View full sizeBlue star creeper is aptly named, with little blue starry flowers twinkling all over.It's spring, and weeds are showing up to claim every bare patch of ground, so it's time to think about ground cover. Lawn is one way to go, of course, but with the watering, fertilizing and mowing, it's not exactly low-maintenance. Here are some ground cover plants to consider. First decide how much foot traffic and sunlight the area will get.
FOR LIGHT FOOT TRAFFIC
Scotch or Irish moss (Sagina subulata):
evergreen; looks like moss; sun to partial shade.
Blue star creeper (Pratia pedunculata, syn. Laurentia fluviatilis):
small, pale blue flowers in late spring and summer; evergreen; can be invasive; full sun to partial shade.
Pratia angulata:
white flowers in late spring; similar to blue star creeper; lush and fast-growing; partial shade.
Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile):
soft-textured; leaves fragrant when crushed; evergreen; sun to partial shade.
View full sizeWoolly thyme and sedumWoolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus):
soft, fuzzy, grayish leaves on low, creeping plant; occasional pink flowers; aromatic; sun.
Thymus 'Elfin':
tiny leaves on nearly flat plant; aromatic; sun.
Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum):
fragrant; white flowers; sun.
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium):
spreader; similar to Corsican mint but larger leaf; needs cool, moist site.
Mount Atlas daisy (Anacyclus depressus):
slow-growing; dense; daisy flowers; sun.
Mazus reptans 'Alba':
nice, bright green; good, fast spreader; pure white flowers similar to apple blossoms; evergreen during normal winters; requires moisture; partial shade.
NO FOOT TRAFFIC
Carpet bugleweed (Ajuga reptans):
fast-grower; spires of blue flowers; evergreen most winters; lush foliage in several colors; best in loose soil in partial shade.
Corsican mint (Mentha requienii):
mat of tiny, shiny green leaves; disappears during cold winters.
Wild strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis):
evergreen; large, white spring flowers.
Raoulia australis:
tiny, gray-green leaves; looks like living gravel; unusual; sun or partial shade.
View full sizeCandytuft Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum):
whorls of green leaves; white flowers in late spring and summer; fragrant; dry shade.
Sedums and sempervivums:
variety of textures and colors; any soil except waterlogged; sun to partial shade.
Cotula squalida:
soft, hairy, fernlike leaves in medium green with blushes of bronze; slower spreader, good around pavers; likes moisture; takes a bit of traffic.
Diascia (low-growing varieties):
long-blooming; good spreader; evergreen; pink to salmon flowers; sun to partial shade.
Iceplant (Delosperma cooperi):
brilliant purple flowers in summer; very hardy; sun.
Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens):
stays low, compact and full.
Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum):
slow spreader; heart-shaped leaves; green marked with white; partial to full shade.
Rubus calycinoides:
tough ground cover in rose family; leaves turn red in winter; sun.
WANT MORE?
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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