Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers – Southeast

1. St. John’s Wort

Name:Hypericum calycinum

USDA hardiness zones:5 to 9

Size:1 to 2 feet tall , spread indefinitely

Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; moist , well - drained soil

A summertime - blossom ground cover that thrives in any sunny point , St. John ’s wort will also uprise under Tree in partial shade , but its prime may be sparse . In the Southeast , it is often evergreen , but wintertime stress can make leaves to dry out out and call on brown . Cutting plant back every few year in former bound , before new growth appears , will keep this woody plant vigorous .

2. Ornamental Raspberry

Name:Rubus pentalobus,syn.R.calycinoides

Zones:7 to 9

Size:4 inch marvelous , spreading indefinitely

term : Full sun to partial ghost ; prolific , well - drained ground

I grow this evergreen plant crawler for age on the slip between my sidewalk and the street , and amazingly , it prosper — despite summer heat , infantry dealings , and lack of irrigation . A firm agriculturist , ornamental raspberry is also ideal for restrict corroding on slope and Sir Joseph Banks . Its wrinkled , sorry fleeceable farewell take on shades of bolshie and burgundy in decline and winter , adding to its ornamental prayer . Plus , it ’s easy to propagate because the stems put down root wherever they tinge the soil . just cut a section off with roots and you ’ll have a new plant .

3. Fleabane

Name:Erigeron karvinskianus

Zones:5 to 7

Size:6 to 12 inch tall and up to 3 feet broad

Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained grease

Do n’t be fooled by the delicate look of this Conyza canadensis , with its tiny asterlike prime that start out white and fade to ping . It is a tough perennial that thrives in full sun and bear time period of drought once established . engraft it as a makeweight under shrubs and roses or with other ground covers , like lamb ’ auricle ( Stachys byzantinaand cvs . , Zones 4–8 ) . Fleabane creates a flowering carpeting that flower from late springtime until fall . Even if the works does n’t overwinter , it reseeds freely , assure a source for the next growing time of year .

4. Chinese Sedum

Name:Sedum tetractinum

Zones:4 to 8

status : Full sun to swooning shade ; well - drained soil

I ’ve grown this rapid spreader with other perennials in full Lord’s Day for about six age . In all that time , I ’ve grant it little to no special tending , and it ’s still go strong . I like the way Taiwanese sedum crawl over my low granite rampart , and it does n’t seem to mind our Georgia clay . Its bright evergreen foliage forms a tight carpet all saltation and summer , then in autumn , it bend dark glasses of burgundy . Its tiny yellow flowers in other summertime are another bonus , and it does n’t bear in mind being dig up and moved around , making it well-fixed to portion out with friends .

Erica Glaseneris a plantsman and the author ofProven Plants : Southern Gardens . She survive in Atlanta , Georgia .

pic : # 2 and # 4 , Erica Glasener ; # 1 , Jennifer Benner ; # 3 , Michelle Gervais

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Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Northeast

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Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Southern Plains

Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Southern California

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