alkaline soils keep them comfortable in the west. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. It also doesn't die back in the winter. But this plant with prettyfoliageand funny namerarely becomes a problem for those who grow it in areas where it is already native. It's tough-as-nails once established, tolerating poor soil and drought conditions. Though its lush leaves dont scream drought tolerant, sedum boasts an ability to root and thrive in even the driest, rockiest settingsthus earning it the familiar name stonecrop. The secret? If you prefer a small hosta, opt for 'Blue Mouse Ears' that grows 6 to 12 inches high with round, heart-shaped blue-green leaves. The opposite leaves are silvery green with large silver blotches on the upper surface, lightening up a dark shady area. Gardening 101: Dead Nettles - Gardenista Equally at home hanging from a planter or covering a hillside, Lysimachia (more commonly known as creeping Jenny) is a plant admired for its trailing branches. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. How to Grow Lamium Flowers (Lamium maculatum), a Guide 30 Perennials You'll Regret Planting in Your Zone 3 Garden . Blooms late Spring to mid Summer. The large, veined, heart-shaped leaves have a spread of 18 to 24 inches, and most varieties bloom in late spring with small pink flowers. Choose plants that are hardy to USDA zones 2 to 4. Pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees love this plant in the spring when they are blooming. Here's how: While they can self-seed themselves, spotted dead nettles do not do well if you try to grow them from seed. Low-growing varieties of sedum make easy-to-care-for ground covers, especially since its fleshy leaves retain enough water to survive dry spells. On top of all that, with proper care the plant can last 5 to 6 years, during which time you can harvest your own fresh thyme. A Texas Master Gardener, she's the author of The Texas Flower Garden, published by Gibbs-Smith in 1996. One difference, though, is that it is more aggressive. This species of plumbago is cold hardy to USDA Zone 5, but will survive winter better if you cover it with a light mulch, or if theres snow cover. As with yellow alyssum, Angelina sedum can be regarded as a "Goldilocks" ground cover. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch. Spotted Dead Nettle is an excellent ground cover plant because of its flowers and its spreading growth habit. Full Shade Ground Cover Zone 3 - ground cover good Dead-nettle, beautiful little ground cover - nature-and-garden.com . She is married to photographer John Everett and they have one son. There may be restrictions on planting it in these areas. Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road. Liverleaf (Anemone americana, formerly classified as Hepatica americana) is a perennial wildflower native to North America. Press Esc to cancel. Pruning it back can help keep rambunctious runners under control or set your mower to high and shear it back after it flowers in the summer. high and can spread out 2 feet (61 cm.) 16 Fast Growing Ground Cover Plants to Transform Your Yard - MorningChores She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. chezmoose. Consult with your local extension office before growing spotted deadnettle because it is invasive in some areas. When planted in groups, heuchera works well as a ground cover or along garden edging. Many are perennials, some are annuals, and some make good ground covers, though they can be overly aggressive in favorable locations. Noteworthy Characteristics Lamium maculatum, commonly called spotted deadnettle, is native to Europe and North Africa to West Asia. It reaches 6-inches in height and spreads to 24-inches wide. We recommend our users to update the browser. Perfect for plantings under perennials or shrubs and as a groundcover or edging plant. 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Thanks to its bold blue hue and its ability to attract butterflies, Grace Ward lithodora will add bursts of color to your landscape from spring through the end of summer. North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Here are our top 15 ground covers for shaded areas. There are so many options to choose from, including old favorites like Pachysandra and Vinca, as well as small shrubs, perennials, and annuals.