Ground cover perennials: photo with name

Content

1 Ground cover plants and their features
2 Varieties of ground covers
3 Results

Ground cover perennials are a kind of “lifesaver” for the gardener and landscape designer. It is these plants that fill the gaps in the garden like a carpet, are planted in the most difficult areas, and serve as a backdrop for taller single flowers. Ground covers that bloom all summer can decorate any area; in addition, these perennials creeping along the ground do not require special care.

Photos and names of these flowers, characteristics of the plants and a description of how to grow them will help you choose from hundreds of varieties of ground cover perennials the plant that is most suitable for the garden.

Ground cover plants and their features

Today it is difficult to imagine the landscape of a country house in which creeping perennials are not used. Ground covers, depending on the variety, may have chiseled carved leaves, beautifully decorated compact bushes or delicate fragrant inflorescences.

A flower carpet can frame garden paths, be located along a fence or serve as a border for flower beds, complement stone garden compositions (rockeries, rock gardens, artificial ponds), and be planted around the trunks of garden trees. Often, ground covers are simply used to fill the voids in the area, planting them where nothing but weeds can grow.

Covering plants for the garden has a number of advantages. before other flowers and ornamental grasses:

1. Unpretentiousness soil cover - their main quality. These plants are not only possible, but even necessary, to be planted in areas with poor, infertile soil. If there is an excess of fertilizers, there will be very few flowers in groundcover perennials; all the plant’s energy will be spent on the development of greenery and the growth of the bush.
2. Possibility of growing both on the sunny side of the garden and in the shade. Among the varieties of ground covers, it is easy to find plants that meet all the needs of a gardener.
3. The root system of ground covers does not grow deep into the soil, but wide. This allows the roots to hold the soil and give it a certain shape - the flowerbed will not crumble.

The stems and inflorescences of perennial ground covers die off in the winter if they are not removed, dried out plants will become fertilizer for the soil, as well as protection from the cold for your own roots.
Creeping the ground cover also acts as mulch: the sun's rays do not penetrate through the solid carpet, the earth does not dry out, and weeds do not grow. In addition, a continuous carpet of ground cover prevents soil washout and weathering.
Almost all ground covers are perennials, so they seeds are bought and sown only once. Then a carpet of plants is formed by cuttings, dividing the bush and other seedless methods.
Hundreds of varieties ground cover plants allow you to choose any flower for your garden: with beautiful flowers, carved leaves, fast-growing or decorated, capable of blooming all season or remaining evergreen throughout the year.

As you can see, ground cover plants play the role of not only decoration, but also a protector of the garden, a lifesaver in difficult situations when other plants cannot cope.

Varieties of ground covers

As already mentioned, there are quite a lot of varieties of ground cover plants; they are distinguished not only by their external, decorative characteristics, but also by flowering times, methods of propagation, requirements for light, humidity, and soil composition.

You need to choose a ground cover taking into account several factors at once., This:

the type of primary flowers in the flower bed or in that part of the garden where the ground covers will be located. After all, these plants must be in harmony with their “neighbors” in color, height, and watering regime.
Soil composition. Most creeping ground cover flowers prefer light, meager soils, but there are some among them that should be fertilized regularly.
Shading or illumination of the area.
The humidity of the earth, the proximity of groundwater, the presence of a reservoir. Not all ground covers will be able to develop in conditions of high humidity; there is a risk, especially in lowlands, that the bushes will dry out and rot.
The dimensions of the free space that the ground cover should fill.

Attention! Most creeping flowers grow very quickly, filling all available space. Among the ground covers there are also aggressive species that can “kill” not only weeds, but also cultivated flowers.

When choosing the name and variety of groundcover perennial for your garden, you need to take into account all the facts as a whole.Then the flower will become an unpretentious decoration of the site, and not a headache for the gardener.

Subulate Phlox

White, blue and pink inflorescences decorate the ground cover bushes already at the end of May. But even without flowers, the awl-shaped phlox looks quite interesting - this ground cover has small leaves that look like needles, and the bushes themselves are dense - the ground is truly covered with a continuous carpet. This ground cover can be grown by choosing only one color, or you can arrange three shades at once in a flowerbed - you will get a not very variegated, watercolor blanket. Subulate phloxes can decorate mixborder, rockery or other landscape garden compositions. The ground cover looks great right up to winter - the bushes are neat and green. This perennial propagates by cuttings. By purchasing two or three shoots and planting them on your site, in a few years you can get an extensive carpet of flowering phlox – they grow very quickly.

Spread phlox

This variety of ground cover will be an excellent neighbor for phlox subulate, since its flowering begins a little later. The splayed inflorescences are larger, but the bushes are not as dense. The perennial grows best in well-lit areas of the garden; it does not like stagnant water and frequent watering. Phlox seeds can be sown twice a year: in April and September. The ground cover reproduces very quickly. There is no need to fertilize it; in extreme cases, you can use wood ash - it is better to avoid mineral fertilizers, as they reduce the number of flowers. The best place for growing phlox is a hill that is well lit by the sun. In low areas the ground cover may be prohibitive.In winter, it is necessary to cover the bushes with spruce branches - splayed phlox does not tolerate frost well.

Yaskolka

One of the most unpretentious ground cover perennials. The cherry blossom begins to bloom early - already in May many snow-white flowers appear on the bushes. The height of the bushes is average - up to 15 cm. Seedlings need to be sown for the winter, in this way seedlings are obtained for the next season. The perennial will begin to bloom only after a year. But the ground cover grows very quickly; in a short time, a large area will be filled with this plant. A very unpretentious perennial variety, the only thing the seedling needs for good development is bright sun. Neither regular watering nor fertilizing is required in this case. Any soil will do, but it is better to choose an area with poor soil. Groundcover bushes need to be propagated by cuttings, planting the perennial in late spring. In winter, dry stems are cut off and the ground cover is covered with spruce branches.

Dianthus

This perennial grows in bushes that look like small mounds. The flowering of carnations is very beautiful, it can be of several shades or have monochromatic flowers. This ground cover begins to bloom at the end of spring, when long creeping stems are covered with bright, medium-sized flowers. The herb can be grown by seeds or seedlings. Carnation seeds need to be sown under glass; this is done at the end of March. The ground cover can be sown in open ground only in May, then the carnation will bloom a month later - approximately in mid-July. This ground cover needs to be grown in illuminated, elevated areas; it likes fertile soil, and the bushes also need regular watering. In the lowlands, the ground cover will quickly die.Cloves can be propagated not only by seeds, but also by dividing the roots. This ground cover plant can withstand even severe frosts (down to -35 degrees).

Duchesnay

A perennial that can’t be distinguished from a strawberry from a distance – it has the same triple leaves and bright red small berries. But unlike real strawberries, you can’t eat duchenee fruits - you can only admire them. The ground cover grows very rapidly, filling all available space, so you need to be careful in choosing “neighbors” for this aggressive perennial. In order for the Duchesnea carpet to be continuous and uniform, the ground under the bushes must be constantly moist. The plant loves sun and poor soil. The groundcover can be propagated through seeds or by dividing the bush. In snowy winters, the ground cover does not need to be covered, but without snow, the duchesne runs the risk of not being able to withstand severe frosts.

Stachys woolly

This creeping groundcover has rooting shoots and silvery, fluffy stems. It will be an excellent addition to a rock garden or mixborder, and will decorate a flower bed and flower garden. Stachys inflorescences look like spikelets with small pink or purple flowers. However, groundcover flowers are rarely left; most often, gardeners cut off the ears so as not to disturb the uniformity of the creeping fluffy carpet. The condition of the ground cover must be monitored by regularly cutting out dry shoots and old roots. Stachys seeds can be sown both in spring and before winter. This groundcover loves sun or partial shade, poor, not very moist soils. It does not necessarily need to be covered for the winter; the ground cover is frost-resistant.

Juniper

Among the ground covers there are also coniferous species that remain green throughout the year.Gardeners plant juniper bushes in the corners of a flower bed or in the center of a flower bed - evergreen shoots refresh the landscape and decorate the garden when other flowers have already faded. Absolutely any flowers, as well as coniferous bushes and trees, can become juniper’s “neighbors”. For example, recumbent juniper covers absolutely any soil with a continuous carpet over several years. It can even be grown on gravel or rockery stones.

sedum

A representative of ground covers that can bloom all summer. There are about 500 representatives of this subspecies of groundcover perennials. Only from sedums alone can you create a variegated flower garden, because all varieties differ not only in the shape, size and color of the inflorescences, but also in the height of the bush, the shape of the shoots, and leaves.

The ground cover looks very organic on rocky slopes, in ridges and rockeries, as a living border on paths and flower beds.

The predominant part of sedum varieties love the sun, but there are also shade-loving species of this perennial. It begins to bloom in early June and ends only in September. Sedum is an excellent option for lazy summer residents. It doesn’t even need watering, the plant doesn’t need to be fed either, and it endures the winter without shelter. The groundcover is grown through seeds, cuttings or by digging in shoots. The only thing that the ground cover does not like is high humidity; it is best to avoid it.

Results

You don't need to be an experienced gardener to grow groundcover perennials. These plants are great for beginners, as well as for those who want to turn an empty plot into a flowering meadow in a short time and with a minimum of cost. The summer resident can only choose the varieties of ground covers - these perennials will do the rest themselves.