Perennial Groundcovers

Need to edge the front of a border, add foliage between flagstones or want an alternative to traditional mulch? Listed here are hardy plants that cover the ground. These plants tend to spread and are usually short. Most offer flowers as well. If you have a rather large area to cover--as on a hillside--consider planting a vine and letting it spread and root into the ground. As with other perennials flowers, some will do better in sun, while others prefer shade. Also, perennial flowers typically bloom most during one particular season but may overlap into another season. Look for those with decorative leaves for an ongoing show of texture and color.

Perennial Groundcovers for Shade
Perennial Groundcovers for Sun

** Please Note: Availability of specific varieties listed below will vary depending upon time of season and sales. Please visit us to view current varieties.

Click here for a listing of ALL TYPES of perennials by bloom time

Perennial Groundcovers for Shade

	Bugleweed / Carpet Bugle (Ajuga) Height: 6" Spread: 8"-10" Bloom Color: Blue Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Foliage can grow in shade under trees where grass is hard to establish. Flowers best in moist locations. Varieties: Black Scallop Bronze Beauty Burgundy Glow Chocolate Chip
	Creeping Buttercups (Ranunculus repens) Height: 6"-8" Spread: 2'-4' Bloom Color: Yellow Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: This is an aggressive spreader that blooms with bright yellow flowers and has attractive deep green leaves. Best sited in an area where you don't care if it roams. Keep it away from lawns.
	Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) Height: 1"-3" Spread: 2'-6'—can be an aggressive spreader Bloom Color: Yellow Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Grown for foliage which hugs the ground in a dense mat. Plant shade, bright shade, or sun. Varieties: Green Yellow (Aurea)
	Dead Nettle /Lamium (Lamium maculatum) Height: 6"-12" Spread: 6"-12" Bloom Color: Pink or white Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer Other Notes: Brightens up a shady (or partly shady) spot. Can be planted in dry shade as under trees, where grass is hard to establish. Varieties: Orchid Frost: Silvery-white and green leaves with pink blooms Pink Pewter: Green leaves with silver "stripe" and light pink blooms Red Nancy: Silvery-white and green leaves with deep lavender-rose blooms White Nancy: Silvery-white and green leaves with white blooms
	Moss, Irish and Golden (Sagina subulata) Height: 1"-2" Spread: 6"-8" Bloom Color: Tiny white star-shaped flowers Season of Bloom: Early Summer Other Notes: Good between rocks or stepping stones. Varieties: Irish Moss (Deep Green) Golden Moss (Lime-Yellow Green)
	Plumbago / Leadwort (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) Height: 8"-12" Spread: 12"-24" Bloom Color: Blue Season of Bloom: Late Summer to Fall Other Notes: Glossy green foliage turns bronze red in fall. Plant in bright shade. It will emerge slowly in spring.
	Snow on the Mountain / Bishop's Weed (Aegopodium) Height: 6"-12" Spread: 18"-24"—can be aggressive spreader Bloom Color: Creamy white sprays on 14" tall wand-like foliage Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Foliage is white and green and interesting when not in bloom. Brightens up a shady spot.
	Vinca Vine / Periwinkle (Vinca minor) Height: 4"-6" Spread: 8"-10" Bloom Color: Single, 5-petaled, lavender blue flowers Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: A nice deep green groundcover. Performs well in dry shade. Technically an evergreen vine—it holds its leaves well into winter. Variety: Bowles
	Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii) Height: 12"-18" Spread: 24"-36" Bloom Color: n/a Season of Bloom: Popular for fall/winter color of reddish-maroon. Other Notes: Broadleaf evergreen, shrubby groundcover.
	Yellow Dead Nettle, Yellow Arch Angel, False Dead Nettle (Lamiastrum) *Height:* 10" Spread: 14" Bloom Color: Yellow Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer Other Notes: Will grow in full shade or morning sun. Works well when planted with spring blooming bulbs. Varieties: Herman's Pride: Metallic silver and deep green variegated leaves brighten up a shady spot even when this plant is not in bloom.

Perennial Groundcovers for Sun

	Baby’s Breath, Creeping Types (Gypsophila repens) Height: 4” Spread: 8”-10” Bloom Color: White or pink baby’s breath blossoms. Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: MUST be planted in well drained soil. Drought Tolerant. Dislikes wet feet in the winter—so plant in a full sun location where snow tends to melt off quickly. Varieties: Alba (white) Pink
	Bellflower, Carpathian/Groundcover Types (Campanula) Height: 6-12" Spread: 18"-20" Bloom Color: Profuse white, lavender or purple Season of Bloom: Late spring into early summer (and longer if you shear/deadhead blooms) Other Notes: Neat, mounding habit. Does well in well-drained, consistently moist soil. Varieties: Clips Blue Rapido Blue
	Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) Height: 1"-3" Spread: 2'-6'—can be an aggressive spreader Bloom Color: Yellow Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Grown for foliage which hugs the ground in a dense mat. Plant shade, bright shade, or sun. Varieties: Green Aurea
	Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) Height: 4"-6" Spread: 12"-24" Bloom Color: White, pinks, blue, lavender Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Forms a dense mat of color in spring. Foliage tends to brown out later in the season. Varieties: Candy Stripe Drummond's Pink Millstream Daphne Nettleton's Variation Purple Beauty Red Wing Spring Blue White Creeping *Note: Best availability for this perennial is in Spring. We often sell out by summer.
	Evening Primrose (Oenothera) Height: 8”-12” Spread: 18”-24” Bloom Color: Large profuse yellow or pink cups followed by interesting seed pods. Blooms close during the heat of the day. Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Nice deep green leaves. Drought tolerant. Self sows and can be invasive especially in sandy soils. However this quality makes it a great plant for difficult areas such as sunny slopes. Varieties: Missouri Yellow (Oenothera missourenis) AKA (Ozark Sundrops) Twilight Pink (Oenothera berlandieri)
	Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum) Height: 2"-6" Spread: 6"-18" Bloom Color: Star-shaped flowers form on upright stalks from the mother 'hen' Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Succulent rosette shaped groundcover. Drought tolerant. Spreads by 'chicks' from the mother 'hen.' Does well planted between stepping stones. An easy-care perennial to plant in containers. Varieties: Berry Bomb Gold Nugget Honeycrisp Twist Pacific Blue Ice Sugar Shimmer Truffle & Tarts
	Ice Plant (Delosperma) Height: 2"-4" Spread: 12"-24" Bloom Color: Showy, profuse flowers in yellow, pink, purple, or peach. Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Succulent plants that must be planted in soil with excellent drainage. Not for clay. Varieties: Cooperi: Bright pink Yellow (D. nubigerum): one of the hardiest with dainty yellow blooms Colorado Plant Select Iceplant: Alan's Apricot (D. 'Alan's Apricot'): peachy pink flowers Fire Spinner: vibrant flowers with orange outer edge and magenta/purple ringed inner 'eye' Granita Orange: orange flowers with yellow centers Granita Raspberry: Magenta flowers Lavender Ice (D. 'Psfave): pastel lavender flowers Mesa Verde: light salmon/pink flowers Red Mountain Flame: Red flowers Table Mountain (D. cooperi 'John Proffit'): magenta flowers White Nugget: clean bright white flowers with a cheerful yellow center
	Lamb's Ear (Stachys) Height: Foliage 6" Flowers 15" Spread: Yes! 12"+ Bloom Color: Small lavender flowers on fuzzy silver stems. Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Fuzzy pale gray foliage. Very soft. Wonderful for children's gardens. But! A word of caution—this plant travels! Keep it deadheaded so that it does not self sow or it will take over an area.
	Mount Atlas Daisy (Anacyclus) Height: 4" Spread: 12" Bloom Color: White daisy-like blooms Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Summer Other Notes: Ferny, mat-forming foliage. Short-lived but re-seeds easily.
	Ornamental Strawberry (Fragaria x anannasa) Height: 6" Spread: up to 36" Bloom Color: Bright pink Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Fall. Long bloom time! Other Notes: Forms a dense mat of green foliage. Older beds produce small strawberries but the plant is primarily grown for ornamental use. For fruit production, plant a traditional strawberry plant. Variety: Lipstick
	Partridge Feathers (Tanecetum densum) *Height:* 3"-5"" Spread: 15"-24" Bloom Color: Yellow Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Drought tolerant. Likes sun and a hot spot. Striking silver leaves are great for contrast. A Colorado Plant Select perennial.
	Poppy Mallow / Winecups (Callirhoe involucrata) Height: 4”-6” Spread: 12”-36” Bloom Color: Magenta Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Summer with potential to bloom most of the summer Other Notes: A Colorado Plant Select perennial. Sun to Part Sun. Note: do not plant next to grass, it will intermingle. A Plant Select plant.
	Rockcress, Alpine (Arabis) Variety: Little Treasure Deep Rose (A. blepharophylla) Height: 4"-6" Spread: 12" Bloom Color: Deep Pink rose flowers Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Abundant, fragrant flowers and attractive foliage make this a wonderful small-scale ground cover. Attractive cascading over stones or as edging near the front of the garden. Shear after blooming to encourage new growth and a neat appearance. Zone 4.
	Sedum / Stonecrop Low Growing Types (Sedum) Height: 2"-6" Spread: 6"-24" Bloom Color: Starry flowers in shades of pink, white, or yellow. Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Succulent foliage is very drought tolerant. Sunny, hot, dry—it can take it. Varieties: Angelina (S. rupestre): BRIGHT yellow foliage tinges red/orange in fall. Atlantis: dark green edged in wide cream bands. Yellow flowers in summer. Zone 4. Blue Spruce (S. reflexum): Unique gray-green foliage shaped like pine needles. Yellow flowers. Dragon's Blood: Green foliage turns red in Fall. Magenta/red flowers. Gold Moss: (S. acre) small leaves covered in yellow flowers in summer. Lemon Ball - low growing yellow type with pine-needle shaped leaves Mossy Stonecrop (S. lydium) Old Man's Bones (S. globosum): Oval leaves are stacked on each other to give a unique texture. Yellow flowers. Red Carpet Sunsparkler Angelina's Teacup Sunsparkler Blue Elf Sunsparkler Lime Twister: Decorative green leaves edged in cream. Pink flowers. Sunsparkler Plum Dazzled Tricolor (S. spurium): White, pink, and light green foliage is striking. Pink flowers. Yellow Stonecrop (S. acre): Green succulent foliage. Yellow flowers. Variegated Stonecrop (S. kamtschaticum): Green succulent foliage has a slight white tinge. Yellow flowers.
	Snow in Summer (Cerastium tomentosum) *Height:* 6"-12" Spread: 24"-36" Bloom Color: White Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer Other Notes: Silvery foliage brightens the front of the border even when not in bloom. Can be sheared after flowering to freshen up the foliage.
	Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides) Height: 6”-9” Spread: 12”-18” Bloom Color: Prolific, small, pink blossoms cover this plant. Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Pretty mounding habit works well at the front of a border or on the edge of a wall/raised bed where it can trail over the edge. Sun to Part Sun.
	Speedwell, Creeping (Veronica) Height: 1"-3" Spread: 12"-20" Bloom Color: Blues, pinks, or whites. Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer Other Notes: Wooly or glossy, low-growing green foliage. Extremely drought tolerant once established. Varieties: Crystal River: tiny sky blue flowers, profuse bloomer Snowmass: white with blue Eye. Plant Select Perennial Sunshine Yellow: yellow foliage with blue flowers
	Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) Height: 6" Spread: 24" Bloom Color: Dainty, fragrant white flowers held above bright green foliage Season of Bloom: Spring Other Notes: Excellent ground cover for dry shade. Nice when paired with taller bulbs or perennials that grow up through it.
	Thyme, Creeping (Thymus sp.) Height: 2"-12" Spread: 18"+ Bloom Color: Small white, pink, or red flowers Season of Bloom: Summer Other Notes: Some varieties are ornamental while others can be used for culinary purposes too. Varieties: Elfin Doone Valley Lemon Pink Chintz Red Creeping