Golden Ragwort, image © Westside Nature Preserve
After a lecture I gave a few months ago on native plants for Baltimore, one of attendees wondered on his blog about sustainable urban groundcovers. I’ve been meaning to take a stab at his question, so here goes!
Specifically, Chris asked:
“So, what are the best groundcovers for the Mid-Atlantic? Again, the idea here is to cover the ground in a way that does not require mowing or extensive weeding, but also does not hurt valuable street trees or provide havens for rats and other urban scourges.”
As he notes, I discouraged him from using English ivy or vinca minor because they are both invasive and ecologically inert. Ursula Vernon has already written on the topic of native plants as groundcovers, and I love all her choices. I’d like to add a few of my own favorites to the discussion.
One of my favorite native plants to employ as a groundcover is golden ragwort (packera aurea, formerly called senecio aureus). Golden ragwort is very well suited for either moist sunny spots or virtually any kind of shade. This species sends up wonderful yellow flowers in spring, and here in Maryland the ground-hugging base foliage is nearly evergreen. It is not a vine, like ivy and vinca, but it is an assertive self-seeder and creates a dense stand in a year or two. It will spread, but in my experience the seeds are heavy enough that it doesn’t spread very far.
Cerastrium arvense forms a dense mat
For sunny spots that are not moist I’ve become a great fan of field chickweed (cerastium arvense). Despite sharing a name with the non-native common chickweed (stellaria media), which is an agricultural pest, cerastium arvense is an attractive six inch tall mat-forming plant worthy of garden use. It spreads by rhizomes and is quite happy in unfriendly soil.
Another underused perennial groundcover is the native lyreleaf sage (salvia lyrata). Lyreleaf sage is naturally found in moist soils, but it seems to tolerate dry soils quite well. There are purple-leafed cultivars, but the straight species is rich in nectar and a real pollinator magnet.
If the site can accommodate a slightly taller groundcover, one excellent choice is fragrant sumac (rhus aromatica). The “Grow Low” cultivar of this woody shrub has a particularly prostrate habit. Fragrant sumac offers high wildlife value, attractive fall foliage, and is tough enough for almost any urban setting.
Finally, while we tend to think of our native vines as climbing plants (and they are, but then again so is English ivy) they can be effective groundcovers too. Trumpet honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens) and Virginia creeper (parthenocissus quinquefolia) are attractive and hardy spreading plants that wildlife and people can both love.
© 2011 – 2013, Vincent Vizachero. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Vincent Vizachero
I love golden ragwort, but it didn’t survive the summer in my garden. I may have to try it again some time!
UrsulaV recently posted..I came, I saw, I composted!
I hope you do, and that it handles your summers!
Absolutely agree on Virginia creeper (woodbine) – I’ve used it a lot with good results. In shade or part shade, it has never gotten out of hand.
Another good one for the northeast for even dry shade is the common blue violet (Viola sororia); I put it in all the garden borders in part shade as a bribe for the rabbits. They hop along, eating a leaf here and there, and leave most of the other plants alone. It covers empty ground quickly and the excess is easily pulled up.
Hey Vincent – good info. This gives me a lot of possibilities for replacing my existing non native groundcovers. So far, I’ve been working with Wild Ginger, and Bloodroot, both of which seem to flourish here. We’ve also got Virginia creeper gracing our backyard woodland. So far I’ve never seen it bloom, but it sure pops up in a lot of places. Your presentation helps me a lot in ridding my yard of the non natives. Thanks.
Hal Mann recently posted..Recent Inspiration
Thanks, Hal. I appreciate it, and hope you’ll keep up the hard work.
Vincent Vizachero recently posted..Native Plants for Baltimore
Vincent, some good suggestions here – I have been trying to find a local source of golden ragwort for years! Another good choice is barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) which has bright yellow flowers in spring
Ellen Sousa recently posted..When Life Gives You Storm Damage, Make Habitat!
Vincent there are some great choices here for those of us in the NE as well…I also like Chrysogonum virginianum or Green and Gold for dry shade. I found the honeysuckle was a great ground cover when it decided to branch out as a ground cover with no help from me…love it!!
Donna@ Gardens Eye View recently posted..Spirit of the Season
Vincent, Thanks for all the great suggestions, I’ll certainly try a few in my garden. I’ve been using tiarella with good success in my CT garden. It establishes quickly, works well in sun & shade and so far the deer do not eat it.
Debbie Roberts recently posted..A Christmas Poem for Gardeners
If Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) works for you that is also a good choice. Can also handle a fair amount of sun when there is adequate moisture.
Good article – I learned about a couple of new ones!
Ellen recently posted..Underused Native Trees