Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

green and gold

Groundcovers Part III: Low Growers Under Six Inches

Low-growing groundcovers—those reaching no more than 6 inches in height—are ideal for difficult areas such as sunny slopes or shade, particularly under trees, where grass will not grow. Shorter groundcovers are especially useful in rock gardens, along pathways, and at the front of borders. Most low-growing groundcovers spread by rhizomes (rootlike structures under the ground) or stolons (above-ground runners). 

Sedums beneath conifers_JDeutsch_EMGV
Sedums beneath conifers

Planting and maintenance
In growing groundcovers, follow a few simple steps to ensure success:

  • Clear the area of weeds and grass before planting. Groundcovers are tough, once established, but competitors can easily overrun them when first planted.
  • Test your soil to determine if you need to add fertilizer or lime.
  • Weed regularly to keep gaps clear in the several years it takes most groundcovers to fill a space.
  • Water your new plantings regularly for the first year.
  • Divide your groundcovers to fill in any remaining gaps.

 Groundcover varieties
Choose groundcovers that fit your site. Pay attention to the plant species and growing requirements—light, moisture, frost hardiness—as well as other characteristics—evergreen or deciduous.  If flowering, consider the flower season, size, and color of the specific cultivars or varieties you pick.

Here are some native plants that provide attractive groundcovers for our area—including suggested spacing between individual plants to give some idea of the number of plants needed to fill a space:

  • Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) is a shade-loving pachysandra that will not become invasive. It has fragrant, bottle-brush type blooms in the spring and attractive mottling on its leaves. It is semi-evergreen in Western North Carolina and will tolerate drought and dense shade. Allegheny spurge does well under trees and on slopes if they are not too sunny. Plant 6 to 12 inches apart in moist, rich, acidic soil.
  • Appalachian barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) prefers partial shade. It has yellow flowers in the spring, grown mainly for its foliage—evergreen leaves that turn an attractive dark red or bronze in winter. It is a good choice for slopes that are not in full sun. It spreads by rhizomes and is easy to divide once established. Plant 16 inches apart; it will spread about 18 inches per plant.
  • Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) thrives in part-sun, part-shade settings. It has pretty yellow flowers in the spring and bright green, evergreen foliage. It makes an attractive border. Green-and-gold prefers moist, acidic, rich soils and appreciates consistent moisture with good drainage. Plant 18 inches apart.
  • Phloxes: Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) tolerates shade and moss phlox (Phlox subulata) loves sun. Many people call them both creeping phlox, in contrast to the tall garden phloxes. Phlox stolonifera is a woodland plant and prefers rich, moist, shady locations with good drainage. It can do well under trees, shady rock gardens, or in other shady, moist areas. Phlox subulata likes sun and good drainage, making it an excellent choice for sunny slopes. Its foliage is needle-like, distinguishing it from its cousin which has oval leaves. Both phloxes come in a variety of pastel colors as well as white. The recommended spacing between plants is 12 to 18 inches.
  • Sedums: There are many stonecrops (Sedums) that are useful as groundcovers. Low-growing sedums thrive in thin, poor soils and will grow on and around rocks. They are a good choice for rock gardens and walkways, planted in gaps or cracks, and in borders. Most readily available varieties are not native to our area, love sun, are drought tolerant, and do well on dry, hot slopes. Our native Sedum ternatum, known as wild or woodland stonecrop, prefers some shade, and has unusual white flowers in late spring to early summer. Space 8 inches apart.

Article written by Judy Deutsch, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Learn more
Groundcovers: Planting and Care
by Home & Garden Information Center
Clemson Cooperative Extension

Groundcovers Part II: Pollinator-Friendly Choices

If bees could speak, they would strongly suggest that instead of mulching our landscapes, we should plant flowering groundcovers. Expanses of mulch, to most of North Carolina’s 400 native bees, are food deserts offering little or no housing. Bees rely entirely on flowers for food and raising young, and most flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce seed. No flowers, no bees!

Green and gold groundcover (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Green and gold

Groundcovers for pollinators
A wealth of options let you choose height, color, and bloom time to suit most any site—and no need to choose just one! 

Perennials.

  • Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)—Almost nothing beats our native green and gold for beauty and ease of growing. Bright green with abundant yellow flowers, it thrives in most well-drained soils in part-shade to part-sun, though it tolerates deeper shade and full sun.
  • Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) produces a beautiful bee-friendly carpet that suppresses most weeds yet allows access to the many ground-nesting pollinators. Both green and gold and bugleweed bloom in mid- to late- May, spread readily but are easy to contain. They benefit from dividing or thinning every year or two, yielding more plants for your garden or to pass along.
  • Pachysandras—Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) is a common groundcover for part to deep shade, especially under trees; but the native pachysandra, also called Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens), is a taller, slower-spreading, interesting alternative that blooms in very early spring when so many pollinators are in need of nectar and pollen.
  • Phloxes—Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) and moss phlox (Phlox subulata), both of which are native plants, are useful for sunny slopes.

Herbs. Many herbs are wonderful flowering groundcovers for sunny, dry sites.

  • Thymes—Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) produces fewer flowers but quickly makes a thick mat that stops all weeds. Creeping or red thyme (Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’) is shorter, semi-evergreen, and tolerates a bit of foot traffic. From a distance when in bloom, its cloud of reddish lavender flowers gives an effect similar to that of the phloxes.
  • Prostrate forms of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) are fine groundcovers, though not always winter hardy and must have well-drained soil.
  • Mints (Mentha)—Although not as easy to control or contain as other groundcovers, mints are a favorite source of nectar and pollen for many bees and certainly do a great job of covering bare soil and suppressing unwanted weeds. Some people choose (or try) to control mints’ aggressive tendencies by planting them in a deep pot or other container, then putting the container into the ground.

Shrubs. Several suckering shrubs provide excellent groundcover, particularly on slopes.

  • Cotoneaster’s tiny white spring flowers feed bees and the resulting red berries feed birds through the winter. Several species, including willowleaf (Cotoneaster salicifolius), keep their rich deep green color through the winter. The rockspray species (Cotoneaster horizontalis) is an excellent option for places needing a much shorter plant.
  • Winter-blooming heathers (Erica) are another excellent groundcover, tough and drought tolerant once established, they need loose, amended, well-drained soil. ‘Springwood White’ and ‘Springwood Pink,’ are widely available; but you can find many other colors and heights. These plants bring a special dynamic to the winter garden—there’s nothing quite like watching honeybees gather nectar on a mild January day to warm a gardener’s heart!
  • Creeping evergreens (such as (Juniperus ) do not offer floral resources but provide excellent erosion control on slopes and allow access to underground nesting pollinators. Honeybees will also harvest resins from many conifers to use as caulk and an immune system ingredient.

Article written by Diane Almond, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Going Native with Plants: More Than Meets the Eye

Living in one of the oldest and most biodiverse places on earth, it’s easy to take our native plants for granted. Look beyond the showy favorites—rhododendron, mountain laurel, native azaleas, dogwood, and sourwood—and you’ll find beautifully understated plants that create welcoming wildlife habitats and gorgeous gardens. 

Why native plants matter
Native plants do much more than look pretty! There are horticultural and environmental reasons to integrate them into your home garden:

“The destruction of natural habitat is the greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. In fast-growing regions, development often fragments remaining natural habitats into smaller pieces that are less likely to support a range of ecosystem services. As natural areas disappear, residential landscapes become more important sources of nourishment and habitat for the many species needed to support healthy ecosystems.”
N.C. State Extension Gardener Handbook
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/12-native-plants

Take a page from Sherlock Holmes
Investigate the planting location. What does it tell you?
Soil: Is it well-drained or does it hold water? What is the pH? Some of our most showy native plants require specific soil conditions. The Turk’s Cap Lily, for example, likes rich, slightly acidic soil.
Light: How do the intensity and timing of direct sun and shade change throughout the day and during each growing season?
Aspect: Does the garden face north/south/east/west?
Space: Can both the horizontal and vertical space accommodate mature plants? Some grasses and wildflowers grow several feet tall!
Elevation: What is your altitude? Even a few hundred feet in altitude change can make a difference in frost hardiness. 

Mimic Mother Nature
Going native means focusing on plant diversity and layering. According to the authors of “Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants” (https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/landscaping-for-wildlife-with-native-plants): “Clustering similar types of vegetation allows wildlife easy access to seasonally abundant food sources without excessive movement and increased exposure to predators.” Create layers by planting low-growing plants and shrubs under taller ones. This produces a healthy environment in which birds can nest and feed.

Wildflowers that wow
Wildflowers often come to mind when we think of native plants— for good reason. They attract pollinators and add vibrant color. Reliable choices for our region include: eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), eastern columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) for spring; butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), summer phlox (Phlox paniculata), and green-headed coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) for summer; and Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) for fall.

Gorgeous groundcovers
Instead of planting a cultivated groundcover, consider a native that thrives in shady areas. For color and impact, partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is hard to beat. In the spring, its small white flowers are a striking contrast against the plant’s vibrant green leaves. In the fall its bright red berries look holiday-inspired. Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is a popular low-growing groundcover perfect for rock gardens or along a woodland path.

Fantastic ferns
They may not be show-stoppers, but in shade gardens nothing quite compares with a lush stand of ferns. Use cinnamon (Osmunda cinnamomea) and Christmas (Polystichum acrostichoides) ferns, for example, to provide a sturdy backdrop for their more delicate relatives like maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum).

Great grasses
It’s easy to overlook these hardy plants that provide a rich habitat for songbirds, skipper butterflies, and small mammals.  But to add height, texture, and delicate color to your garden, grasses provide a low-maintenance option. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), for example, has pink-tinged flower particles which create a cloud-like effect in mid-summer. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) develops a blue cast in the summer that turns copper-colored in the fall and lasts through winter.

Resources
With so many choices available, making decisions about what is right for your garden can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are excellent resources for navigating the world of native plants. Purchase your plants from nurseries and gardens that specialize in propagating natives. Not only do plants harvested in the wild rarely survive, the practice of harvesting them degrades the very ecosystems we know and love.

NC Native Plant Society:
http://www.ncwildflower.org/native_plants/recommendations

Article written by Janet Moore, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

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