I've trialed a lot of groundcovers and made a lot of mistakes over the past 6 years in my efforts to find that magical plant that will cover ground and suppress weeds, but not be too aggressive/invasive or too much work to maintain.
Here are two promising evergreen / semi-evergreen candidates that have performed well so far. The fact that they are both native to this part of Tennessee is a big bonus.
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| Packera obovata, golden groundsel, fully evergreen through this past (relatively mild) winter. (I tried growing another Packera - P. aurea - last year, but it did not seem as tolerant of heat and drought, even in partial shade, as P. obovata.) |
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| Erigeron pulchellus, Robin's plantain As you can see, the Robin's plantain gets a bit more tattered over the winter compared to the golden groundsel. Still, in my experience over the past few years, the old foliage tends to decay naturally without any intervention on my part, and the plants will look much better soon as new foliage appears. (Yes, the flower head here looks a little strange...a bit like a conjoined twin. That's not the normal flower appearance, as you can see below, but it's not that uncommon either with Robin's plantain.) |
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| I think golden groundsel needs partial to full shade in hot summer climates like Tennessee, and Robin's plantain also thrives in some shade, but I'd like to try it in sunnier spots too to see how it performs. It's relatively easy to divide and transplant Robin's plantain in early spring or early autumn, but I've learned the hard way that divisions are unlikely to survive if you wait too long in either season. |
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gardeninacity 45p · 416 weeks ago
Aaron Dalton 90p · 416 weeks ago
I guess Packera aurea and Erigeron pulchellus would both be native (with Packera obovata native very nearby).
Do you grow these?
What are your favorite native groundcovers?
Sharon Aumani · 406 weeks ago
I made the mistake of some sort of succulent groundcover out front that is horrible. It looked great, at first, but it gets too tall and it is invading all of my nicer ground covers and plants. It is also a haven for the slugs. Thank goodness it is relatively easy to pull out, but I don't have funds to replace it with anything, for now, so I am just trying to keep it controlled. But, eventually, I hope to get something [?] else planted there, too. I'm open for any advice.
Aaron Dalton 90p · 406 weeks ago
I've heard good things (from other commentators mostly) about blue star creeper performing well in the PNW. I get nervous about spreading/creeping exotics, but at least it seems to perform better as a garden plant there than it does here.
As for native groundcovers that are not terribly aggressive and can handle light foot traffic, perhaps one (or both) of the wild strawberries would do well for you? It looks like both Fragaria virginiana and Fragaria vesca are native to Oregon - http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Frag...
I grow F. virginiana and although it's starting to spread a bit rampantly, it seems easy to uproot (so far) from anyplace where it's not wanted.
Plus I believe the foliage serves as larval host to butterflies or moths. And of course there's the potential bonus of edible fruit -- if the wildlife doesn't get it first. (And if the critters do get the fruit first, you can feel good about feeding them!)
Wild strawberry seems able to survive in sun or shade here in Tennessee, so I'm guessing it would do just fine in both circumstances in Portland too.
Good luck! Finding good groundcovers that are not too aggressive/invasive but tough and effective is one of the hardest gardening puzzles to crack. If you figure out some plants that work for you, please come back and let me know :)
Aaron Dalton 90p · 382 weeks ago
I still think it might not be a bad option for a very wild, naturalistic landscape, but I don't think it plays well in even a semi-manicured suburban landscape where it would quickly invade your lawn and then your neighbor's lawn and so on...