[AG-EQ] 15 best evergreen ground covers

[dogwood farm]

15 best evergreen ground covers

An evergreen ground cover plant is beneficial to your garden in two
ways, each of which has significant value even when found separately
on plants!

Evergreen foliage provides visual interest all year round.

Ground covers offer a number of ways to lower yard maintenance. They
fight erosion and suppress weeds. Grown on a slope in lieu of grass,
they help you avoid mowing in a problem area that, at best, would be
inconvenient to mow and, at worst, downright dangerous.

Plants suited to use as ground covers that also bear evergreen leaves
must then be considered some of the best plants for landscaping. This
list of the best evergreen ground covers includes a variety of options
for gardeners, from perennials all the way up to shrubs.

Always match a plant's growing needs to its location when selecting
plants. For example, some evergreen ground covers like full sun and
are suited to xeriscaping, while others will tolerate shade or want
more water.

01 of 15  Creeping Myrtle
 Although it's more often seen with blue flowers, the Alba cultivar of
Vinca minor offers white blooms. Because this flowering vine can take
dry shade, it's a problem solver: Many plants don't like such
conditions.

Unfortunately, it's invasive in some areas, so check around locally
before buying it to avoid making a common landscaping mistake. But for
landscapes where it's not invasive (or where having a strong ground
cover for dry shade is important enough that you don't mind the extra
maintenance in having to control it), creeping myrtle (USDA planting
zones 4 to 8) can be a superb pick.

02 of 15  Japanese Spurge
Pachysandra terminalis (zones 4 to 8) is a classic broadleaf evergreen
ground cover for shade and also tolerates dry shade. Whereas Vinca has
both nice leaves and pretty flowers, Pachysandra is just a foliage
plant. But its leaves are bigger, shinier, a brighter green, and fill
in more densely, so the tradeoff can be worthwhile.

Both Vinca and Pachysandra are deer-resistant and well-suited to
xeriscaping in the shade.

03 of 15  Creeping Phlox
In contrast with Vinca and Pachysandra, Phlox subulata is a ground
cover for full sun. It prefers its soil to be kept evenly moist but
tolerates dry soil. A semi-evergreen, it grows in zones 3 to 9. Its
leaves are needle-like, but it's valued much more for its flowers,
which form a thick mat of color.

Red, pink, white, blue, bicolored, rose, lavender and purple are all
possible flower colors for this early-spring bloomer. For the best
display, grow masses of the plants on a hillside, where they will
double as erosion-control plants.

Plants will spread over time. If the excess is unwanted in the
original planting area, divide them and spread the wealth to another
spot in the yard.

04 of 15  Black Mondo Grass
Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens (zones 6 to 9) is semi-evergreen
with moderate water needs. Grow it in shade in the South, and in full
sun in the North.

It's signature quality is its grass-like blades, whose dark color
makes it one of the truly black plants.

05 of 15  Creeping Thyme
Some types of creeping thyme (zones 5 to 8) are evergreen. The Thymus
citriodorus Archer's Gold cultivar is one. This drought-tolerant plant
is a perennial for full sun. Like most Mediterranean herbs, it thrives
in dry, well-drained soil.

Creeping thyme has fragrant leaves; the smell is released when you
step on it, so tuck it between garden stepping stones to enjoy both
the sight of a green carpet and the smell of an herbal fragrance as
you stroll through your garden.

06 of 15  Spotted Dead Nettle
Lamium maculatum Orchid Frost (zones 4 to 8) is another pretty ground
cover for dry shade. It's a flowering ground cover (pink) that doubles
as a foliage plant, thanks to its silvery leaves edged in green. Those
leaves can be either evergreen or semi-evergreen, depending on
conditions.

Various cultivars offer different features; for example:

Aureum has white leaves with golden margins; flowers are pink.
The leaves of Golden Anniversary are green in the middle and yellow at
the margins (a white stripe in the center adds a third color); flowers
are lavender.

07 of 15  Angelina Stonecrop
There are a number of plants in the Sedum genus, a group of plants
considered "succulents." One of the most widely grown is Autumn Joy.
If you're looking to grow something different from what your neighbors
have, try Chocolate Drop, so called for its deliciously dark leaves.

Both Autumn Joy and Chocolate Drop are upright plants; if you want a
trailing plant to use as a ground cover, grow Angelina sedum. Whereas
Autumn Joy has nice pink flowers, Chocolate Drop and Angelina are more
often grown as foliage plants. Most all sedums resist drought.

08 of 15  Lenten Rose
The formation of flower buds on Helleborus orientalis (zones 4 to 9)
is a sure sign of spring. This shade lover needs an average amount of
water. Added benefits with Lenten rose are that it reseeds well and is
vole-resistant.

The fact that its flowers nod down to the ground makes it hard to see
them; if possible, grow this ground cover on a landscaping berm or
other elevated area so that you don't have to kneel on the earth to
appreciate their beauty. Or grow the Ivory Prince cultivar, which is
the only kind with flowers that keep their heads up.

09 of 15  Wall Germander
With Teucrium chamaedrys (zones 5 to 9), we transition from perennials
to subshrubs (plants with woody stems). Wall germander is a
drought-tolerant, evergreen ground cover.

This plant is a great choice as an edging plant along walkways in
sunny areas because it's a low-maintenance ground cover. Other species
of Teucrium make excellent topiary plants.

10 of 15  Candytuft
The candytufts are also drought-tolerant subshrubs that flower best in
full sun. They're evergreen in the South, semi-evergreen in the North.
Species include:

Iberis sempervirens (zones 4 to 8)
Iberis saxatilis (zones 3 to 8)
Iberis pruitii (zones 3 to 8)

Iberis sempervirens Purity is a good cultivar for moon gardens, as its
flowers are a brilliant white.

11 of 15  Creeping Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis is classified as a shrub. But, because it has a
creeping form, it bridges the gap between subshrubs and the great
majority of shrubs.

Creeping junipers resist drought once established. They perform best
in full sun. Not only are they low-maintenance shrubs, but they also
can save you work by holding back the soil on erosion-prone hillsides,
thanks to their sturdy root systems.

12 of 15  Moonshadow Euonymus
Euonymus fortunei Moonshadow is a broadleaf evergreen shrub for zones
5 to 8. Variegated leaves are the trademark of these ornamental
shrubs. The bicolored pattern can be thought of as an inside-out
version of the more popular Euonymus fortunei Emerald 'n' Gold (where
the green is in the middle of the leaf and the brighter color on the
edge).

The color will be best in full sun; water needs are moderate. These
bushes become 2 feet tall x 4 feet wide; they're slow growers.

13 of 15  Blue Star Juniper
Juniperus squamata Blue Star isn't a creeping juniper, but it stays
short (3 feet at maturity). It eventually becomes wider (5 feet at
maturity) than it is tall. So it can be an effective evergreen ground
cover if grown in a mass.

This slow-growing shrub for sun (zones 4 to 8) is valued for its blue,
awl-shaped, evergreen needles. The bush displays some resistance to
drought once established.

14 of 15  English Ivy
English ivy (zones 4 to 9) was a popular evergreen ground cover for
shade in the U.S. for a long time. Then gardeners began to catch on to
the fact that this woody vine is invasive in many areas (ask your
county extension to check if your area is one of them). Fortunately,
if you really like this vine and need a tough plant to fill in a shady
spot, there is a workaround: Since it is mainly the traditional types
that are invasive, select from among the numerous new cultivars that
are much less vigorous growers.

Many of the new types of English ivy can be grouped by how the leaf
differs from the species plant. For example, some have:

Smaller leaves
Leaves with crinkled edges
Variegated leaves

Hedera helix Glacier, for example, is a cultivar with variegated leaves.

Note
These last two plants are so vigorous, that they can only be
recommended under the condition that non-invasive cultivars are
selected.

15 of 15  Bugleweed
The species plant, Ajuga reptans (zones 3 to 10), is another invasive
plant, so be sure to explore cultivar options here. Many have
attractive foliage, as well as blue flowers. As with English ivy, the
variegated cultivars tend to be less invasive; Burgundy Glow is one.

The benefits of bugleweed include:

Its mat-forming habit, which is great for controlling weeds
The fact that deer pests don't like it
The beauty of the variegated types

Susan