What is the best ground cover plant to cover a backyard hill?

Question

I need to plant something that grows fast and with flowers. Thanks

Answer 1

Oh the myriad and lovely choices. It depends mostly upon your geographic location, soil chemistry and sunlight.

Where to begin?

I shall start with a book: "Gardening with Groundcovers andVines", by Allen Lacy. This is both useful in terms of practice and selection.

Second, test your soil with a kit, usually available on the cheap from garden supply or hardware. Supplement as necessary.

Third, know your hardiness zone. You can look this up online, or in most general gardening books. If you live in zone 4 or north, you will be more limited.

Next, know yourself. Is it part of a garden you maintain, or is this something you want to put in and occasionally weed, with mulch and weed preventer, (organic I hope).
But to be more specific:

Partial sun - shade and slightly acidic soil:

Vinca major or minor depending on your zone. Glossy leaves and spreading like ivy, with beautiful blue or white blossoms in spring/early summer. Nice for planting with bulbs as it covers the dying foliage of daffodils and others which need the photosynthesis.

Galium odoratum (common name is sweet woodruff) zone 4 - 8. Beautiful white, fragrant, star-like blossom and nice light green foliage. Excells in relatively moist soil, and beneath the cover of trees or shrubs.

Hakanechloa macra (Japanese golden grass) This is a beauty. It will perform best in light shade with relatively moist soil, (best to mulch) zone 5 - 9.

Hosta: for big impact in shade, there are so many cultivars to choose from, I can't begin to cover it here. Lovely blue/lavender/to white flowers. Some are fragrant.

Ferns: another big group for semi shade. Economically speaking, the ostrich or cinnamon group are big and quick to give impact.

Tiarella: This is a native plant in much of the northeast, and has been used to breed many of the heucharella plants on the market. The native is often called foamy bells. It is also quick to spread and not fussy - pretty leaves and lovely flowers in the early season. It is gorgeous beneath shrubs and spring blooming trees.

Heuchera: Coral bells are all the rage right now, and you can find them in various colors and patterns. Many will self sow and create blankets of ground cover. Pretty flower spikes from white, pink to bright pink and yes, coral.

Allegheny spurge: People will recommend pachysandra. This is fine, but not native. Allegheny spurge is much more interesting..mottled leaves. It is slow to spread, and the flowers are not of interest. Maybe not for you.

Hedera helix: Ivy is nice, but it really depends upon where you are. In some locations in the south, it is truly a menace.

Lamium: Good one if you are not concerned with invasion. There are a couple to avoid. "White Nancy" is a well behaved variety

Ajuga: Sun or shade, once again, you have to be sure you aren't concerned with aggression. Beautiful plant. Lavender to blue flowers (some white), nice foliage from green to mottled to almost purple and brown. Its a low grower and attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

I could really go on...but I will move to sun:

Microbiota: I live in Vermont, and this siberian native is providing the closest thing to a ground-cover cypress that I will ever see. It is gorgeous and turns a russet shade in winter/fall, alas, no blooms. So I shall move on.

Roses: The rugosa rose is a hardworking groundcover for sunny sites and especially slopes. It loves drainage and thrives in a slightly sandy soil mix.

The daylily: Hardworking backbone of the perennial border, these plants provide a long-season of bloom and spread quickly. Its not really a close-to-the-ground cover, but it provides a nice green hillside throughout the growing season, and all it asks is occasional water, and some mulch to keep weeds at bay.

Vinca can work in sunny sites as well, but it wants some moisture.

Iberis: If you have a rocky or gravelly site, this is a nice plant for you. White flowers in spring.

Cerastium tomentosum: Snow in Summer is great for a low grower if you like silvery foliage and white flowers. It wants sun and good drainage.

Ajuga works here in the sun too.

Thyme. Especially if you are in a hot, dry location.

If your are looking for more shrubby coverage, I would recommend checking out Michael Dirr's book, Hardy Trees and Shrubs. He has two versions, and it depends upon where you are located.

Suckering shrubs will give you the best coverage. For example, Clethera in semi-sun to sun, (fragrant shrub).

If possible, be sure you are planting a non-invasive species. Avoid, for example euonymos, (burning bush), and berberis, (barberry), which are not native, and invade the woodland. This is not to be confused with bear-berry, which is fine.

Stephanandra: no flowers here, but lacy and beautiful

Physocarpus (ninebark): This grows fast and blooms in pinkish shades...some beautiful varieties with foliage. Gets big though: in some locations it gets to 8' or so. Nice.

Spirea: A good option for hot, sunny locations. Gold mound and Anthony Waterer are nice...many varieties with blooms from white to hot pink.

Grasses are also an option in the sun. Ornamental grasses are beautiful and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. The tassles are like flowers really, and last into the winter months.

Good luck. If you get a chance check out the book I recommend. It may be at a local college library with a decent horticulture dept. For a natural effect, check out Rick Darke's The American Woodland Garden or Ken Druse's books. You can peek at Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

well that all depends.. how tall do you want it?Should it flower?
Anyway a great groundcover that covers fast is Sedum if you do not like that try Junipers.Daylilies spread also and have extensive rootsystems. Edging grass does the trick,too.Mix and match..Canna Lilies are tall but spread they can be planted inbeetween even the Junipers to poke through..I saw that the other day..looked interesting! I live in the south and have perriwinkle also,it is low to the ground.

Answer 4

Do the Clover, pink is wonderful, PLEASE, NO vetch!!!!!!!!! It is SOOOOO INVASIVE. Brown Eyed Susan's, or Cone Flower. Plantain, or Cotoniaster. All will spread and keep a hill in shape. I don't like Cotoniaster, because it is a dead leaf harbor. Misery to rake clean, but a good hill retainer non the less. if you want to, you can spend BIG BUCKS with Premium wild flower seed, to cultivate the hillside and plant with. The difference in the seed products is the cheep seed will revert to White daises, and vetch, and the good stuff will have Brown eyed Susan, cone flower, lambs ears, and other strong growers mixed in.

Answer 5

careful with the myrtle. it can be invasive and spring up where it's not wanted, grows fast and takes over everything. and you can never ever ever get rid of it. the stuff is like kudzu. try ajuga. dark purplish leaves that put out a small voilet spike in the spring. Great ground cover. Spreads fast but not invasive and when you decide to remove it, it stays away. Weeds will not grow through it.

Answer 6

You didn't tell us where you live. Above answers are good: ice plant for warm climates, crownvetch for cooler. Problem with crownvetch, it becomes a weed and after awhile looks ratty. However if you also plant shrubs and keep them from being overrun by the vetch, you can eliminate the vetch and have nice shrubs on the hill later.

Answer 7

There are a number of options available to you, some are better than others depending on a number of factors that you didn't give us. Sunny or shady, growing zone and your personal preferences are all factors that will enter into your final choice.

Check out our website for ground cover ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/groundcover.html

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!

Answer 8

My latest discovery is a plant called Calibrachoa,common name Million Bells. It is a mini petunia, that is very abundant. It comes in red,orange,yellow,blue,rose,&white. It is a perennial in zone 7. This plants is all color and it is a ground cover. Hence the name Million Bell's. Trust me, I have grown thousands of plants and grow new and different one every season, this plant is HOT. Hope you can find it in your area and give it a try. Happy Planting

Answer 9

Ice plant

Answer 10

Crown vetch or clover work well and have a good root system that prevents erosion. They won't need mowing.
They spread well but both only bloom in the spring of the year.

Answer 11

creeping phlox is ur best bet! it grows fast, looks good with and without flowers, flowers appear in early to mid spring!