5. The following could be some of the best choices, depending on your own unique landscaping needs: Their stems root where they touch the soil, allowing the plants to spread. Because the common name is often given as spotted dead nettle. Check with your local county extension for any warnings that they may issue for your own region. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. They thrive in or out of sunlight, and they seem to multiply on their own thanks to their rhizomatous roots. This is a large plant with a horizontal growth habit (thus its species name). Select Delosperma floribundum'Starburst', a mat-forming cultivar with pink flowers and white centers for zones 6 to 8. LAY-mee-um mak-yoo-LAH-tum Description Fast growing; Spotted dead nettle is a good ground cover for moist, shady areas. In early spring, flowers that look like fairy wings appear on this perennial. Divide this plant in the spring for additional and long-living ground cover that can last for a couple of decades. Lamium plants are a perfect deer resistant groundcover to brighten a partly sunny to semi-shady spot. Don't site near small plants which may be overtaken. In summer months, little spikes of blue, purple, pink or white flowers will appear. The little silver leaves of lamium are like bits of glitter strewn about the garden floor, reflecting any dappled sunlight that finds them. Lamium Excellent Ground Cover for Shade. Locate where the runners have rooted themselves into the ground. Just beware: Its rapid growth makes this an invasive plant throughout the Eastern United States, as well as parts of Texas and the Southwest. Its aromatic grayish-green foliage spreads easily, and lavender-blue flowers rise on stalks from spring through fall. RELATED: 30 Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. This is a deer- and rabbit-resistant ground cover that is ideal for large swaths of landscape. Those fleshy, bluish-green leaves help retain what little water it receives. Ground cover plants play an important role in the forest garden, protecting the soil, providing refuge for wildlife at ground layer, preventing unwanted plants from establishing and can provide some food such as berries or leaves. The opposite leaves are silvery green with large silver blotches on the upper surface, lightening up a dark shady area. 11 Garden Fence Ideas That Will Complement Any La 10 Lush Landscaping Ideas for a Hilly Backyard. This plant is deciduous in areas where there is colder weather but stays semi-evergreen in other regions. But what really makes this tough perennial a standout is its vivid foliage that ranges from chartreuse to silvery white to many shades of green. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' This selection forms a spreading patch of small silver leaves with a stunning blue-green edge. MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This is what Houston looks like from space, Oops! Providing extra spacing between plants can lessen leaf-spotting, but this somewhat defeats the purpose of growing spotted dead nettles, as one of their best features is that they spread and fill in an area, thereby crowding out weeds. Just like other plants with the word "creeping" in the name, liriope can be considered aggressive and invasive in parts of the United States, from Virginia through to Mississippi. Dead nettle, also known as Lamium, is a low-growing perennial with silver-splashed leaves and bursts of purple, pink, or white flowers that pop up in spring and early summer. Noteworthy Characteristics Attractive foliage makes a good groundcover. Lamb's ear creates a soft and silvery dense ground covering mat in a sunny area of your property. Yellow archangel has colorful leaves and flowers. This elegant fern looks as dainty as a pearl necklace, but is tough enough to survive winter growing in the Himalayan Mountains, where it is native. Try growing it as a green carpet laid at the feet of your big leaf hydrangeas or Lenten roses. In its native environment, it spreads slowly to cover the forest floor, where deer and rabbits typically leave it alone. Several plants in this list happily grow in full or partial shade. Fix your gardens trouble spots with these low-growing perennials, annuals, and shrubs. The foliage is evergreen and the 3-inch-high plant trails or spreads, favoring gravel and other sunny, dry conditions in zones 5 through 9. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive. Lamium. Type above and press Enter to search. This is great if you need to cover a problem area with an attractive ground cover, but not so good if you are trying to grow them in a place where you need a well-behaved plant. Yellow archangel, also known as yellow Lamium, is very competitive and fast-growing in the forest habitats of western Washington and western British Columbia. Some of these ground covers will grow in sun and others in shade; all will put on growth quickly. Dont worry if it doesnt reappear first thing in spring. Its not often that a plant is classified as an evergreen ground cover, a trailing plant for containers and a houseplant. Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. Reaches 3 to 9 inches tall with a spread of 6 to 12 inches. All Rights Reserved. Note that the green type of European native can be highly invasive, especially in wet areas of the Northeast westward to Indiana, and in the parts of the Northwest. Common or Western yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is native to North America and can be found throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. English Ivy. RELATED: 10 Grass-Free Alternatives to a Traditional Lawn. Spotted dead nettles should be pruned in the summer after the first blooming period. Liverleaf (Anemone americana, formerly classified as Hepatica americana) is a perennial wildflower native to North America. Although it favors dry climates, this ground cover can survive in the warmer end of some humid regions. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Advertisement Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' is a shade-loving perennial, highly valued for its drought tolerance and ability to form a bright carpet of silver foliage, with rich pink blooms . Thanks to its bold blue hue and its ability to attract butterflies, Grace Ward lithodora will add bursts of color to your landscape from spring through the end of summer. This ground cover requires very little care at allif planted in full shade. The plant's multicolored leaves and tiny pastel flowers look attractive by themselves along a walkway or mingled. Its ornamental value is twofold: it bears splendid blossoms in various colors (depending on the variety), and it displays eye-catching silver leaves, which provide color long after the flowers have faded. Bishop's Goutweed While it works great for ground cover in a shaded area, you will never, ever get rid of it. Use it to highlight other plants with darker foliage, such as boxwoods and conifers. In either case, cut back shabby foliage after the first frost to make way for new growth in the spring. If those conditions describe your landscape, then you may want to check out this wonderful little relative of the dogwood trees. Grow spotted dead nettles in full to partial shade. Many use the ground cover to define the borders of garden paths. It has a stripe down the middle that can be white, yellow, red, or silver. Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. Little Moonshine, for example, reaches about 10 inches high when in bloom; Greek yarrow has lower height and gray-green foliage. If the hill is big, remove the grass in stages so as not to take unnecessary chances with erosion. Creeping phlox is a short plant often seen covering the side of a hill or retaining wall with colorful spring flowers. You might not think of oregano as a ground cover, but this herb forms dense clumps of scented foliage. While many shrubs give you flowers, the prettiest thing aboutCotoneaster horizontalis is its colorful, red berries. Being creepersand having a tendency to spread, these classic cottage-garden plants are popular flowering ground covers. It reaches 6-inches in height and spreads to 24-inches wide. Place lamium where you won't be smashing it underfoot, though, because its stems are somewhat fragile. But its attractive variegated foliage spreads out to two or three times its height. Plant it in full sun during the spring in cooler climates and in shadier areas during the fall in warmer regions. Here in North American home gardens, it serves as a six- to 10-inch tall, slowly spreading ground cover for part shade to full shade. Known as Lamium maculatum, this perennial plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and boasts a lengthy bloom time: from mid-spring to early summer. Want to lure hummingbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your garden? Pachysandra are aggressive and fast-spreading coverings that grow underground with runners. A favorite type is 'Silver Carpet' as it spreads easily, rarely flowers, and stays short at 4 to 6 inches tall. All our groundcovers are grown in biodegradable . When shopping for this plant, be sure to ask for Aurinia saxatilis or yellow alyssum, not sweet alyssum, which is an entirely different species. Cost: Buy 200 seeds for around $7 or a large, potted plant for around $20. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Texas tornados destroy homes, leave 300,000 without power, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting. While it is not a spreader, it is large enough to take up space as the spring and summer months advance. In fact, this short, squat plant is often seen dotting hillsides or banks. The erect flower clusters are long-blooming. Lamium (Dead Nettle) is a trailing, groundcover perennial. But they are not grasses, and are instead herbaceous floweringperennial plantsin the asparagus family. Prepare a bed on the sandy, well-drained soil under 6-12 inches depth and plant the seedlings 18 inches apart in the late afternoon. Sweet woodruff foliage can be dried and used in wreaths, potpourri, and other craft creations. With society garlic, you can have your ground cover and eat it too! At least one like petunias. Though Chinese lantern is also considered invasive, it is a novel and colorful perennial ground cover with autumn interest because of its bright orange-red shaped seed pods that turn into papery husks. While this perennial spreads rapidly, you can mow it to regain control. What plant labels typically fail to mention is that, under the right growing conditions, 'Amethyst in Snow' makes a flowering ground cover that will spread nicely. Yellow Archangel Botanical Name: Lamium galeobdolon Swallowtail butterflies, hummingbird moths and hummingbirds are all fans. Leadwort is an excellent low-maintenance groundcover for putting on a late-season show. Lamium spreads quickly, so be ready to cut it back if it begins to encroach on other shrubs and flowers. Ground cover plants are all-around problem-solvers: They retain moisture, control erosion, and provide.css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;} habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies. The thick, dense foliage is excellent for trouble spots where other plants have a hard time becoming established. Yellow archangel ( lamium galeobdolon) Its a relative of mint, so its guaranteed to spread, and its hardy in the cold of Zone 3 but can take heat up to Zone 8. It's tough-as-nails once established, tolerating poor soil and drought conditions. It's also used for ground cover to stop erosion because its tough roots hold soil in place. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. A native of Moultrie, Ga., she graduated from Queens University of Charlotte, formerly Queens College. This easy-care ground cover provides colors of purple, white pink and shades of light red. Perfect for plantings under perennials or shrubs and as a groundcover or edging plant. It is perfect for a small space, like a little garden along a north-facing wall. She's been a frequent speaker at various garden events. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This item: Perennial Farm Marketplace Lamium m. 'Beacon Silver' (Dead Nettle) Groundcover, Size-#1 Container, Metallic Leaves and Pink Flowers $1495 Mixed Heart-Shaped Hosta Bare Roots - Rich Green Foliage, Low Maintenance, Heart Shaped Leaves - 6 Roots $1699 ($2.83/Count) Total price: $31.94 Add both to Cart .css-lwn4i5{display:block;font-family:Neutra,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:-0.01rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;text-align:center;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-lwn4i5:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}9 Best Gardening Subscription Boxes 2023, 20 Best Tall Indoor Plants to Shop Online, 85 Surprising Flower Meanings With Pictures. It is also ideal for rock gardens, border edges, and even containers besides being an excellent choice for an ornamental ground cover. Plus, each is interesting enough to enhance your surroundings more than an ordinary carpet of grass. White flowers pop up in spring. They have silver foliage and produce showy pink, purple or white flowers in late spring. It likes full sun. All rights reserved. When grown as a ground cover, it is an easy-care plant that requires little maintenance. Kathleen Miller is a highly-regarded Master Gardener and Horticulturist who shares her knowledge of sustainable living, organic gardening, farming, and landscape design. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. Care Grow the quick-growing groundcovers in moist, but well-drained soil in partial or full shade. Lamium is grown for both its pretty foliage and beautiful flowers. `Katie' ruellia is a good ground cover for sun or shade. The name "Dead Nettle" refers to the fact that Lamium does not have the stinging hair characteristic of other nettles. Although it is most attractive, I have found it less vigorous in our garden, but perhaps you will have better luck. Hortster. Doesn't need much water. Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. Avoid planting Chinese lantern in garden beds and near turf grass. It will happily soak up the excess moisture, especially if its a sunny spot. Water the seedlings and apply a mulch layer on top of the soil. It gets its name because light reflects off its hairy growths and sparkles on the landscape. But beware: This hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. The only real maintenance required is trimming it back after it has finished flowering, or whenever it becomes too scraggly for your tastes. Low-growing varieties of sedum make easy-to-care-for ground covers, especially since its fleshy leaves retain enough water to survive dry spells. When you buy Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow', you may be thinking of it as an uprightperennial plant with attractive flowers. If you live in USDA Zones 3 through 9 and have a low spot where grass struggles because its too wet, try planting golden groundsel there instead. But purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) takes advantage of the open expanses of soil and lack of competition. Hostas are definitely not deer-resistant but they are toxic to other animals. While some have small flowers, the main focal point is the colorful foliage, which ranges from chartreuse to bronze. It prefers well-drained soil but will do fine in the dry shade if you provide it with regular watering. Lamb's Ear. Note that Lenten rose is toxic to animals. It is far too unattractive a little for this low-growing carpet of leaves. If you want this to be a fast-growing ground cover plant, make sure it receives 4-6 hours of sun each day. On the other hand, keeping it in check requires occasionally cutting back the stems, which can actually self-root if they fall off naturally. Thus you need to be careful in choosing the right spot to grow this plant. You could first try it in a small area container to see how it does in your garden. I simply pick the seedlings if they pop up where I don't want them. In the south, however, they may develop problems with leaf-spotting due to the high humidity. Desert zinnia (Zinnia acerosa) and prairie zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora) are native ground covers in the Southwest. One of the best fast-growing ground cover plants for full sun is flowering candytuft. Lamium, or dead nettle, is a perennial ground cover, often with variegation. It can even thrive in the acidic conditions under large pine trees. It grows best where it has plenty of space to spread out. Despite its vigorous growth, it's not considered invasive. In extremely hot climates it needs a little shade, but otherwise it enjoys being in the sun. This is not the form of thyme used in cooking, but its fragrance will attract bees and other pollinators. Hardy and deer resistant in USDA Zones 4 through 8, this colonizing fern prefers humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. And beware that it is considered invasive in some areas of the Northeast and Northwest. They areespecially valued for use in shady spots, which is a condition that many plants dislike. Spotted deadnettle ground cover is an easy-to-grow plant with a wide range of soil and condition tolerance.. Botanical Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis This tall ground cover has a horizontal growing habit, give it plenty of water and afternoon shade until it is fully grown. Ground Cover Dogwood. It can cover large areas if you let it, so take care to find a place where its spreading tendency will be welcomed. This shrub flowers from May to July with white flowers, and grows to a maximum height of about 9 inches. book to class, Report: Houston ranked No. Read our. It grows low to the ground, making it a good alternative to grass in just about any climate. Creeping Raspberry is a wonderful and attractive ground cover that is naturally hardy, resilient, and adaptable. This perennial creeper is a great ground cover that will quickly carpet your landscape with pretty and small flowers. Glechoma hederacea is not the same as henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) or Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum L.), AKA red deadnettle, red henbit. Key Dead-nettle facts Name - Lamium maculatum Family - Lamiaceae Type - perennial Height - 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) Exposure - full sun to shade Soil - rich and well drained Foliage - deciduous Under even the most unforgiving of conditions, lamium prevails. `Katie' produces petunialike, purple blooms for months. Creeping liriope plants make low-maintenance, tough, and drought-tolerant ground covers with spikey flowers and grass-like foliage. Ferns come in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. Commonly used as a ground cover in the shade garden, spotted dead nettle is short- Grow Morning Glory and Moon Flower Together, How to Grow Tulip Flowers like a Jeweled Crown, How to Care and Grow Perennial Iris Flowers, Caleana major Commonly Known as the Large Duck Orchid, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (cacatua galerita), Types of Osprey Calls A Guide to Understanding Osprey Communication, Miletus Ancient Theater A Significant Historical Site in Aydin, Strategic Business Planning: Setting Your Company Up for Success, Five College and University Tips for Students to Get Through a Tough Class. White Nancy jparkers USDA Zones:3-9 Cut them to the height you prefer them to be and thin them out if they're getting too thick by cutting some of the branches throughout the plant back to the ground. This common weedy plant is a member of the mint family and forms early groundcover mats, with fuzzy . Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more. There are so many reasons to grow golden groundsel (Packera aurea). The only issue to watch for is rotting leaves. Also known as periwinkle and creeping myrtle, vinca minor will spread wherever its planted and will even scale trellises or fences if trained. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil. The promise is that Lamiums are fast-growing perennial ground cover or container plants that brighten partly sunny spots and produce charming flowers. Lamium is a versatile plant, hardy in U.S.D.A. Plant liriope any time for quick growth and spreading. Ajuga ground cover doing very well in low light. Our native white wood aster (Aster divaricatus), which grows in USDA Zones 3 through 8, spreads underground and by seed to form dense colonies even in dry shade conditions. Alyssum is an annual ground cover that grows very well from direct sow seeding once temperatures have reached 65 to 70 degrees. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Another method of control some gardeners use is placing saucers of stale beer among their plants, with the lip of the container at ground level. Vinca has few pests, so it can be considered invasive, which is good news if your goal is to keep weeds at bay. In fact, brass buttons share the same Achilles heel as ferns: Both succumb easily to drought. They can spread across bare ground, suppressing weeds and dust, preventing erosion, decreasing water evaporation, and adding color. Blooms late Spring to mid Summer. You will have a Lamium carpet by fall, and the following year you will perhaps be able to pen your own lamium nursery with which to supply all your friends. Although not a U.S. native and with the potential to choke out nearby wildflowers, lithodora is not listed as an invasive concern. Keep in mind that smaller containers will require watering more often. (I prefer to call it lamium), Lamium . Many are perennials, some are annuals, and some make good ground covers, though they can be overly aggressive in favorable locations. However, keep a good supply of glyphosate on hand to keep these in check! You might be more familiar with the short, colorful asters commonly sold along with potted mums in the fall. Growing as high as 36 inches, it blooms all summer long with purple flowers. These deer-resistant plants are not bothered by rabbits either. A member of the mint family, Lamium spreads quickly, is self-seeding, and will rapidly create a ground cover wherever it is planted. No special soil is needed for it to flourish and reseed. These waterwise plants are perfect rock garden ground covers in zones 4 through 9 for the hardier yellow prairie zinnia and 6 through 10 for desert zinnia with its pretty white flowers. Plant bugleweed in the late spring or early summer and it will quickly spread runners (stolons) that can form a dense mat to fill large and shady areas, especially where you need erosion control. A Texas Master Gardener, she's the author of The Texas Flower Garden, published by Gibbs-Smith in 1996. To make sure your ground covers get the job done (ya know, dressing up your landscape), follow the instructions on their plant care tag to give them the right conditions. Much like the fictional character, it has golden hair (flowers) that spread enough to be effective in covering a certain amount of space, but the plant is not so vigorous a spreader to create a nuisance. It doesnt like wet feet, so make sure the soil is well-drained. It prefers shade, but . Otherwise, no pruning is needed, and if you're using it only for ground covering, watch that it does not grab hold of a tree bark or the siding of your house because its roots will dig in, making it hard to remove without damaging the surface. Creeping lamium averages 10 inches tall, with small flower groups appearing in the summer. The kaleidoscope of red, blue and green all at once lights up the shade like ground level fireworks. It also doesn't die back in the winter. Named for the color and the shape of their flowers, brass buttons stand out perhaps most of all for their serrated, fern-like leaves. Choose plants that are hardy to USDA zones 2 to 4. 30. They have silver foliage and produce showy pink, purple or white flowers in late spring. She is married to photographer John Everett and they have one son. Spotted Nettle ( Lamium maculatum) is an excellent ground cover plant that has attractive foliage and pretty flowers that appear in profusion in mid-spring then sporadically over the course of the summer and fall. It grows best in morning sun and afternoon shade. It's also a beautiful ground cover to consider for moon gardens, but just beware the flowers are less than fragrant. With moist shade and deep, acidic woodland soil of good tilth, it will form a tight ground cover. Keep weeds at bay with spreading plants in your garden. Imagine sky blue flowers popping up in and around your shade garden in the springtime, swaying in the slightest breeze, rising above a carpet of Canadian wild ginger or lamium (see below). However, slugs and snails may be occasional visitors. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. On top of all that, with proper care the plant can last 5 to 6 years, during which time you can harvest your own fresh thyme. She has spent over two decades working in the horticulture industry on new plant development, garden design, sales, marketing and consulting. It matures to a maximum height of only 6 inches, so many gardeners choose to plant creeping phlox on a slope or along the top of a retaining wall to appreciate its beauty from several angles. Grow Canadian wild ginger in humus-rich, moist soil in light shade to deep shade conditions in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 through 8. It's also toxic to humans and pets. Here's how: While they can self-seed themselves, spotted dead nettles do not do well if you try to grow them from seed. Bloom time begins sooner, of course, after a mild winter, since plants do not have to regrow. Excellent evergreen ground cover for shadeThe North American native speciesPachysandra procumbensis harder to find but a more graceful and less spready choiceGrows 6 to 10 inches 15-25 cm tall. It flowers best in full sun. Virtually disease and pest free, Spotted Dead Nettle is also deer and rabbit resistant. A particularly vigorous variety, Walkers Low, was The Perennial Plant Associations plant of the year in 2007. Hedera helix. Lamium A great solution for ground cover in a shaded area until it takes over in 5 years. Water it during dry spells and give it a haircut at the end of its blossoming period. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. Native to Europe and western Asia, Lamium is frequently found naturalized along woodland trails and paths and colonized along the banks of streams. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride', Zones 4-8) is one of the fastest-growing ground covers. Growing 3-6 inches tall, it can be used as a full ground cover, or you can plant it around stepping stones and pathways. Stinging nettles also grow quite tall. Planted in groupings, which spread rapidly, they make an elegant groundcover for moist, shady areas. Some hybrids offer striking, flat flower clusters that bees and butterflies can use as a landing pad. It needs full sun to flourish. It detests hot, humid weather, but thrives where temperatures drop at night. A relative of spotted dead nettles is yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon). It spreads by seed, but not aggressively, making its way around the garden in light shade to full shade conditions in USDA Zones 3 through 8. For a sun-loving, pollinator-friendly herb, creeping thyme ( Thymus praecox) will fill your lawn with a fine-leaved mat of dainty pink, white, or purple flowers. Its a well-behaved spreader, and is not invasive. This groundcover plant stays under a foot tall but slowly spreads outward. Growing and Harvesting a Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus). They're also popular ground covers used to stop soil erosion. In the South or West, the ground cover may lose its leaves or die back in the cold months. Spotted dead nettles will naturalize in some areas. If you do not want to open a nursery, and it is crowding other plants, shear in midsummer to promote more compact growth. Read our, Amethyst in Snow (Centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow'), 31 Best-Deer Resistant Flowers and Plants to Grow, 10 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs for Landscaping, 18 Perennial Flowers That Bloom in Spring, Summer and Fall, 35 Types of Orange Flowers: Identification & Photos, 15 Best Plants for Drought-Tolerant Gardens, Angelina Sedum (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'), Rock Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis), Chinese lantern is also considered invasive.