Kathleen Walters
Using native ground cover in your landscape has several benefits. Firstly, these plants are adapted to the soil, temperatures, and pressures of their local range. This makes them less needy, more waterwise, and generally need less maintenance.
Native plants are also adapted to the other flora and fauna of the region. They support the wild ecology, providing food, cover, host sites for certain larvae, and encourage the local pollinators to come visit your garden. Native ground covers can save resources like fertilizer and water because they tend to be more stoic than imported species.
Native ground cover plants will also reduce weeds, conserve moisture, keep the soil cool in summer and warm in winter, and act as a natural mulch. Native plants are also hardy to their range, both in summer and winter.
1. Phlox
There are several fabulous phlox varieties useful for a sunny site in your garden. Prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa) has charming pink flowers and persistent foliage. Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) has needle-like, evergreen leaves and pink flowers. Both are slightly drought tolerant once established, and can thrive even in sandy soil.
Find prairie phlox seeds from Walmart and get ready for beautiful blooms from May to July.
2. Bearberry
Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is a sun-loving groundcover that tops out at about 1 foot ( .305 m) and has evergreen foliage. Small bell-shaped flowers adorn bearberries and the shrubs are very cold hardy. They thrive in USDA Zones 2-6.
Bearberry is not picky about soil and can even be grown in coastal regions. It will creep out through spreading rhizomes and fill in an area quickly. Bearberries also have pretty, little red berries. Find bearberry shrubs from the Home Depot.
3. Wild Strawberry
Wild strawberries are edible, but do not approach the size of cultivated berries. The plant is low growing and produces sweet, little white flowers. Bees and other pollinators are drawn to the nectar in these native flowers. Find wild strawberry seeds on Etsy to get growing this cheery native groundcover in your yard.
4. Green-and-Gold
Green-and-gold plants (Chrysogonum virginianum) feature tiny yellow flowers that bloom between April and October and are hardy in Zones 5-10. Also called golden star, this plant is particularly useful at the sunny edges of a woodland garden where the small spreading leaves and bright, yellow flowers brighten the area.
Find green-and-gold plants at the Home Depot or your local garden center.
5. Pachysandra
Pachysandra is a semi-evergreen ground cover plant with tidy little leaves and scented white blooms. Pachysandra is deer resistant and a powerful attractant for pollinators. This is also a low-maintenance plant that may occasionally need cutting back, but otherwise needs little more than consistent moisture. Find pachysandra from Native Wildflowers to add a carpet of green to the shady areas of your Zone 4-9 garden.
6. Wild Stonecrop
Unlike its cousins, wild stonecrop sedum (Sedum ternatum) can tolerate partial to full shade. The thick leaves are generally evergreen except in the most northernmost sites. Star-like white flowers arrive in spring. The plant can be easily started from stem fragments and has the potential to escape an area. Find seeds to grow your own wild stonecrop, also called woodland stonecrop, from Etsy.
7. Wild Ginger
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is easy to establish and low maintenance. It can tolerate dappled light or full shade. The heart shaped leaves are attractive and slightly furred. The flowers aren’t conspicuous but do attract certain pollinating flies which are important to our ecosystem. Native wild ginger plants are available from Native Wildflowers and will thrive in USDA Zones 4-8.
8. Foamflower
Foamflower is a great native plant for shady, moist areas. It has gently rounded, lobed leaves and produces a long spike of white flowers in spring. In the South, the leaves remain but they are deciduous in colder regions. In fall, the leaves turn spectacular shades of red and orange for multi-season visual interest. Foamflower is hardy in Zones 3-8 and you can purchase this beauty from Native Wildflowers.
Native Groundcover to Replace Lawns
Alternatives to traditional lawns are becoming more and more popular. This is because the typical lawn requires a lot of maintenance and resources. The mowing, weed control, edging, water, and fertilizer needs of a lawn are extremely high. Substituting native plants, with their easy to grow nature, can reduce much of that upkeep and care.
Plants like creeping phlox, creeping thyme, or creeping juniper are all excellent options to replace the traditional lawn. Growing a moss lawn is another way to mimic that carpet of green without all the maintenance. Irish moss is a great example.
A rather outstanding native option is the common blue violet (Viola sororia). Unlike Viola ordorata, the common violet is native to the Eastern part of North America. It spreads readily and has heart shaped leaves flanked by violet-blue flowers in spring. It is often found in woods and prairies and is fairly tolerant of any lighting situation.
Try some of these great native ground covers to fill in that bare spot in your garden. Or maybe this has inspired you to finally get rid of that lawn!
