Ground cover plants knit a low, dense carpet over bare soil, which makes life harder for weeds, whether you’re dealing with a baking sunny bank or the shade beneath trees. All five species in our selection are drought tolerant, and between them they cover every kind of light, from full sun to full shade.
Creeping thyme, Caucasian stonecrop and the creeping juniper ‘Wiltonii’ belong in the sunniest, driest parts of the garden, where they make do with thin, stony soil, and the juniper also holds the soil on a slope. Lesser periwinkle and bigroot cranesbill, on the other hand, cope with shade, and the cranesbill is one of the few plants that can handle dry shade.
They differ in height too: creeping thyme forms a mat 5-10 cm high, periwinkle, juniper and stonecrop reach 8-15 cm, while bigroot cranesbill grows to 30-45 cm and smothers weeds with its dense, aromatic foliage. Over time the juniper spreads 1.8-4 metres wide, so a single plant can cover a large area.
Thymus serpyllum
A fragrant, carpet-forming ground cover for the sunniest, driest parts of the garden that grows even in shallow, stony soil.
In wet, poorly drained soil it suffers from root rot, so don't mulch it.
Vinca minor
An evergreen ground cover with lavender-blue flowers that quickly forms a dense carpet, even in shade and dry soil.
It spreads vigorously and can creep into the lawn and neighbouring beds.
Geranium macrorrhizum
Dense, weed-suppressing ground cover with aromatic leaves and purplish-pink flowers, and one of the few plants that cope with dry shade.
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' (syn. 'Blue Rug')
A silvery-blue evergreen that hugs the ground, thrives even on a dry, stony bank in blazing sun, and helps to hold the soil in place.
Harmful if eaten and may cause skin allergies, and junipers can act as alternate hosts for rust diseases of apples and pears.
Sedum spurium (syn. Phedimus spurius)
A low ground cover with succulent leaves for the driest sunny spots, which gets by even on poor soil and whose leaves turn burgundy in autumn.
It does not like being overwatered.
Yes, you can replace part of a lawn with ground cover, especially where you rarely walk, such as a sunny bank or the area under trees. The plant profiles we use say nothing about how well these plants stand up to foot traffic, so for a lawn you sit, play or walk on, grass is still the right choice.
In our selection, lesser periwinkle and the creeping juniper ‘Wiltonii’ are evergreen, and in shady spots you can also use common ivy, another evergreen, as ground cover if you cut it back regularly. Periwinkle likes shade and the juniper full sun, so between them they can cover both ends of the garden.
Yes, autumn moor grass, a low ornamental grass, can be planted under trees or in sun as ground cover, and elephant’s ears (Bergenia cordifolia) works in part or full shade. Bergenia adds deep pink spring flowers to its large, glossy, leathery leaves, but it doesn’t like great heat or prolonged drought.
Lesser periwinkle, which our sources say quickly forms a dense carpet even in shade and dry soil. The catch is that it spreads vigorously and can creep into the lawn or neighbouring beds.
If you’d like to plant up a bank, the ground under your trees or part of the lawn, we’ll come out, check the light and the soil, and send you a written quote. The site visit is free, we’ll call you back within one working day, and you can write to us in English.
Quicker by phone? Call us on +36 20 944 3464.
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