Advertisement

Make the most of colorful, alternative groundcovers

 
Petunias of any color and the edging of lime green sedum look great all winter and into as far as June.
Petunias of any color and the edging of lime green sedum look great all winter and into as far as June.
Published Jan. 27, 2017

Americans have used grass as their groundcover of choice for any spot on the property not covered by something else. But in Florida, grass takes more time, energy, water, work, and worry than many handsome groundcovers you could plant.

Groundcover plants are the ideal alternative to too much grass. They take a bit of weeding and water until they become established, but then many are almost maintenance free. Moreover, they add a whole new dimension of elegance to a landscape with their varied textures, colors and flowers. You can even plant some that are fragrant.

The Florida Gardener's Book of Lists, available at the library, has a whole chapter of groundcovers with lists for wet soil, full sun, partial shade, deep shade, colorful foliage, drought tolerance, for the beach, and a color for every season.

One of my friends just filled in a pond and wanted some plants that would stay low.

I wish I had saved a nice center of my front yard with the same look, more like a colorful lawn than a jungle. Here are some of the plants I recommend.

The first would be nasturtiums, which can be started now by seeds or plants. They are annuals and will need to be pulled, an easy chore, in late May, but mine self seed and come up again every fall.

They start to bloom in December. They will also climb anything in their way. Best of all, every part is edible and as good for the immune system as Echinacea. I start using the leaves in our salads even before the blooms appear. They come in colors of yellow, orange, deep red, and almost white. And they will take full sun to partial shade. You can put in bedding plants of purslane or portulaca to cover the same area in the summer.

Petunias and pansies are great annuals for winter and can be found at almost any nursery or garden section. The pansies will last until late April or May, the petunias sometimes look good until June.

I always buy the first torenias for summer. They come in pink, white and some other colors, but I love the blue ones best. Some people have these self-seed but mine have not done so. They like partial shade and stay about eight inches tall. The sprawling ones will live over the winter and for several years, but I keep taking cuttings off them just to be sure.

For year-round there are many kinds of wandering Jew that have colorful leaves and will spread nicely. When a stem gets too long you just cut it off and drop it where more plants are needed. Once you get a good close group, it will last for years.

Asian or small leaf confederate jasmine is used in many landscapes in full or partial sun. It will cover the ground and stay about eight inches tall. It forms a thick mat that eliminates weeds, but I'd put among them one or two of the larger confederate jasmine to add their white and fragrant spring blooms.

Beach sunflowers are easy to grow and bloom all year with bright yellow petals and dark centers. This is a native plant that looks good all the time, winter or summer. It does well in flooding rains as well. You can start it from seeds or from cuttings.

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter

We’ll deliver the latest news and information you need to know every morning.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Mimosa or powderpuff plant is another native. One four-inch container plant can grow enough to cover about 10 square feet in a year's time. It needs regular water while it is being established in a landscape but once established, it is drought tolerant. When the plant is touched, the leaves fold up.

These are just a few and the lowest growing of the many groundcovers. The next column will be about how to start and spread your groundcovers.