This deer-resistant succulent ground cover has needle-shaped leaves and small but bright daisy-like flowers that carpet the plants from late spring through early fall. This easy-care, mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. The nepeta genus includes roughly 250 species. While this glossy, strappy green is popular in the southern states, it can survive anywhere. It does best in sun. I still like the stuff It is really a pretty ground cover. Please keep reading to learn about this plant with a cautionary tale. 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. The 'Six Hills Giant' cultivar is a good choice for covering large areas. This ground cover forms a low-growing carpet that spreads quickly as its stems root when they touch the ground. 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. If you have bare acreage behind your home that does not lead to another property, Chinese lantern can be a great ground cover and filler. While many shrubs give you flowers, the prettiest thing aboutCotoneaster horizontalis is its colorful, red berries. It grows best where it has plenty of space to spread out. 16 inches apart for coverage in two seasons. Some of these ground covers will grow in sun and others in shade; all will put on growth quickly. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. Spotted dead nettles propagate easily by themselves from runners, by dividing, or from cuttings. Available at Etsy; $10.99 per 1-quart plant. This quickly spreading ground cover forms a tight, six- to 10-inch tall mass of shiny green foliage that blushes bright red and bronze beginning in early fall. When grown as a ground cover, it is an easy-care plant that requires little maintenance. If you're planting a shrub or perennial that you want to last from one year to the next, make sure it's suited according to your USDA Hardiness Zone (find yours here). And lasting from late spring to midsummer, and can be reddish-purple, pink, or white depending on the variety. Eventually, they will form a mat. Q. Just like other plants with the word "creeping" in the name, liriope can be considered aggressive and invasive in parts of the United States, from Virginia through to Mississippi. The name "Dead Nettle" refers to the fact that Lamium does not have the stinging hair characteristic of other nettles. (I prefer to call it lamium), Lamium . It likes full sun, and requires regular trimmings to keep it from taking over the yard. Planted in groupings, it makes a lovely ground cover. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. Susan has received visitors from around the world in her home garden which has been featured in numerous gardening publications. I think I'll try some . Note that the green type of European native can be highly invasive, especially in wet areas of the Northeast westward to Indiana, and in the parts of the Northwest. The beauty of this easy-care perennial ground cover is that it's deer-resistant which means flowers may be trampled, but not typically eaten. It likes full sun, but can tolerate part shade. It grows best in morning sun and afternoon shade. Fun bonus: The flowers, either fresh or dried, can be used in salads or steeped in teas. The erect flower clusters are long-blooming. Providing extra spacing between plants can lessen leaf-spotting, but this somewhat defeats the purpose of growing spotted dead nettles, as one of their best features is that they spread and fill in an area, thereby crowding out weeds. Few ground covers ever look as beautiful as creeping phlox in spring, when it produces an explosion of fragrant, star-shaped, pastel-colored flowers. Hardy and deer resistant in USDA Zones 4 through 8, this colonizing fern prefers humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. Blooms from mid-spring through summer. Plant them with an assortment of other flowering plants in a container garden to have sitting on your porch and lanai, or they trail beautifully from a hanging basket. No special soil is needed for it to flourish and reseed. Though many annual flowers can be used for ground coverings, it can be laborious to replant large swaths of coverings yearly. Select either a shady or half shady location when growing Lamium maculatum. However, the more sunshine that you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil. If you are looking for a low-maintenance ground cover, sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a good pick, but only under certain conditions. Depending on the variety, you can expect this ground cover to behave as a creeper, or a low-mounded perennial, with small flowers that resemble snapdragons blooming in summer. Rock cotoneaster is considered a full-shun shrub but benefits from some afternoon shade. Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. Within two to three years of planting, it forms a lush carpet of velvety, green, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground. It spreads via rhizomes, a trait that can be a double-edged sword. Being creepers and having a tendency to spread, these classic cottage-garden plants are popular flowering ground covers. Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to besemi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. Mulching and weeding to prevent unwanted sprouts from stealing water from these low-maintenance succulents, and you can enjoy the cheery color of this low growing ground cover year-round, with a number of varieties to choose from. The only issue to watch for is rotting leaves. It is also ideal for rock gardens, border edges, and even containers besides being an excellent choice for an ornamental ground cover. They're also popular ground covers used to stop soil erosion. Its brittle, fragile stems help keep it from becoming aggressively invasive and also allow bulbs and other perennials to penetrate its foliage. Place lamium where you won't be smashing it underfoot, though, because its stems are somewhat fragile. Note: This plant is considered invasive across much of the northeast, some areas of the northern Midwest, and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Spotted dead nettles will naturalize in some areas. Oak sedge prefers partial shade to full shade in USDA Zones 3 through 8. It tucks into shaded rock gardens and naturalized borders. Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. 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!' 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? This native ground cover is as useful as it is pretty, acting as the larval host of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly and as a weed suppressing ground cover. This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs. Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. It needs full sun to bloom best. Bunchberry is a shade-loving deciduous shrub native to northern portions of North America. Its native habitat is wooded areas, so it is perfect for a shady woodland garden. It's also toxic to humans and pets. This clumping perennial is less than a foot tall, with slender, long, arching leaves. Planted in groupings, which spread rapidly, they make an elegant groundcover for moist, shady areas. Candytuft is a ground-hugging, clumping, and flowering perennial that dies back each winter and rebounds each spring and early summer. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. The plant dies back to the ground in the winter and comes out in the spring, but giving it a good shearing before winter will help keep the plants healthy. Because the common name is often given as "spotted dead nettle". The low-lying ground cover is a popular option as a filler for rock gardens or as an accent above retaining walls. A critical bit of deadnettle plant info to be aware of, however, is . It spreadsby reseeding, but it never will spread enough to become a problem. I simply pick the seedlings if they pop up where I don't want them. Lamium is rarely troubled by disease and is generally pest-free. "Lamium maculatum" is a lovely ground cover, you can use them to decorate the hostas' edges. 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. Pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees love this plant in the spring when they are blooming. Growing only about 3 inches tall, this plant spreads over time, crowding out weeds and thus reducing maintenance further. In its native environment, it spreads slowly to cover the forest floor, where deer and rabbits typically leave it alone. Physalis. This ground cover requires very little care at allif planted in full shade. Infinitely touchable, the velvety, fuzzy foliage of this plant is aptly named (c'mon, just look at it). When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Spotted dead nettle has a wide range, but does not do well in very warm, humid locations. In either case, cut back shabby foliage after the first frost to make way for new growth in the spring. Growing and Harvesting a Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus). Vinca minor(commonly known as periwinkle) is a very popular ground cover because it's drought-tolerant, pest-free, inexpensive, and easy to grow in just about any type of soil. Ajuga ground cover doing very well in low light. Although rich, moist, acidic soils are ideal, this plant will also grow in alkaline, sandy and clay soils. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. RELATED: 25 Plants That Survive With or Without You. Good For: Plant Hardiness Zones 3-10 SHOP DEAD NETTLE SEEDS skymoon13 // Getty Images Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 10 Creeping Phlox In the south, however, they may develop problems with leaf-spotting due to the high humidity. These waterwise plants are perfect rock garden ground covers in zones 4 through 9 for the hardier yellow prairie zinnia and 6 through 10 for desert zinnia with its pretty white flowers. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. 4. There are more native species of sedge than any other plant in North America, and many make fine ground covers for shade. It gets its name because light reflects off its hairy growths and sparkles on the landscape. It is far too unattractive a little for this low-growing carpet of leaves. On the other hand, keeping it in check requires occasionally cutting back the stems, which can actually self-root if they fall off naturally. Virtually disease and pest free, Spotted Dead Nettle is also deer and rabbit resistant. It likes full sun. Do spotted dead nettle attract butterflies? If you set out a little nursery-grown pot of Lamium in spring. Aronia is a pretty low-growing native shrub that has tiny white flowers amid glossy green foliage. This common weedy plant is a member of the mint family and forms early groundcover mats, with fuzzy . The 25 low-maintenance ground cover plants in this list are vigorous (some more than others) but manageable, so they will fill in empty spaces without growing out-of-control. One of the best fast-growing ground cover plants for full sun is flowering candytuft. LAY-mee-um mak-yoo-LAH-tum Description Fast growing; Spotted dead nettle is a good ground cover for moist, shady areas. You can plant this drought-tolerant, low-maintenance ground cover at the edge of a rock garden or other space and more or less forget about it (except for occasional watering) during the summertime. Its dense mats are threatening native plants on forest floors. Ice plant is a fast and easy-growing ground covering, but pick the right species for your climate. Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) grows as a spreading mat of herbaceous stems and leaves. Look for varieties like Ghost that are heavily silvered and really brighten up lightly to densely shaded spaces. Many plant species from the genus Sedum are native to North America. Press Esc to cancel. Cost: Buy 200 seeds for around $7 or a large, potted plant for around $20. If you are looking for a tenacious ground cover that will stare in the face of drought while living in dry, sandy soil in a shady area, either shadara's violets or yellow archangel or bishop's weed should work. To make sure your ground covers get the job done (ya know, dressing up your landscape), follow the instructions on their plant care tag to give them the right conditions. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. Root-hardy, it will return after a freeze, but in mild winters such as this year's, little damage is done to the foliage. Doesn't need much water. 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. When grown as a ground cover, it is an easy-care plant that requires little maintenance. Don't site near small plants which may be overtaken. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. She founded Gaia's Farm and Gardens,aworking sustainable permaculture farm, and writes for Gaia Grows, a local newspaper column. . The little silver leaves of lamium are like bits of glitter strewn about the garden floor, reflecting any dappled sunlight that finds them. In addition to making your garden look good, lithodora is a useful ally: The plant works as a natural deer repellent (the animals dislike the taste of the flowers) and helps control erosion. wide. Soil & Transplanting. Yarrow can grow in full sun in nearly any soil and can tolerate drought once established. Try to plant it in large groupings on a hillside or along the house's foundation to prevent erosion. It is perfect for a small space, like a little garden along a north-facing wall. The horizontally-spreading branches of creeping junipers make a dense mat that weeds cant penetrate. Can be invasive in moist, fertile soils. Home Outdoors Yard & Garden Structures Planters. Kathleen Miller is a highly-regarded Master Gardener and Horticulturist who shares her knowledge of sustainable living, organic gardening, farming, and landscape design. #9. While it may be one of the toughest (er, tolerant) plants out there, Lily of the Valley looks as sweet as can be with darling white bells dangling from strappy green leaves. This tuberous perennial has long, thin, chive-like foliage you can enjoy in the kitchen; the greenery is topped by tiny purple flowers in the summer, and its also available in a variegated type. David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. This is not the form of thyme used in cooking, but its fragrance will attract bees and other pollinators. Lamium, or dead nettle, is a perennial ground cover, often with variegation. 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. One way to cut back on the energy and resources you put into your yard is to incorporate ground covers into the landscape. While it prefers full sun, it needs regular moisture, especially during hot months. Also known as lonicera, honeysuckle is an aromatic perennial that blooms with white, yellow, or red flowers in the spring and summer. You will have a Lamium carpet by fall, and the following year you will perhaps be able to pen your own lamium nursery with which to supply all your friends. high and can spread out 2 feet (61 cm.) Hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 8, it will be deciduous in all but the mildest climates. Common or Western yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is native to North America and can be found throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In the South or West, the ground cover may lose its leaves or die back in the cold months. Lamium Anne Greenway Need a good ground cover in the shade or morning sun. Lamium covers up that soil and adds colorful flowers, foliage and texture. While some have small flowers, the main focal point is the colorful foliage, which ranges from chartreuse to bronze. Ground cover plants are all-around problem-solvers: They retain moisture, control erosion, and provide.css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;} habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies. English Ivy. You could first try it in a small area container to see how it does in your garden. It got its name from the way its red stems spread like strawberry plants do, and how its rounded, dark green leaves with white veins and maroon undersides resemble a begonia. This plant grows vibrant purple flowers that grow against grey-green foliage from early spring through early summer. The low-lying, flowering ground coverit grows no more than 4 inches tallcan endure being stepped and stomped on, making it a smart choice for planting between pavers or for replacing grass entirely. Ground-huggers in the 1- to 3-inch range that tolerate foot traffic can be used between stepping stones. North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. In milder climates, it is semi-evergreen. Poke holes in the fabric and plant the junipers, then cover the fabric with mulch. Grows in zone 2 to 6 in part shade and part Sun. Hardy in zones 7 through 10, these low maintenance ground cover plants love full sun and heat. Ground cover plants are the perfect solution for a variety of landscaping issues. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You have entered an incorrect email address! Spotted deadnettle. Keep weeds at bay with spreading plants in your garden. Get daily tips & tricks to help make your best home, Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. Lamb's Ear. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. This plant forms a ground-hugging mat topped with wispy white flowers that flutter atop 15-inch-tall stems in late spring to early summer. The versatile strawberry begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) is neither a strawberry nor a begonia. A favorite type is 'Silver Carpet' as it spreads easily, rarely flowers, and stays short at 4 to 6 inches tall. The leaves, bulblets and bulbs of the nodding onion plant are edible with a strong onion flavor, but its more common to grow Allium cernuum for its easily identifiable flowers. It prefers shade, but will tolerate some sun. Ivy is invasive and toxic to humans and animals but the charm it can lend to a yard can't be beat. When planted in full sun it usually needs extra watering, at least until the plant is well established. The thick, dense foliage is excellent for trouble spots where other plants have a hard time becoming established. This shrub flowers from May to July with white flowers, and grows to a maximum height of about 9 inches. It can cover large areas if you let it, so take care to find a place where its spreading tendency will be welcomed. It needs full sun to flourish. It matures to a maximum height of only 6 inches, so many gardeners choose to plant creeping phlox on a slope or along the top of a retaining wall to appreciate its beauty from several angles. This is a lush trailing ground cover with. With full sun, this green herb will grow small flowers in summer, attracting plenty of pollinators. For a sun-loving, pollinator-friendly herb, creeping thyme ( Thymus praecox) will fill your lawn with a fine-leaved mat of dainty pink, white, or purple flowers. When selecting a ground cover for shady areas, make sure to choose shade-tolerant plants that naturally thrive with minimal sunlight. nettles (Lamium maculatum) constitute the majority of commercially available varieties. 11 Garden Fence Ideas That Will Complement Any La 10 Lush Landscaping Ideas for a Hilly Backyard. Nepeta x faassenia, commonly called nepeta, nepeta catmint, or Faassen's catmint, is one of several perennial catmint plants. Care requirements for creeping phlox are few. Are rabbits attracted to spotted dead nettle? When you buy Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow', you may be thinking of it as an uprightperennial plant with attractive flowers. Spotted Nettle ( Lamium maculatum) is an excellent ground cover plant that has attractive foliage and pretty flowers that appear in profusion in mid-spring then sporadically over the course of the summer and fall. Divide this plant in the spring for additional and long-living ground cover that can last for a couple of decades. This is a slow-growing and long-lasting ground cover that simply needs pruning every so often to prevent it from growing leggy. The low-lying, flowering ground coverit grows no more than 4 inches tallcan endure being stepped and stomped on, making it a smart choice for planting between pavers or for replacing grass. This easy-to-grow plant spreads and produces numerous offspring from seed. Spotted Dead Nettle is an excellent ground cover plant because of its flowers and its spreading growth habit. Growing as high as 36 inches, it blooms all summer long with purple flowers. 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. Album has white flowers and white marked leaves. If you are looking for something unusual, consider wall germander, a broadleaf woody-stemmed evergreen that is often massed or used as a low hedge along retaining walls or in knot gardens. Select a branch and cut it off the plant. Ice plant is a perennial succulent ground cover with fleshy leaves and colorful flowers. Ferns come in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Choose from an annual or perennial variety, and watch charming daisy-like flowers bloom throughout this bushy plant. This is a deer- and rabbit-resistant ground cover that is ideal for large swaths of landscape. Yellow archangel ( lamium galeobdolon) Ice plants need plenty of sun to thrive. It needs full sun to survive. Lamium maculatum (white nettle, pink pewter, and spotted nettle) Lamium galeobdolon . The leaves are fairly small, about one inch in diameter. Both have tiny needle-like foliage that spreads along the ground or down rock walls. See this plant in the following landscapes: Wild Side- A Shady Garden Cultivars / Varieties: 'Album' Native to Europe and western Asia, Lamium is frequently found naturalized along woodland trails and paths and colonized along the banks of streams. They thrive in or out of sunlight, and they seem to multiply on their own thanks to their rhizomatous roots. For companion plants, select other shade-lovers. It's tough-as-nails once established, tolerating poor soil and drought conditions. Its a relative of mint, so its guaranteed to spread, and its hardy in the cold of Zone 3 but can take heat up to Zone 8. You may not have thought of using an onion as a ground cover, but doing so has some important advantages. It prefers shade, but . The leaves are fragrant, and deep pink flowers bloom from June through July. We recommend our users to update the browser. This is a highly invasive plant but it's also popular for growing on huge swaths of areas that need ground cover and won't encroach on another's property. A tall border, such as a retaining wall or large rocks, will do a good job containing growth without the need to prune. Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. Some hybrids offer striking, flat flower clusters that bees and butterflies can use as a landing pad. Its starry white flowers appear late in the season at a time when many other perennials are finished blooming, making it an important food source for pollinators. Once it settles in to its new home, this fern will speed up its spread and transplant easily if you find new shady places for it in your landscape. Add compost if you have clayey soil to improve drainage. I put the Lamium along a side of the housewhere the soil is very thin and a lot of plants do not like to grow. Yellow archangel has colorful leaves and flowers. Creeping phlox is the quintessential ground cover plant. Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more.