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vinca is the only groundcover that will live in poor soil and heavy shade under my oak trees. it has thrived there.
I had to add some soil to make a raised bed under my oak, and plant in sunny spots amidst the shade. It was enough for outgrowth to spread under trees, but not enough sun for optimal blooms. But even though drought tolerant, the roots of the tree drinks so much water that you’d need to still water regularly.
I had to add some soil to make a raised bed under my oak, and plant in sunny spots amidst the shade. It was enough for outgrowth to spread under trees, but not enough sun for optimal blooms. But even though drought tolerant, the roots of the tree drinks so much water that you’d need to still water regularly.
the vinca that live under my large oaks never bloom perhaps due to the heavy shade, but the pretty oval leaves are green and lush.
our vinca plants get a good drink once a week from the sprinklers. you are very right to bring up watering. these plants do need regular watering.
I love my dead nettle. At the time I bought it I knew little to nothing about gardening but it has done its duty and spread to all the places where it thrives well and provides bounteous pink and pale lavender blossoms here and there.
It even moved from the front of the house to the back correcting my poor choice.
I suggest Periwinkle, although I don't know a whole lot about gardening.
Periwinkle is a good ground cover...but think carefully if you REALLY want it, because once it gets established, you'll have a dickins of a time getting rid of it.
That said, it's an attractive plant, and in the spring gets the pretty periwinkle blue flowers, and yes, it can choke out weeds.
Other ground covers that I like as ground cover are creeping phlox, ajuga, and lamium.
I love my dead nettle. I have Lamium Beacon Silver with rose colored flowers. It's gorgeous when it blooms. It starts in May and will bloom off and on until fall. I have it planted around hostas, pig squeak, and coral bells. This is the second year and I had to move some around to cover more bare spots and give the other plants more room. I'm hoping it will fill in around all of the plants.
I love my dead nettle. I have Lamium Beacon Silver with rose colored flowers. It's gorgeous when it blooms. It starts in May and will bloom off and on until fall. I have it planted around hostas, pig squeak, and coral bells. This is the second year and I had to move some around to cover more bare spots and give the other plants more room. I'm hoping it will fill in around all of the plants.
Location: When things get hot they expand. Im not fat. Im hot.
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I have a VERY prolific ground cover called Creeping Buttercup. It grows about a foot tall and has interesting leaves and nice little yellow flowers. It spreads quickly and overpowers any smaller plants in its path. Larger plants and bulbs like tulips and lilies can hold their own. Its great in the right spot. I have it on my fence row interplanted with dafs and tulips and various lilies. DO NOT plant this in your flower beds.
I have some areas that will be receiving afternoon sun, not sure if my pachysandra will be able to tolerate it. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a groundcover similar to pachysandra that enjoys sun exposure?
Periwinkle. I had ajuga weed and it took over the entire backyard so that I couldn't get rid of it. I wasn't the one who planted it either, it was already there. Then there was lamium, I think. Not memorable and I don't think I cared too much for it.
But I had a stone wall that was in deep shade under trees and periwinkle proved to be perfect. I would only have to trim it a tiny bit once a year so that it wouldn't grow out onto sidewalk and it always seemed to stay neatly in its place and even produced beautiful little lavender flowers at certain times.
Another thing that isn't really a ground cover but I loved it were the short irises. They only bloomed in spring and the rest of the year they had those pointy leaves or else the leaves disappeared, I can't remember now. But in bloom, they were gorgeous. No work required, just pretty irises every year. They only got to be a few inches tall so they were like a groundcover. Iris reticulata, I think they were called.
Baby Sun Rose (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) are very invasive and vigorous creepers that kill not just weed, but grass as well. But I love them for that. They have nice satiny foliage and flower most of the time (and very quickly too). They grow very easily from cuttings.
Spoiler
Wandering Jews are also good.
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