Best Groundcover
Vaccinium macrocarpon (large cranberry) is a North American native trailing shrub whose tart red berries support a significant commercial industry in the U.S., particularly in Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
Vaccinium angustifolium, commonly called lowbush blueberry, is a low, deciduous shrub native to northeastern North America. It spreads through underground rhizomes and forms colonies, producing edible blue fruit on acidic soils in barrens, forests, and rocky ground. Managed wild stands support an im...
Lingonberry is a circumpolar evergreen shrub whose tart red berries support a major commercial harvest in Scandinavia, with Sweden alone producing tens of millions of kilograms annually from wild stands.
The Drift Rose is a deciduous shrub offering continuous flowering throughout the growing season. Developed by Conard-Pyle around 2005, these compact plants combine characteristics of full landscape roses with miniature varieties. They are valued for their ability to form dense groundcover and provid...
Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens), also known as mayflower, is a low-growing, evergreen shrub native to the acidic, woodland soils of eastern North America. It is recognized as one of the earliest spring-blooming wildflowers, producing clusters of small, delicate, star-shaped flowers that range in c...
Erica carnea, winter heath or spring heath, is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, valued in gardens as one of the few heaths that flowers from midwinter through early spring.
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a low-growing perennial herb in the dogwood family, native to boreal forests and cool mountainous regions across North America and northern Eurasia. Typically reaching only 3 to 6 inches tall, it forms dense mats of whorled leaves and produces small clusters of tiny...
Sarcococca hookeriana, commonly known as Himalayan sweet box, is an evergreen shrub belonging to the boxwood family, Buxaceae. Native to the Himalayas and neighboring regions of Asia, the species is named in honor of the 19th-century British botanist Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker. It is characterized by...
Trachelospermum asiaticum, commonly called Asian jasmine or Asiatic jasmine, is an evergreen twining vine in the family Apocynaceae native to East Asia, including Japan, Korea, and China. It produces small, fragrant, star-shaped white to yellowish flowers and glossy dark foliage. In warm-climate reg...
Juniperus horizontalis, commonly called creeping juniper, is a low, spreading evergreen conifer native to northern North America. Its long horizontal branches form dense mats of scale-like or awl-shaped foliage, and female plants can produce small, bluish, berry-like seed cones. Numerous cultivars a...
Gaultheria procumbens, eastern teaberry or wintergreen, is a low creeping evergreen subshrub native to eastern North America, the original natural source of methyl salicylate, the compound responsible for the classic wintergreen flavor and scent.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, bearberry or kinnikinnick, is a circumpolar, mat-forming evergreen shrub found across North America, Europe, and Asia, used medicinally since antiquity as a urinary tract remedy and historically smoked by indigenous North American peoples.
Rhus aromatica, commonly known as fragrant sumac, is a deciduous shrub native to eastern and central North America. It is characterized by its trifoliate leaves, which release a strong, pleasant fragrance when crushed and turn vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn. The plant is highly adapt...
The wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial plant native to meadows, woodlands, and forest edges across North America. It is botanically significant as one of the two primary parent species of the modern cultivated garden strawberry. The plant spreads via stolons...
Microbiota decussata, commonly known as Siberian carpet cypress, is a low-growing, evergreen conifer and the sole member of its genus. Endemic to the Sikhote-Alin mountain range in the Russian Far East, it was first discovered by science in 1921. It features feathery, scale-like foliage that lies fl...
Muehlenbeckia complexa, commonly called Maidenhair Vine, is a dense, climbing or trailing plant native to New Zealand. It features wiry dark stems and small, round leaves that create a delicate appearance despite the plant's hardy nature. The plant is widely cultivated as an ornamental ground cover...
Grevillea lanigera, commonly referred to as woolly grevillea, is a low-spreading evergreen shrub native to the southeastern regions of Australia. It is characterized by its dense, grey-green, woolly foliage and distinctive curved flowers that combine red and cream hues, blooming primarily from winte...
Microbiota decussata, commonly called Russian cypress, is a low-growing evergreen shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Endemic to a small region of southeastern Siberia, particularly the Sikhote-Alin mountains, it was first discovered in 1921. The plant features feathery, scale-like foliage tha...
Hypericum calycinum, rose of Sharon or Aaron's beard, is a low semi-evergreen shrub native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, widely planted as ground cover for its large, showy yellow flowers with prominent stamens.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, commonly called bearberry or kinnikinnick, is a low, mat-forming evergreen shrub with a broad circumpolar distribution. It grows in exposed, well-drained habitats and bears leathery leaves, small pinkish urn-shaped flowers, and red fruits eaten by wildlife. Its leaves contai...
Vaccinium angustifolium, or lowbush blueberry, is a low-growing deciduous shrub native to northeastern North America. It spreads through underground rhizomes, forms broad colonies, and produces small white to pink bell-shaped flowers followed by edible blue fruit. The species supports pollinators an...
Cut-leaf stephanandra, a low-growing deciduous shrub native to Japan and Korea, is widely planted as a ground cover for its finely divided foliage and arching stems.
Juniperus horizontalis, known as Creeping Juniper, is a North American shrub distinguished by its trailing branches that form dense mats, making it a highly effective evergreen groundcover.
Rockspray Cotoneaster is a deciduous shrub native to western China, distinguished by its herringbone branching pattern and introduced to European gardens in 1879.
Blue mountain heath is a circumpolar arctic-alpine Ericaceae shrub bearing blue-purple bell-shaped flowers, native to tundra zones across northern Europe, Asia, and North America.
Gaultheria procumbens, the Wintergreen, is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to eastern North America notable for its bright red berries and aromatic leaves that produce wintergreen oil extract.
Native to Bulgaria and Turkey, Hypericum calycinum is an evergreen shrub widely used as ground cover, recognized by the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Mahonia repens is a low-growing western North American evergreen shrub that spreads by rhizomes to form groundcover colonies, closely related to M. aquifolium but rarely exceeding 30 cm in height.
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is a low-growing North American woodland plant notable for its large heart-shaped leaves and hidden, bell-shaped flowers that rely on ants for seed dispersal.
