Fast-growing ground cover plants are an excellent addition to any flower bed and landscaping design. Besides being beautiful groundcover plants, they provide an excellent foundation for other colorful plantings. Ground cover is also helpful to the homeowner because it helps to choke out weed growth in the flower beds. Fast-growing ground cover is also great for planting on steep slopes and hills and will prevent soil erosion. Ground cover is also excellent around the base of trees or in shady areas where nothing else will grow. Be careful to choose less aggressive ground cover plants for these areas.
Before choosing the best ground cover plants for your bed, ensure you have prepared the soil by amending it. Amending the soil provides better nutrition for the plants, better aeration of the soil, and helps the soil retain moisture. All of these soil improvements provide a much better environment for the roots of your plants. When the roots are healthy, so are the top of your bedding plants.
You can add grass clippings, mulch, compost, manure, and other materials to your acidic soil.
Once your well-drained soil is prepared for your low-growing plants, you will need to choose plants based on the size of your area, the desired height of plants, and the amount of shade and sun in the area. Some low-maintenance plants thrive in sunny areas, and some can't tolerate much direct sunlight.
A good thing to know about many ground covers is that “the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.”
Some of the more popular and little maintenance ground covers are:
Vinca Minor Is A Good Choice
This evergreen, fast-growing plant produces tiny purple flowers in the early spring and fall. Because it is evergreen, you have something green all year long. However, this is a more aggressive ground cover, so plant it within a well-contained area.
Creeping Phlox
This little low-maintenance plant is always a favorite. It grows to about 6 inches and comes in various colors.
Sedum
This plant is much larger, with heights from 6-24 inches. This is one of the most maintenance-free plants I have found. It is an evergreen perennial which starts producing new growth each spring. Just break off the dried growth from last season and allow the new plant to shoot out. Sedum blooms in the fall, and it is straightforward to create new plants simply by breaking off a piece (including the root) and sticking it in the ground. I love the Stone Crop Sedum because of its pretty color in the fall and because it attracts butterflies. My hummingbirds also seem to love it.
Creeping Thyme
This is an herbaceous ground drought-tolerant plant. It is also low-growing and evergreen, producing late spring to early summer blooms.
English Ivy
English ivy will cover large areas quickly but watch it because it can be aggressive. Although less than an inch high, English ivy will grow up walls, trees, and other barriers, so pruning may be necessary. This ground cover will thrive in either full sun or full shade.
Variegated Goutweed
Variegated goutweed proliferates in either full sun or moderate shade. It can be aggressive, so keep your eye on it if you place it near other plants. This ground cover will grow up to 6 inches tall and produce white flowers in June. Plant it in well-drained, moist soil. Water frequently, as it can scorch in dry soil.
Creeping Lily Turf
Creeping lily turf will spread quickly, producing light blue flowers in the late summer and blackberries in the fall, with 6- to 8-inch-tall foliage. You can plant your creeping lily turf, receiving full sun to light shade. This ground cover is drought-tolerant, so do not water excessively.
Golden Creeping Charlie
Golden creeping Charlie has bright yellow oval leaves. It grows 1 to 3 inches tall and quickly covers full-sun areas to moderate shade. This ground cover needs moist soil and regular watering.
Lily of the Valley
Consider the lily of the valley when you want a fast-spreading ground cover for a big area. This plant needs light to dense shade and works well under shrubs and trees. Growing 6 to 8 inches tall, it produces white flowers in the spring and orange or red berries in the fall.
Fast Growing Ground Cover Plants
Fast-growing ground-cover plants are an option when you want to cover a large area quickly for erosion control, decorative purposes, or simply because grass won't grow there. Ground covers also stop most weeds from taking root. They spread by themselves and can grow from an inch to 4 feet tall.
Fast Growing Drought Tolerant Ground Cover
Those who live in dry climates can save time and water by installing drought-resistant ground covers. These hardy, low-maintenance plants flourish in sites hostile to other flora, adding year-round texture and visual interest to complex landscapes. The best ground covers for arid climates are ground-hugging, no-fuss plants that can be used as decorative edging in place of traditional lawns or to stabilize steep slopes and sandy dunes.
Grasses Are The Ideal Choice
Nothing turns a bare patch of ground into a lush, green carpet faster than grass seed or sod, but many traditional lawn grasses struggle in hot, dry climates. However, low-growing ornamental grasses, such as ribbon grass and blue fescue, are well suited to life in arid conditions. These rapidly spreading perennials produce beautiful flashes of green that endure throughout the year, as the foliage tends to retain its color all winter long. Those who insist on establishing a conventional lawn will have the best luck with robust, hardy buffalo grass. Though it may not be the most eye-catching shade of green, it withstands temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and grows without additional water in areas that receive less than 20 inches of annual rainfall.
Herbaceous Ground Covers
Drought-resistant herbaceous plants bear soft, pliable stems and store their food in fleshy roots, tubers, or bulbs. Use aromatic, herbaceous favorites for larger areas, such as creeping rosemary or wild thyme, to fill dry, sunny spaces. Their silvery-green foliage enhances the landscape's appearance, and their seasonal flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects to the garden each spring. As a bonus, these herbs release a richly fragrant aroma when trod upon. Create a less pungent landscape by filling barren sites with bugleweed. This low-growing perennial covers the yard in beautifully textured foliage and spiked clusters of dusky lavender late-spring flowers.
Woody Ground Covers Are A Great Option
A thin layer of hard bark covers the stems of woody plants. This is a protective measure; woody plants store most of their food in their stems. While technically classified as evergreen shrubs, the long-branched, ground-hugging growth habits of the firethorn shrub and the chokeberry bush make them excellent candidates for use as woody ground covers. These heat-tolerant, drought-resistant plants perform well in arid climates, rapidly filling vacant spaces with glossy green leaves and clusters of fragrant flowers. The seasonal blooms of the low-growing shrub are followed by gorgeous bunches of scarlet berries, adding color to the landscape well into the winter.
Vines For The Outdoor Space
Though they are customarily used to cover walls, arbors, fences, and trellises, when left on the ground, sun-loving vines such as Virginia creeper and Boston ivy rapidly take root in the surrounding soil, covering the landscape in a loose layer of fine-textured foliage as fast-growing groundcover. Additionally, drought-tolerant vines and ground coverings, such as the trumpet creeper and trumpet honeysuckle, create a living carpet of green foliage and bright blossoms that draw butterflies and hummingbirds into the garden.
Keep reading here for more backyard landscaping ideas and happy gardening!
