by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener
Mountain landscapes are difficult for plants, especially if you want to keep them low maintenance. In an arid climate where rock lawns are the norm because growing conditions are challenging, ground- hugging plants are the perfect solutions.
Check the internet, and you will find a lot of bad advice for mountain gardens. You really must verify the sources and confirm that info with local garden centers. But, hey, that’s why this column has so many loyal readers every week! Thank you:)
This list of the best groundcovers is based on selections of local gardeners who shop here at Watters. This is not an all-encompassing plant list, merely the most popular ones found in many of our area neighborhoods. Botanical name and online links are provided so you can reference more varieties and even buy online for 2024 delivery.
Sunny Spots
This is the most challenging growing spot in every local yard. High altitude sun, persistent wind, and extra heat reflected off of retaining walls and rock lawns make sunny spots especially challenging.
Friesland meadow Sage, Salvia nemorosa
Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac, Rhus aromatica
Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle, Lonicera x brownii
Tom Thumb Creeping Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster adpressus
Blue Chip Juniper, Juniperus horizontalis
Emerald Gaiety Wintercreeper, Euonymus fortunei
Fragrance Where People Gather
Whether from their foliage or blooms, some plants just give off more pleasing scents than others. Fragrant plants should be used in specific parts of our yards/gardens. They always please guests visiting over a glass of wine on the patio, at a backyard BBQ, and, this time of year, sitting by the fire pit. Here are my favorite locals that smell better than most.
Corsican mint, Mentha requienii
Walker’s Low Catmint, Nepeta faassenii
Red Creeping Thyme, Thymus praecox
Firewitch Dianthus, Dianthus gratianopolitanus
Hall’s Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica
Flower Carpet Red Groundcover Rose
Arp Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Star Jasmine: Trachelospermum jasminoides
Halo Violet Perennial Violet, Viola cornuta
Slopes
A backyard that is a sheer wall, or a hill covered in granite boulders has its own challenges. Choose plants with strong roots, and they will help hold the soil together and in place, controlling erosion.
Honeybelle Honeysuckle, Lonicera x brownii
Coral Beauty Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster dammeri
Blueberry Delight Juniper, Juniperus communis
Eichholz Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster dammeri
Wine Periwinkle, Vinca minor
Huntington Carpet Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Star Showers Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Balboa Sunset Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans
Bearberry Kinnikinnick, ArctostaphylosManzanita
To Soften Walls
So many raised beds and walls are sterile and in need of softening. These ground covers ease and can even disguise too strong lines of hardscaping elements.
Pristar Deep Blue Bellflower, Campanula carpatica
Illumination Dwarf Periwinkle,Vinca minor
Rock Crest, Aubrieta
Snow Hill Meadow Sage, Salvia sylvestris
Sunsparkler Dazzleberry Sedum, Sedum Dazzleberry
Thorndale English Ivy, Hedera helix
Roman Beauty Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Cranberry Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster apiculatus
Where Weeds Grow
The goal in areas with a high concentration of weeds is to use plants that will overtake and squeeze out weeds. Here’s a list of some ground covers that are so hardy they can choke out all weeds, even the most persistent.
Pink Cat Catmint, Nepeta nervosa
Golden Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia
Elfin Thyme, Thymus serpyllum
Angelina Stonecrop, Sedum rupestre
Bowles Periwinkle, Vinca minor
Creeping Oregon Grape, Mahonia repens
These plants have high moisture contents, so are far less prone to catch fire. Growing a ground cover for the purpose of fuel reduction is often overlooked, but definitely should be worked into the gardens in areas that are prone to wildfires.
White Flowered Chocolate Vine, Akebia quinata
Streibs Findling Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster dammeri
De La Mina Verbena, Verbena lilacina
Prostrate Rock Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster horizontalis
Madison Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides
Bronze Carpet Stonecrop, Sedum spurium
Prescott Gold Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans
Red Wall Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Ground covers make excellent replacements for the classic green lawn, but they can’t tolerate the amount of traffic for sports and other activities as turfgrass will. How often do you use that patch of grass for a rousing game of croquet? Do your dogs patrol your yard until a path is worn into their routes? Here are the plants that can withstand a certain amount of traffic and still keep a landscape looking good.
English Thyme, Thymus vulgaris
Blue Chip Juniper, Juniperus horizontalis
Chocolate Mint, Mentha piperita
Wine Common Periwinkle, Vinca minor
Hot & Spicy Oregano, Origanum vulgare
Animal Resistant/Proof
As we build ever more deeply into the forest and mountain valleys, we encounter wild creatures that see our gardens as their personal buffets! This list is of low-profile plants that mountain-dwelling animals find utterly distasteful. Some even have a repellant effect.
Woolly Thyme, Thymus pseudolanuginosus
Compact Oregon Grape Holly, Mahonia aquifolium
Big Ears Lamb’s Ears, Stachys byzantina
Pineapple Mint, Mentha suaveolens
Mondo Grass, Ophiopogon japonicus
Huntington Carpet Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Variegated Lemon Thyme, Thymus citriodorus
EnduraScape Dark Purple Verbena
Engelman Ivy, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Shady Spots
Spots under a tree, or a deck, or eaves need something that ‘pops’ to bring darkened spaces alive. Here are my local favorites that outshine the rest in a shady spot.
Burgundy Glow Carpet Bugle, Ajuga reptans
Creeping Bramble, Rubus calycinoides
Sweet Woodruff, Galium odoratum
Duckfoot Ivy, Hedera helix
Tidal Pool Speedwell, Veronica
Grace Ward Lithodora, Lithodora diffusa
Bowles’ Common Periwinkle, Vinca minor
Until next week I’ll be helping local gardeners with Gift Cards and selecting groundcovers here at Watters Garden Center.
