Global menu

The Green pages

Easy-to-grow ground covers

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

Here are some suggestions for ground cover plants for your garden that feature attractive textures, colors, or blooms. Most of them are readily available from Quebec horticultural centres.

Ground cover species with invasive potential require regular monitoring and should never be planted near natural environments.

When selecting perennials, ferns, grasses, or shrubs, consider factors such as sunlight exposure, soil type, and hardiness zone.

The abbreviations spp. and cvs. below mean that various species and cultivars may be suitable for your garden.

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

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

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