Easy to care for and beautiful - ground covers are an integral part of creative garden design. We show you the 20 most beautiful varieties for your garden.
Large, flat beds that look beautiful, but still don't need a lot of maintenance? What sounds like a beautiful dream is actually quite easy thanks to so-called ground cover plants. Ground covers grow quickly and will soon cover the entire bed in a carpet of green leaves and beautiful flowers, while also protecting the soil and suppressing weeds. Since most varieties are also particularly easy to care for and robust, ground covers are ideal for gardens in which care takes little time, but the garden should still remain green. Here you can find out which ground covers look particularly beautiful in the garden.
Ground covers are simple and easy to care for, but they can still look gorgeous. You can find out here which varieties are a special treat for the eyes.
1. Common Soapwort
It's not just the beautiful, white or slightly pink flowers that make common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) a particularly beautiful groundcover; its sweetish-floral scent, which occurs particularly in the evening hours, is an insect magnet and even flatters the human nose. Particularly undemanding and fast-growing, the common soapwort can get along in almost any garden and is also very hardy. However, caution is advised: the common soapwort is very keen on spreading and also likes to conquer areas that it shouldn't penetrate if you don't make the right preparations.
2. Box milkwort
Bright two-tone flowers in purple and yellow - the box milkwort (Polygala chamaebuxus) is a real eye-catcher. But despite its beauty, the box-leaved milkwort, as it is also called, is anything but high-maintenance. On the other hand, it is very robust, only waterlogging does not get you so well. But not only in summer does itBuxus milkwort cuts a fine figure: this subshrub, which is about 20 cm high, keeps its leaves even in winter, making for green beds.
3. Cushion Phlox
If you want to transform your rock garden into a sea of flowers, you have made the right choice with the cushion or carpet phlox (Phlox subulata). Between April and July, the plant transforms into a carpet of countless star-shaped flowers, ranging in color from white to crimson, depending on the variety. The cushion phlox blooms particularly beautifully in full sun, and even an annual pruning does not harm it, although it tends to be a slow-growing ground cover. Otherwise, however, the carpet phlox is an uncomplicated contemporary.
4. Lampranthus
Radiant flowers in bright colors - the lampranthus (Lampranthus) immediately catches the eye with its appearance. Especially its beautiful flowers, which in their perfection often give the impression that they are made of plastic, make the charm of this plant. Unfortunately, this flowering splendor only appears on sunny days, which has also given the plant the name Ice Plant. Although the Lampranthus is actually very robust and needs little care, the succulent cannot cope with the German winter. However, you can simply pick the plant up from the bed and let it hibernate indoors, or sow it again in the spring using cuttings.
5. Speedwell
The speedwell genus (Veronica), also known under the name Veronika, includes over 450 species, which are notable for their easy-care nature, but also for their intensely colored flowers award. However, not all speedwell species are suitable as ground cover, as the diversity within the plant genus is enormous: individual species can grow up to 2 m tall, while other species only reach a size of just under 20 cm. However, the prostrate speedwell (Veronica prostrata) and the stalked speedwell (Veronica peduncularis) have proven particularly successful as ground covers, both of which are particularly popular in the Turn out to be pretty eye-catchers.
6. Wollziest
A plant that you caress constantlywant? In fact, the leaves of the Wollziest (Stachys byzantina) are so soft that they are popularly referred to as rabbit's or donkey's ear. The reason for this is a woolly hair that not only gives the evergreen leaves a great texture but also an unusual appearance. Its flowers, on the other hand, are quite inconspicuous, but with their pink to silvery-white color they are by no means to be despised. The Wollziest prefers sunny locations, but the evergreen plant is very sensitive to waterlogging and winter moisture.
7. Small Periwinkle
The name of the evergreen (Vinca minor) says it all: With a height of only 10 to 30 cm, the plant is not one of the really big ones, but it also keeps its beautiful, dark green leaves. But the small periwinkle is particularly beautiful in spring - from April to September the plant bears small, pure blue flowers, which transform it from an inconspicuous groundcover into a real eye-catcher. In addition, the small periwinkle is also extremely easy to care for and adaptable, so it can thrive in almost any location.
8. Woodruff
Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is not only extremely popular for its taste, but is also an excellent groundcover. Especially in shady beds, the forest plant spreads itself and impresses with its aromatic smell and the small, white flowers. Woodruff also impresses with its robust and easy-care nature. However, it is not advisable to use woodruff in the kitchen, because it can quickly lead to dizziness, headaches or even liver damage if overdosed.
9. Thrifts
Thrifts (Armeria) are a real feast for the eyes: The plant develops solitary inflorescences, on each of which a hemispherical flower appears in red, white or yellow. The bushy, evergreen perennial is not only beautiful but also very robust. Despite its height of up to 20 cm, the thrift is amazingly wind resistant and hardy, making it ideal for planting in seaside gardens.
10. Sedum
The name sedum doesn't sound particularly attractive, but the plant that goes with it is: The sedum (Sedum) impresses with its beautiful flower umbrellas, but also with its ornamental leaf rosettes are a real ornament, after all they shine in all possible colors from silver-green to copper-red. With almost 500 varieties, the sedum has a number of variations to offer, but unfortunately only the small varieties such as the white sedum (Sedum album) are suitable as ground cover, but they are very easy to care for show.
11. Felty Hornwort
No matter whether as an evergreen ground cover or as an ornamental plant in the rock garden: the felty tomentosum (Cerastium tomentosum) almost always cuts a fine figure. With its gray felty leaves and rapid growth, the plant is ideal as a ground cover for sunny locations. In May, however, the chickpea shows its true beauty and bears its large, bright white star-shaped flowers, which make the flower a great eye-catcher in the rock garden.
12. Bluebell
Bellflowers (Campanula) are already a popular ornament in gardens for their pretty flowers, but many are unaware of the potential of the beautiful plants. In fact, numerous types of bluebells are ideal as ground cover. There is something for every garden: the hanging cushion bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) prefers shady spots, the dwarf bellflower (Campanula cochleariifolia) is characterized above all by its winter hardiness and the Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpartia) has not only blue, but also violet and white flowers, depending on the variety.
13. Pennywort
With its good growth and easy-care nature, pennywort (Lysimachia nummularia) has already proven itself as a ground cover in many gardens. Pennywort is particularly popular as planting at the edges of ponds because it also thrives well in moist soil. With its round, light green leaves and golden yellow flowers, which are about the size of a cent, pennywort is also extremely decorative.
14. pinkEvening Primrose
Beautiful by day and by night - the pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa) with its delicately shimmering flowers is a real eye-catcher that shows off its beauty day and night. It is rather persistent and flowers continuously from June to September. The only thing that the ground cover does not tolerate well is the harsh winter - if the temperatures drop too low, parts of the beautiful plant can freeze to death. However, the pink evening primrose is blessed with an enormous joy of propagation and vitality, so that it often comes to life again in spring and quickly regains its place in the bed.
15. Wild Thyme
If you are looking for a ground cover for all the senses, you will find exactly the right plant with wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum). With its small pink to purple flowers, wild thyme not only cuts a fine figure, its scent also enchants every herb lover. But the taste of wild thyme is in no way inferior to its big brother, common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and is an excellent spice. Since the wild thyme is also easy to grow and evergreen, it is also an excellent ground cover for your garden.
16. Deadnettle
In the sun or in the shade, the deadnettle (Lamium) is suitable for almost any location. The dead nettle, with around 50 species, is particularly interesting for horticultural design because of its versatility - there are summer and winter green, annual and perennial variations. However, they all have in common their beautiful leaves, which resemble that of a stinging nettle (but fortunately do not sting) and their pretty flowers. Deadnettles are also particularly hardy, persistent and easy to care for.
17. Crimson Cranesbill
The blood-red cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) is probably one of the most popular perennials in hobby gardens. No wonder, after all, the cranesbill species is particularly floriferous and inspires with its crimson flowers from May to September. At the same time, the perennial plant is also extremely undemanding and easy to care for. It cuts a fine figure as a groundcover, especially in sunny locations.
18. Elf Flower
She is the jewel in the shade garden - the elfin flower (Epimedium) impresses with its beautiful foliage and great flowers. Roughly speaking, the type of elfin flower can be divided into two large groups: the wintergreen representatives are extremely robust and vigorous and therefore particularly well suited as ground cover. The deciduous species, on the other hand, are more sensitive to waterlogging, but show an unexpected we alth of flower variations - so both groups make a perfect ground cover for shade gardens.
19. Canadian Dogwood
Most people probably know dogwood (Cornus) much more as an ornamental tree and not as a groundcover - but in fact the genus also includes a beautiful groundcover, herbaceous species. The Canadian dogwood ( Cornus canadensis), also known as the carpet dogwood, grows to just a few inches tall and is perfect as a ground cover for shady gardens. From July to August, the plant impresses not only with its beautiful leaves, but also with the white or pink flowers. Later, the Canadian dogwood bears highly decorative, non-poisonous, red berries.
20. Houseleek
Heat, cold, drought? No problem for houseleek (Sempervivum) - the indestructible mini perennials grow even where hardly any other plant can survive and stay nice and green even in winter. The thick-leaved plants only need sun, otherwise they lose their typical shape and do not bloom. But not only its robustness but also its appearance makes the houseleek a great groundcover: Almost 3000 varieties offer all sorts of variations with interesting rosette shapes, beautiful leaf colors and attractive flowers, which many passionate collectors have learned to love.
Many ground covers are not only easy to care for, but are also considered to be particularly bee-friendly. Check out our special article for 15 bee-friendly ground covers for any location that you can use to support the bees in your garden.
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