Native Groundcovers - The Foundation Layer of Native Plant Landscaping
Anemone virginiana, Thimbleweed, Tall Anemone by Jan Newton.
Traditional American landscaping focuses on maintaining a manicured green lawn. However, native trees, shrubs, ground cover, prairie or meadow patches, and flower beds are better environmental choices, for people and wildlife.
Native groundcover plants offer many benefits:
The first layer and foundation of native plant landscaping, providing a natural cover below the plants that rise above them in the middle and upper layers that make up a landscape inspired by Virginia’s natural plant communities. This mimics the way plants grow in the wild with layered canopies and makes for more dramatic and beautiful landscaping.
When properly taken care of, provide dense soil cover, retard weed growth, and prevent soil erosion.
Plant a mix of species to ensure adequate coverage and diversity. They range in height from an inch to four feet. They can be woody or herbaceous; clumping or running; evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous.
Create various moods: small leaved, smooth textured groundcovers used in broad curved plantings can convey a feeling of spaciousness. Large leaved coarse textured groundcovers create a feeling of closeness.
Unify different areas in the landscape and can be used as hedging materials, as visual guides, as lawn substitutes, or even as traffic barriers. They can soften hardscapes such as walks, steps and driveways.
Support a greater diversity of insects and other wildlife species.
Favorite deciduous natives for shady or partially shady areas:
Common Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense
Southern Lady Fern, Athyrium asplenioides
Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis)
In sunnier areas:
Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia
[A host plant for the fritillary butterfly, and other violet species readily disperse and spread.
Where sites are sheltered from winter winds or have a southern-facing exposure:
Tiarella cordifolia, Foamflower
Chrysogonum virginianum, Green-and-gold
Heuchera americana, Alumroot
Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas Fern
[A popular evergreen that’s easy to get established in the ground layer, but it grows in clumps and doesn’t spread, so you’ll need to plant several of them in groupings, if you want to fill up a space.]Mitchella repens, Partridge-berry
Gaultheria procumbens, Wintergreen or Teaberry
[Delicate looking, trailing evergreens that provide dark-green accents. They grow very slowly and take a long time to fill areas, but are a nice addition when tucked around the bases of trees or under broadly branching shrubs.]Phlox subulata, Moss Phlox
[An evergreen that’s native to parts of the Piedmont and mountain areas of the state, spreads nicely to form thick, low mats and will reward you with lovely pink blooms and butterfly visitors in the spring.]
Recommendations above from Carol A. Heiser is a Level 1 certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and a retired Habitat Education Coordinator from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Groundcovers for Southeastern Virginia -
(The following species are highlighted in the Native Plants for Southeastern Virginia regional guide with a photo and more detail. Some of these species may be native to your region - easy to check the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora.)
Chamaecrista fasciculata, Common Partridge Pea
[Although an annual it very readily re-seeds itself.]Anemone virginiana, Thimbleweed, Tall Anemone
[After frost, Thimbleweed matures to a cottony tuft.]Asarum canadense, Common Wild Ginger
[A good, low groundcover for woodlands and shaded landscapes. Beautiful heart-shaped velvety green leaves.]Fragaria virginiana, Wild Strawberry
[A ground-hugging plant rising from a fibrous, perennial root system.]Mitchella repens, Partridge-Berry
[A most attractive, dainty, woodland creeper, Partridge-Berry can be used as a groundcover under acid-loving shrubs and in terraria in the winter.]Rhexia mariana, Maryland or Pale Meadow Beauty
[This perennial has a conspicuous flower which is lovely in a water garden, a bog or a pond area.]Salvia lyrata, Lyre-leaf Sage
[Tolerates drought, temporary flooding and overwatering. It is an excellent groundcover native alternative to Ajuga.]Silene caroliniana, Wild Pink, Northern Wild Pink
[A single wild pink plant can produce 50-100 showy, rose-pink, tubular flowers.]Sisyrinchium angustifolium, Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass [Although small and has grass-like leaves, it is a miniature member of the Iris family.]
Viola affinis, Sand Violet, Lecompte’s Violet
[Purple flower with a white throat, with heart-shaped toothed leaves.]Viola cuculata, Marsh Blue Violet
[Blue, violet flower with a deeper blue center. Similar to Common Blue Violet, but grown in very wet habitats.]Viola pedata, Bird’s Foot Violet
[Blue, purple with orange anthers with bird’s-foot like leaves and grows in small clumps.]Viola primulifolia, Primrose-leaved Violet
[White flowers and elongated shape leaves.]Viola sororia, Common Blue Violet, Confederate Violet
[Will tolerate full-sun if provided with adequate moisture. It is deer resistant.]
Live in Northern Virginia?
Visit the Plant NOVA Natives campaign’s groundcovers webpage for a list of species.
MORE RESOURCES
Let’s Grow Wild article - Groundcovers (Nov - Dec 2020)
Native Alternatives to English Ivy— https://vnps.org/vnps-brochures
List of Native Groundcovers in Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping—https://cblpro.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/8_elements_2013-1.pdf
National Wildlife Federation - A Farewell to Lawns article and Lawn Reduction Publication
