Comparison of Ground Cover Landscaping

• Ground covers are perennial plants that add beauty to your landscape while covering up problem areas in your yard. They are low growing and cover large areas of the landscape. For shady locations, ground covers can replace turf grass. They provide erosion control on dry slopes, under trees, or in areas where mowing grass is not practical.

Bugle Weed or Carpet Bugle

• Bugle weed has attractive foliage that spreads by underground stolons. Bugle weed grows to produce a dense carpet of foliage. This ground cover prefers moist, well-drained soils since it has shallow roots that are susceptible to drying out. It will grow in heavy shade or partial sun. Flower and foliage color is variable with different cultivars. 'Atropurpurea' has dark bronze leaves. 'Variegata' has leaves variegated with creamy yellow. 'Rubra' has dark purple leaves. The upright flower stalks have blue, white, or purplish flowers from early May to mid-June. Its height is 4 to 12 inches, and is hardy to zone 5.

Lily-of-the-valley

• Lily-of-the-valley produces a thick carpet of upright, large oval leaves. It spreads by underground rhizomes. It will grow best in well-drained soils with partial to full shade. But it will also grow in poor and dry soil, and it can become invasive. It has a tendency to become crowded and may need to be thinned. Its beautiful waxy, bell-like flowers bloom from mid-May to mid-June, and they are fragrant. Each fall, lily-of-the-valley plants will die to the ground, but they are hardy to zone 2.

English Ivy

• English ivy is an evergreen climbing vine that will quickly spread over the ground. It needs shade, and does very well under trees. It grows best in moist, loamy soils. Established plants should be set out in the spring. Good English ivy cultivars are 'Baltica' and 'Thorndale.' The plants are hardy to zone 6, but you may need winter protection in zone 5 to prevent browning of the leaves.

Cotoneaster

• The cotoneaster bearberry (Cotoneaster dammeri) is a semi-evergreen with leaves 1 inch long. They are dark and shiny above, and pale below. The species has flowers that are white and clustered. Cotoneaster bearberry produces bright red fruit in late summer. It grows 1-and-1/2 to 2 feet tall, and is hardy to zone 6.

  Cotoneaster cranberry (Cotoneaster apiculata) is good for hot, dry areas in your landscape. It has small, rounded leaves that will become bright red in early fall, and bright red berries will also be produced. It is hardy to zone 5, and will grow 2 to 3 feet tall.

  Cotoneaster rock spray (Cotoneaster horizontalis) can be grown on top of walls, banks, rocky areas or flat ground. It has horizontal branches that will spread 8 to 10 feet. It will produce small pink flowers and 1/4-inch berries in early fall. It will grow 1-and-1/2 to 3 feet tall, and is hardy to zone 5. All species of cotoneasters can have insect pests, such as red spider mites, lace bugs and scale.