Waterwise Ground Covers Lubbock Master Gardeners Width / Evergreen / Seasonal Color/ Botanical Name & Common Name Picture Height Light EarthKind™ IndexMaintenance Spread Deciduous Interest Feature Comments

Flower stalks can Small white be cut off during or flowers that after the flowering Aegopodium podagraria spike up to period to Can be used for edging, border, 1.5'. Leaves encourage the Partial foundation, raised planter, or focal point Up to 1' Indefinite D June are pale observer's eye to Aegopodium shade groundcover. Can be invasive. Also gray-green focus on the known as Snow-on-the-mountain or with white- or attractive Bishop's Weed. cream-edged variegated foliage, variegation and to prevent Shiny, dark seed set green leaves that turn Deadhead flowers metallic in after bloom. Thin cold weather. out beds if they Flowers are Ajuga reptans become 2-6" Spreading Shade E, SE Spring usually blue, 5 A good shade ground Ajuga overcrowded. sometimes cover but can be short-lived in our area. Mow or trim old white to pink, flower spikes mildly annually; attractive on some cultivars,

Prompt deadheading of Felt-like white Sun / the white flower Artemisia stelleriana Early foliage. 6-12" 24-30" partial E 10 spikes in Adds dramatic contrast to a Artemisia, Silver Brocade Summer Yellow sun midsummer will perennial garden. flowers. maintain its rug- like look.

Saponaria officinalis L. Hummingbird and butterfly attractor. Also Summer to known as Soapwort. The crushed leaves 1-3' D Sun White to pink Can be invasive. Bouncing Bet / Soapwort early fall or roots have been used as a soap since the Renaissance. Can be poisonous to animals, especially the seeds.

Phyla nodiflora Leaves are 3/4" long and rounded. Fertilize heavily in Small flowers are composed into tiny Sun / Flower is early spring. Cut 3-6" Spreading D Spring-fall heads. Spreads rapidly. Good nectar Frog Fruit shade white back to 3" in early plant for butterflies and is the larval food spring. plant for the Phaon Crescent Spot, Buckeye, and White Peacock butterflies.

2010_ground_covers_sr_short01.xls November 2009 1 Waterwise Ground Covers Lubbock Master Gardeners Width / Evergreen / Seasonal Color/ Botanical Name & Common Name Picture Height Light EarthKind™ IndexMaintenance Spread Deciduous Interest Feature Comments

Delosperma spp. Delosperma cooperi has purple flowers Plant is drought and silver-green succulent foliage, while tolerant once Sun / Yellow, white Delosperma nubigenum has yellow Indefinite established. Low 4-6" partial E Spring to Fall or purple or 9 flowers; D. cooperi is more heat and Ice Plant spread maintenance that sun pink flowers drought tolerant than D. nubigenum, but is requires little the least cold hardy of the two species. pruning. Good as groundcovers for hot dry sites and in rock gardens.

Cut back the plant Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Sun / when spring Bright blue It will grow in a rock garden, 6-12" 3-5' part D Summer returns, so that it Leadwort, Hardy Plumbago flowers between rocks in a wall or on a difficult-to- shade will produce fresh landscape bank. foliage.

Liriope muscari Blue purple Sun / Mow back to 3" in Forms a dense evergreen clump. to white 8-18" 8-18" part sun / E Summer 10 February if foliage Can be used on tight spacings as a Liriope spikes above shade looks ragged groundcover or for edging or specialty foliage work. Very versatile plant.

Vinca major Cut back heavily A larger coarser Partial Blue to each spring after version of Vinca minor. Sprawling Spring 1-2' Spreading sun / D purple blue 7 danger of frost but mounding vine serving as an effective Periwinkle summer fall shade flowers. before the new groundcover in shady to partly sunny growth starts. locations. More vigorous than Vinca minor.

Do not overwater as this will cause Setcreasea purpurea Sun / Purple leaves 16" 3'+ E Spring to fall root rot. Pale Rambling downy creeper. Purple Heart shade and flowers foliage is a sign of Can be used in hanging baskets. too much fertilizer.

2010_ground_covers_sr_short01.xls November 2009 2 Waterwise Ground Covers Lubbock Master Gardeners Width / Evergreen / Seasonal Color/ Botanical Name & Common Name Picture Height Light EarthKind™ IndexMaintenance Spread Deciduous Interest Feature Comments

Prune occasionally to encourage compact growth. Rosmarinas officinalis var. prostratus Spring to 1-2" 2.5-4' Sun E Blue flowers 10 Take care not to Excellent groundcover for hot dry Rosemary, Trailing summer trim plants back sites. Not long-lived. beyond the last bit of foliage.

Yellow flowers. Clip heavily to Santolina virens Deep green retain shape and Rounded bushy shrub. Leaves have the 18-24" 18-24" Sun E Spring / Fall Santolina foliage which size. Prune after look of rosemary. Similar to Lavender is finely flowering Cotton. divided.

Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood' Sun / Spring / No pruning Succulent maroon foliage. Other species 3-5" Spreading partial E Pink Flowers 10 Sedums summer required such as Gold Moss and Green are also sun available. Requires good drainage.

Fragaria virginiana Sun / If growing for the Spring / Other names are Wild Strawberry or 8" 14-18" partial E SE White fruit pinch off the Strawberry, Mock summer Virginia Strawberry. Needs frequent sun runners. soaking; well drained, rich soil.

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