Having just a plain green patch of land in your garden is a little too bland sometimes. Here’s where ground covers can help! What ground covers do is that they produce beautiful blooms and enhance the look of the otherwise bare patches of land. Ground covers also help us bind the soil and protect the land from weeds. They can also fill a lot of empty space in the garden within a short span of time.

Ground covers are the “carpets” of the Garden, adding color and texture to the landscape. Ground cover plants are extremely useful and form an integral part of landscaping.

Ground Cover Uses:

Ground covers can serve many purposes. We use ground cover to add a splash of color to the landscape. It can be used to effectively retain moisture and keep weeds smothered out acting as a living mulch. Sometimes ground cover is just used to fill a problem area in the garden where nothing else will grow.

Before planting ground cover plants, it’s very important to remove weeds thoroughly by hand-weeding. Please avoid harmful weed killers – they are not only harmful for the soil but are also harmful for humans and pets. Step 2 is to improve the soil quality by adding manure or compost to the soil.

In this article, I will be sharing details about different options for beautiful flowering ground covers.

SCARLET SAGE

  • Botanical name: Salvia splendens
  • Common names: Red salvia
  • Sunlight requirement: Full sun to partial afternoon shade.
  • Soil requirements: Grows in well drained and loamy soil.
  • Height: 90 cm tall
  • Flower colors: Red, white, pink and purple.
  • Salvia are most commonly used as bedding plants in most of the countries. The pretty scarlet hue of the blooms makes the ground look more appealing and fresh.
scarlet sage1
Scarlet Sage

IMPATIENS

  • Botanical name: Impatiens walleriana
  • Other names: Busy Lizzie, Balsam
  • Sun requirements: Full to bright filtered light.
  • Height: Grows up to 15-60 cm long.
  • Flower colors: White, pink, red, orange and purple.
  • It is a stem-less herb and perennial in nature.
  • Impatiens is one of the most popular annual flowers, due to their brightly color blooms and their ability to grow in shady areas. The most commonly grown cultivars are short plants, attaining a height of not more than 1 foot.
Impatiens

CUPHEA

  • Botanical name: Cuphea hyssopifolia
  • Common names: Mexican Heather, Elfin herb
  • Sun & Soil requirements: Should be planted in full or partial sunlight and in well-drained soil.
  • Height: Maximum height 24 inches.
  • Flowers: White, pink and deep rose varieties.
  • Grown for their long tubular flowers which have a long flowering season. It can be used as ground covers, borders and hedges.
cuphea
Cuphea

DIANTHUS

  • Botanical name: Dianthus caryophyllus
  • Other names: Carnation, Sweet William.
  • Soil and sun requirements: Requires full sun. Most species prefer neutral to alkaline soil while some can also be grown in acidic soil.
  • Height: Grows up to 10 cm (4 inches)
  • Flowers: Pink colored, sweetly fragrant and disc-like blossoms.
  • Commonly used for borders and bedding purposes. Many of their species have grass like foliage which gives them an edge over other ground covers
    Dianthus

    PEACE LILY

  • Botanical name: Spathiphyllum wallisii
  • Common names: Cobra plant, Peace lily.
  • Sun and soil requirement: Bright to medium light and well drained soil with rich organic matter. Keep the soil moist, but do not over water it.
  • Height: Up to 2 feet (60 cm)
  • Flowering season: Blooms repeatedly all-year long, profusely in summer.
  • Peace lilies like shady spots and propagate efficiently in warmer locations. Peace lily are fast growing plant which makes it a perfect fit for ground covers.
Peace lilly

PORTULACA

  • Botanical name: Portulaca grandiflora
  • Other names: Purslane, Moss Rose
  • Soil and sun requirement: Moss rose is very tolerant of poor conditions and dry soil. Moss rose can be grown in any well lit area. Cold climate as well as warm climate is suitable for its growth.
  • Height: Reach up to 40 cm.
  • Flowers: White, yellow, pink and red. Blooms first appear in late spring and continue into mid fall.
  • This pretty little plant with needle-like foliage and tiny colorful flowers looks absolutely stunning. It is an annual or perennial (*in warm tropical and subtropical climates) ground cover that spreads densely.
portulaca
Portulaca

GERANIUM

  • Botanical name: Geranium dissectum
  • Other names: Crane’s bill, Cut leaf Geranium.
  • Soil and sun requirements: Rich organic well drained soil and bright to medium sunlight.
  • Height: Grows up to 12 inches tall
  • Flower colors: pink, blue, orange, white, red.
  • This old fashioned tough and aggressive perennial ground cover is a good choice for gardeners who want to grow low maintenance plants. Blooms appear when the weather warms up.
Geranium

 

MARIGOLD

  • Botanical name: Calendula officinalis
  • Other names: Common marigold, garden marigold, English marigold.
  • Soil and sun requirements: Likes rich, well-drained soil but are often tolerant to poor soils and about sun requirement full sun to partial shade would be good enough.
  • Height: Usually up to 6-8 inches barring African marigold, which grows to a probable height of 2-3 feet
  • Flowers: Found in numerous colors, varying from pale yellow to orange-red.
  •  An easy to grow annual plant provide natural pest control and radiant sprays of multi-colored flowers. With proper sunlight and water, these colorful flowers will fill out any garden and add beauty to any yard.
marigold
Marigold

VINCA ROSEA

  • Botanical name: Catharanthus roseus
  • Other names: Madagascar periwinkle, Rose periwinkle, Sadabahar(Hindi), Nayantara (Bengali).
  • Care: Grows in well-drained soil of moderate fertility in full sun or partial shade. Should be sparingly watered in winters. Propagates best in the temperature range of 55-64 degrees F.
  • Height: Grows up to 1 m tall
  • Flowers: Available in various colours, from white to red, the most abundantly seen being pink.
  • The Madagascar periwinkle is a pretty blooming hardy plant.This perennial flower can be found all over India in any climate zone all-round the year.
vinca rosea
Vinca rosea

PETUNIA

  • Botanical name: Petunia
  • Other names: Petunia
  • Soil and sun requirements: Soil with well decomposed organic matter works best. Do well in sunlight to promote multiple blooms.
  • Height: Usually up to 1′ to 2′.
  • Flowers: Found in numerous colors, varying from pink, purple, white and bi color.
  • Petunias known for gorgeous bright colorful flowers and decorative lawn borders, lush with varied flower heads that last all summer long.
Petunia.

These flowering ground covers will help you to add an extra charm to your garden. So folks! add these ground covers to your garden to create a feast for your eyes with rich and varied carpets of colors.

Which flowering ground cover will you choose? We love to hear from our garden lovers. Do tell us in the comment section below.

Happy gardening!

Happy Gardening

You must be logged in to post a comment.