"Lamium maculatum" is a lovely ground cover, you can use them to decorate the hostas' edges. Once established, its drought tolerant. Within two to three years of planting, it forms a lush carpet of velvety, green, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground. Q. Ajuga ground cover doing very well in low light. Here are a few varieties to consider. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. Get daily tips & tricks to help make your best home, Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles. It is a mat-forming perennial ground cover that typically grows 5-8" tall but spreads indefinitely over time by sprawling stems which root in the ground as they go. It often grows vertically along trellises, but the plant can also serve as a ground cover. Planted in groupings, it makes a lovely ground cover. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. 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. Spotted dead nettles propagate easily by themselves from runners, by dividing, or from cuttings. She was Features Copy Desk chief before becoming the first full-time garden editor for the paper in 1988. The creeping juniper is a sprawling, creeping needled evergreen shrub that grows to a maximum height of about 18 inches and with a spread that can go as much as 8 feet. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Liverleaf's spring floral display makes this small perennial special. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Spotted dead nettle has a wide range, but does not do well in very warm, humid locations. Plant liriope any time for quick growth and spreading. Advertisement Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' is a shade-loving perennial, highly valued for its drought tolerance and ability to form a bright carpet of silver foliage, with rich pink blooms . 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. Aronia is a pretty low-growing native shrub that has tiny white flowers amid glossy green foliage. Lamium covers well and adds colorful flowers, foliage and texture. RELATED: 10 Grass-Free Alternatives to a Traditional Lawn. David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. When planted in groups, heuchera works well as a ground cover or along garden edging. It isnt too particular about soil type as long as the drainage is decent. Charismatic Planet 2022. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. But its attractive variegated foliage spreads out to two or three times its height. Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. Creeping phlox is the quintessential ground cover plant. It has a stripe down the middle that can be white, yellow, red, or silver. Ground Cover Dogwood. They areespecially valued for use in shady spots, which is a condition that many plants dislike. To encourage new growth in the springtime cut spotted dead nettles back after the first frost or in the late autumn, depending on where you live. Spotted dead nettles tolerate evenshady areas that have dry soil. Much like the fictional character, it has golden hair (flowers) that spread enough to be effective in covering a certain amount of space, but the plant is not so vigorous a spreader to create a nuisance. The small leaves are speckled with spots, which earns the plant its name. It can climb walls and grow across landscapes as unstoppable ground cover. One way to cut back on the energy and resources you put into your yard is to incorporate ground covers into the landscape. If those conditions describe your landscape, then you may want to check out this wonderful little relative of the dogwood trees. Basket of Gold also goes by the name yellow alyssum, another reference to its adorable clusters of bright yellow flowers. In mid-summer, however, they're dotted with beautiful purple-pink flowers. In warm regions and/or insheltered areas of your yard, they may be evergreen. Overall, the plant is shaggy and short. The plant's multicolored leaves and tiny pastel flowers look attractive by themselves along a walkway or mingled. The unusual common name of "dead nettles" alludes to the fact that, while it resembles stinging nettles, the stingers are dead on L. maculatum, rendering it harmless. Otherwise, no pruning is needed, and if you're using it only for ground covering, watch that it does not grab hold of a tree bark or the siding of your house because its roots will dig in, making it hard to remove without damaging the surface. Though Lenten rose is not a rose (it's part of the buttercup family), its little buds are early season bloomers when it flowers at ground level in the late winter. 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. When shopping for this plant, be sure to ask for Aurinia saxatilis or yellow alyssum, not sweet alyssum, which is an entirely different species. .css-1byi7p4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#fff;-webkit-transition:background 0.3s ease-in-out,color 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:background 0.3s ease-in-out,color 0.3s ease-in-out;display:inline-block;background-color:#000000;border-radius:0.125rem;font-family:NeutraDisplay,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.79054rem;line-height:1;font-weight:bold;height:unset;letter-spacing:0.05rem;padding:0.6rem 1rem;text-transform:uppercase;width:auto;}.css-1byi7p4:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:#595959;background-color:#53c2be;}.css-1byi7p4:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}SHOP LILY OF THE VALLEY. White Nancy jparkers USDA Zones:3-9 She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. This clumping perennial is less than a foot tall, with slender, long, arching leaves. 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. It prefers shade, but . Plant bugleweed in the late spring or early summer and it will quickly spread runners (stolons) that can form a dense mat to fill large and shady areas, especially where you need erosion control. (Lamium maculatum) . Yellow archangel ( lamium galeobdolon) 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. Are rabbits attracted to spotted dead nettle? It matures to a height of about 3 feet, and it, too, can be used as a taller ground cover. chezmoose. This plant is deciduous in areas where there is colder weather but stays semi-evergreen in other regions. Lamium (Dead Nettle) is a trailing, groundcover perennial. Ground cover plants play an important role in the forest garden, protecting the soil, providing refuge for wildlife at ground layer, preventing unwanted plants from establishing and can provide some food such as berries or leaves. MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This is what Houston looks like from space, Oops! In addition to white flowers, you can find colors like moonshine yellow, paprika, or vintage violet. From creeping phlox to creeping thyme these perennial ground cover plants are loaded with flowers to attract pollinators to the garden. 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. Need an easy evergreen carpet to plant where no grass dare grow? When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Plant in full shade or partial shade. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Creeping Raspberry is a wonderful and attractive ground cover that is naturally hardy, resilient, and adaptable. Commonly used as a ground cover in the shade garden, spotted dead nettle is short- By Sarah Littleton and Teresa Odle Published Jan 10, 2023 4:50 PM. Some hybrids offer striking, flat flower clusters that bees and butterflies can use as a landing pad. At the time of this publication, there were 30 cultivars of L. maculatumlisted in the RHS Plant Finder, compared to 11 cultivars for all the other species combined. Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. The plant prefers partial shade or full sun and well-draining moist soil. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. Pollinating bees and butterflies delight in its bright golden yellow, daisy-like flowers that appear from late spring into early summer. Rock cotoneaster is a deciduous shrub. RELATED: 25 Plants That Survive With or Without You. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Low-growing, ground-hugging perennial plants are the best low-maintenance ground coverings. Lamium is grown for both its pretty foliage and beautiful flowers. This fast-growing annual looks gorgeous tumbling over rock walls or along the edges of walkways. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' Lamium Excellent Ground Cover for Shade. Pachysandra are aggressive and fast-spreading coverings that grow underground with runners. It offers similar value and requires similar conditions. RELATED: 14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden. Bloom time begins sooner, of course, after a mild winter, since plants do not have to regrow. True blue flowers are rare, especially late in the season. With society garlic, you can have your ground cover and eat it too! One difference, though, is that it is more aggressive. 14. Dead-nettle is an ideal plant for ground cover which is much appreciated for its cute summer blooming and for its elegant evergreen leafage. Instead, it keeps its leathery dark green leaves in nearly the same condition year round. But this plant with prettyfoliageand funny namerarely becomes a problem for those who grow it in areas where it is already native. Aromatic enough for both kitties and their owners, catmint (Nepeta) is an easy-care, low growing ground cover. Available at Etsy; $10.99 per 1-quart plant. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. 100 Perennials for a Zone 3 Garden Send me the list! Consult with your local extension office before growing spotted deadnettle because it is invasive in some areas. We recommend our users to update the browser. Want to lure hummingbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your garden? She founded Gaia's Farm and Gardens,aworking sustainable permaculture farm, and writes for Gaia Grows, a local newspaper column. 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. 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. Well to make a long stroy short the Lamium is gone and in its place we planted a very small ground cover called Tiny Thyme. Whatever you decide to mix it with, remember to select plants that need partial to full shade. Alyssum is an annual ground cover that grows very well from direct sow seeding once temperatures have reached 65 to 70 degrees. As lovely a ground cover as it seems, it's also considered invasive and is toxic to pets. 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. Hardy and deer resistant in USDA Zones 4 through 8, this colonizing fern prefers humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. 4. This is not the form of thyme used in cooking, but its fragrance will attract bees and other pollinators. 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. Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. Miniature hostas will grow less than 9 inches tall, small hostas grow to a foot or more, and giant hostas can grow over 30 inches tall. No special soil is needed for it to flourish and reseed. Spotted Dead Nettle ( Lamium maculatum) is a flowering type of low growing ground cover plant that thrives in the shade. While some have small flowers, the main focal point is the colorful foliage, which ranges from chartreuse to bronze. Hortster. Spotted dead nettles should be pruned in the summer after the first blooming period. This easy-care, mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. 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. If you want this to be a fast-growing ground cover plant, make sure it receives 4-6 hours of sun each day. It grows to a maximum height of about 12 inches with an 18-inch spread, and it flowers with white blossoms in spring. Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. Nepeta x faassenii is one such species that makes for a good ground cover, since it is one of the best ground coverings to stop weeds. LAY-mee-um mak-yoo-LAH-tum Description Fast growing; Spotted dead nettle is a good ground cover for moist, shady areas. Being creepers and having a tendency to spread, these classic cottage-garden plants are popular flowering ground covers. There are so many reasons to grow golden groundsel (Packera aurea). 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. Spotted deadnettle. The 'Six Hills Giant' cultivar is a good choice for covering large areas. In zones 6 through 8, it remains evergreen most of the year. Don't site near small plants which may be overtaken. The petite white star-shaped flowers provide a nice contrast to the deciduous green foliage. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. Check your plants regularly and if slugs or snails are present, handpick and dispose of them as they appear. White flowers pop up in spring. A native of Moultrie, Ga., she graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, formerly Queens College. Its dense mats are threatening native plants on forest floors. It's also toxic to humans and pets. Infinitely touchable, the velvety, fuzzy foliage of this plant is aptly named (c'mon, just look at it). Lamium? Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Clover Unless you want it as your lawn or have a horse to feed, don't plant it. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. FYI: Full sun means an area gets 6+ hours of direct sunlight per day, part sun is anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of direct sunlight, and full shade is up to 3 hours of sun. Ice plant is a fast and easy-growing ground covering, but pick the right species for your climate. Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch. She writes a weekly garden Q&A and feature stories. Because the common name is often given as spotted dead nettle. The soft moss-like foliage of this plant forms a dense mat underfoot. Lamium. Type above and press Enter to search. This sun-lover grows to a maximum height of about 12 inches with a 24-inch spread, and it blooms with lavender to pink flowers in July. Lamium needs shade and a fertile, moist but well-draining soil. A. 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. Doesn't need much water. Named for the color and the shape of their flowers, brass buttons stand out perhaps most of all for their serrated, fern-like leaves. It's deer-resistant and can tolerate drought, heat, and cold. The dainty lavender flowers and vining evergreen leaves make this purple ground cover incredibly popular as a low maintenance ground cover for shade. Hostas are definitely not deer-resistant but they are toxic to other animals. Lamium spreads quickly, so be ready to cut it back if it begins to encroach on other shrubs and flowers. Press Esc to cancel. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. Try some honeysuckle! Plant number: 1.305.190. In the South or West, the ground cover may lose its leaves or die back in the cold months. This elegant fern looks as dainty as a pearl necklace, but is tough enough to survive winter growing in the Himalayan Mountains, where it is native. Growing as high as 36 inches, it blooms all summer long with purple flowers. In fact, brass buttons share the same Achilles heel as ferns: Both succumb easily to drought. Lamium plants are a perfect deer resistant groundcover to brighten a partly sunny to semi-shady spot. This easy-care ground cover provides colors of purple, white pink and shades of light red.