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Easy-to-grow ground cover suggestions

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Arabis (here, Arabis caucasica 'Variegata') need full sun and cool soil
Photo: Jardin botanique de Montréal (Gilles Murray)
Arabis caucasica

Here are some suggestions of plants with attractive textures, shapes or colours and requiring little maintenance. They are also resistant to insect pests and diseases. Most of them are readily available from Quebec gardening centres.

You will find descriptions of some of these plants in the Green Pages.

The abbreviations spp. and cvs. indicate that various species and cultivars may be suitable.

Perrennials

Exposure: full sun

  • Arabis spp. and cvs., cool soil
  • Aurinia saxatilis and cvs., dry or cool soil
  • Cerastium tomentosum, dry or cool soil. Can become invasive.
  • Dianthus deltoides and cvs., dry or cool soil
  • Gypsophila repens and cvs., dry or cool soil
  • Lotus corniculatus, dry soil. Can become invasive.
  • Oenothera macrocarpa, dry soil
  • Stachys byzantina, cool soil
  • Thymus serpyllum and cvs., dry soil
  • Veronica prostrata, cool soil

Exposure: full sun to partial shade

  • Clematis heracleifolia, cool soil
  • Lysimachia nummularia and cvs., cool or damp soil, Can become invasive
  • Myosotis scorpioides 'Semperflorens’, cool or damp soil. Can become invasive
  • Phlox subulata, cool soil
  • Sedum kamtschaticum, dry soil

Exposure: full sun to shade

  • Ajuga reptans and cvs., cool soil. Can become invasive.
  • Alchemilla mollis, cool or damp soil
  • Aruncus aandhusifolius, cool or damp soil
  • Bergenia spp. and cvs., cool or damp soil
  • Epimedium spp. and cvs., damp soil
  • Geranium macrorrhizum, cool or dry soil
  • Hosta spp. and cvs., cool soil
  • Pachysandra terminalis, dry, cool or damp soil. Can become invasive.
  • Phedimum spurius (syn. Sedum spurium) and cvs., dry soil
  • Tiarella cordifolia, cool or damp soil
  • Vinca minor and cvs., dry or cool soil. Can become invasive
  • Waldsteinia ternata, dry or cool soil

Exposure: partial shade

  • Heuchera x brizoides and cvs., cool soil

Exposure: partial shade to shade

  • Asarum canadense, cool soil, indigenous to Québec
  • Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila', cool soil
  • Brunnera macrophylla and cvs., cool or damp soil
  • Convallaria majalis and cvs.,  cool or  damp soil. Can become invasive.
  • Dicentra formosa and cvs., cool soil
  • Galium odoratum, dry or cool soil. Can become invasive.
  • x Heucherella cvs., cool soil
  • Lamium galeobdolon and cvs., cool soil. Can become invasive.
  • Lamium maculatum and cvs., cool soil. Can become invasive.
  • Mazus reptans, cool soil
  • Mertensia virginica, indigenous to Québec
  • Pulmonaria spp., cool soil

Ferns

Exposure: full sun to shade

These four fern species are indigenous to Québec and form colonies:

  • Matteuccia struthiopteris, damp soil
  • Onoclea sensibilis, cool or damp soil
  • Phegopteris connectilis (syn. Thelypteris phegopteris), dry, cool or damp soil
  • Thelypteris palustris, dry, cool or damp soil

Exposure: partial shade

  • Amauropelta noveboracensis (syn. Thelypteris noveboracensis), dry, cool or damp soil, indigenous to Québec

Exposure: partial shade to shade

  • Cystopteris bulbifera, cool soil, indigenous to Québec
  • Polystichum acrostichoides, indegnous to Québec

Grasses

Exposure: full sun

  • Bouteloua gracilis, cool to dry soil
  • Sporobolus heterolepis, cool to dry soil, indigenous to Québec

Exposure: full sun to partial shade

  • Carex flacca, damp soil
  • Carex nigra, cool or damp soil, indigenous to Québec

Exposure: partial shade to shade

  • Luzula sylvatica and cvs., dry, cool or damp soil

Low or creeping shrubs

Exposure: full sun

  • Cytisus decumbens, dry soil
  • Euonymus nanus, dry soil
  • Genista pilosa, dry soil
  • Juniperus horizontalis and cvs., cool or dry soil
  • Juniperus procumbens 'Nana', cool or dry soil
  • Pinus sylvestris 'Hillside Creeper', cool soil
  • Rosa 'Alba Meidiland', cool soil
  • Rosa 'The Fairy', cool soil
  • Spiraea japonica série 'Carpand', cool soil

Exposure: full sun to partial shade

  • Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi', damp soil
  • Cotoneaster dammeri, cool soil
  • Euonymus forunei cvs., rich, cool and dry soil
  • Salix repens, damp soil

Exposure: full sun to shade

  • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, dry or cool soil, indigenous to Québec
  • Microbiota decussata, dry or cool soil
  • Stephanandra incisa 'Crispa', cool soil