In My Garden: Versatile Groundcovers
July 12, 2001
Tropical South
By Robert Haehle, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

This low growing salvia features dark green, serrated leaves and purple flower spikes. It makes a great groundcover.

Living in a hot humid environment with frequent summer thunderstorms, it's important to protect the soil from erosion. One of the best ways to protect your soil, as well as keep weeds from germinating and conserve moisture, is to grow groundcovers. Groundcovers are any plants that spread freely along the ground staying fairly short.

Lawns as Groundcover

When I mention groundcovers most people think of viney, quick-spreading perennials. However, the most common groundcover is your lawn. There are grass varieties that thrive even in shade in our climate. Varieties of St. Augustine such as 'Seville' and the new 'Palmetto will tolerate moderate shade. Even though lawns are great groundcovers for walking on, they have limitations. They may need to be replaced periodically and may not compete well with trees such as ficus.

Groundcovers for Deep Shade

Luckily there are other groundcovers that will tolerate dense shade. I think ferns are the most tolerant of deep shade and are aggressive enough to survive even among ficus roots. A slow growing, shade-loving ground cover is peperomia. These plants are best planted in small areas as they grow slowly. They are also tolerant of tree roots but must have perfect drainage, as they are prone to rot. Liriope is also good in moderate shade but must be planted slightly above the soil grade to avoid fungal problems. It's imperative that mulch be kept away from the leaves of liriope to avoid rot.

Part Shade Groundcovers

Part shade to sunny exposures opens up the choices for groundcovers. Salvia splendens cultivars such as 'Purple Fountain', 'Rose Fountain', 'Red Vista', and 'Red Hot Sally' are all fast spreading plants growing only 1 foot tall and blooming throughout the year. Lantana cultivars such as 'Goldmound' and 'Blue Daze' are good choices for full sun as well.

Whichever groundcover you choose be sure to match their growth requirements with the location, find patches of soil free of tree roots to plant and keep them well watered and weeded until they get established.