PETITTI | Perennial Groundcovers: 15 Easy & Beneficial Plant Options for Sun and Shade

Perennial Groundcovers do more for the garden than you might realize - they suppress weeds, keep areas tidy, and support wildlife, all while beautifying your landscape at the lowest position! Noelle goes beyond typical Ivy, Vinca, and Pachysandra to feature more than 15 native, perennial groundcover plant families you may not know about!

[@elainewashington3004]

Great presentation on ground covers. More people need to use them!

[@ecampbell5837]

If it’s sold at your local garden centre, it grows in your zone.

[@TH0ltz]

Best groundcover video I've ever seen! Covers almost every groundcover you could possibly need or want! Still looking for something for very dry shade. :/ Thank you Petitti Garden Centers!

[@JuanVic-nr8lu]

Ajuga, there are also some sedums like red carpet sedum.

[@emkn1479]

Love ajuga🙌 it takes care of so many problems spots in my garden and looks so good in spring, brings in the bumbles We also have snow in summer and it grows really well in rocky soil

[@tinahelton3062]

Thank you for a great presentation!❤️

[@markday5797]

So many nice ground covers, so little space to fill. Love them all.

[@jadezx974]

Learned something new!!! I thought it’s too dry for my snow in summer. It is the water…!! Thank u!

[@saundraburgess692]

Nice to know more about groundcovers. Just a suggestion, It would be nice if your camara person would zoom in on the actual plant as you talk about it. The side pop up pictures don't really show what the actual plant really looks like.

[@judyingram-kh1vm]

Great video. I didnt know thier are so many ground covers. Thank you for sharing this with us ❤❤❤❤❤

[@arlenehudson1719]

Your presentations are such a wealth of information! Thank you!

[@rosiesingleton6480]

Really good explanations 👍🏻

[@marcishacklock]

I’m in sw Ohio and love love my pachysandra and geranium ground covers

[@abrahamchampagne3083]

There’s some great options here that you introduced me to, thank you!

[@cindybowen17]

Best ground cover video ever! I’ll be referencing this a few times! Thank you👩‍🌾🌞

[@atterol765]

Wonderful and informative- truly beautiful and i utilitarian ideas for the garden ❤❤❤

[@dustyflats3832]

The ajuga appeared from somewhere and it will replace the grass. The one to stay completely away from is a sedum called stonecrop sold as steppables-I Can Not get rid of it in the grass. It’s been years and it still appears. The Lamium has nice bright color. Sweet Williams are great bloomers and crowd weeds but need cut back and they really reseed big time-deadhead if not wanted. That Brass Buttons looks neat and tidy like the Elfin Thyme 😀.

[@susanbartone1347]

I am so so impressed with your knowledge. Wish you were in raleigh NC

[@MichaelRusso-k9j]

Thanks for your video and all you know about groundcovers in the garden.♥

[@phillisik4426]

Two of my favorites are European Ginger and Epimediums. They are low maintenance and will do dry shade.

[@maryvickerd6002]

Didn’t realize how many different ground covers there was. Thanks for the info. I’ll be checking out our garden centers for some of these. Thanks !

[@meldog7925]

Oh my, I want them all! 🥰

[@susanbartone1347]

Great video!

[@lizmerritt2148]

Great information. Very useful as I am trying to increase my ground covers

[@nubaran]

Great video! It would be most useful to know how these plants do in winter

[@BarbaraBorkowski]

Great presentation. I learned a lot.

[@stephaniestewart9396]

Great info as usual. 👍👍

[@brookerlay]

Great information. Thank you!

[@lorrainedurgee1761]

Excellent video - thanks

[@barbaracunningham3968]

Appreciate the info. Great new options.👍🏻

[@donnanelson1900]

Great info! Love your information and details!

[@kevdorr8845]

Thank you, this is a great help!

[@mariasheppard83]

This was very helpful

[@pattyserrat3736]

Wonderful information, thanks, you have a new subscriber !

[@dianelarwood597]

Love Sweet Woodruff. It’s a prolific self seeder. My dog likes to lay in the patch under the tree. The little green seeds stick to her fur.

[@zlatamontgomery1593]

Thank you for video.

[@twinkletoes3051]

Thank you! REally looking to minimize mulch

[@LeaSchafer-p5t]

Just watched and fell in love with the Georgia Blue veronica. Have not seen that in any other ground cover videos. Unfortunately can’t find it near me (AL zone 8) and I’m too far to drive to Ohio. 😭 😊 Will have to look again next year.

[@mariacolwell1198]

Great.!!❤

[@lisajelle714]

As I am applying yards and yards of mulch to my garden beds and wondering what I can do to minimize this chore in the future, this video is inspiring me to make my 2025 garden focus filling in most of my beds with groundcovers! I am also in Ohio, so am assuming everything you featured will work well for me. I am especially interested in groundcovers that are not too invasive, and easy to rip out (preferably just with my hands) if I decide I want to plant something else in that spot- any particular recommendations? Thanks for this timely video!

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Perennial groundcovers are a perfect living solution to reduce your mulching tasks! The clump formers like Creeping Phlox are slower moving and don't spread aggressively. I like the Dianthus and Sedum varieties for sunny spots, and creeping phlox can grow in part shade along with Sweet Woodruff.

[@brandywalkenten9085]

My lamium goes in sun and shade and does wonderful in both areas. With that said, I planted last summer and it wasn’t the best for sun here in CNY. We shall see how it does this year

[@jeanettenels8501]

Great video! It would be very helpful if you started videos with your location and plant zone. I've listened to several interesting gardening videos only to find out midway that they were in a completely different planting zone than mine...

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Thanks for the suggestion, Jeanette! All of our garden centers are located in Northeast Ohio, Zone 6.

[@Krautastic]

What's the best strategy for groundcover and mulch? Should you plant your plugs at the suggested spacing and leave the ground in between bare and just weed as needed or mulch in between? I have a large bed that is mulched that I've put various ground covers in. Ultimately I'd like it completely taken over, but what to do in the mean time.

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Placing a light layer of mulch (1-2") between the newly planted groundcover plants will help reduce weeds but also keep the soil moist and cooler so the groundcovers can get established and can eventually start expanding into the soil spaces.

[@threeriversforge1997]

Getting native plants is so problematic. I'm glad you talked about the phlox, but I'll be danged if it wouldn't be fantastic to see more mention of native Carex, or Wild Strawberry, some Wild Ginger, Green-n-Gold, and our own American Pachysandra. Every plant on the "invasive" plant list was brought in by experts who thought they could control the spread of the plant, that it wasn't "too thuggish" in the garden. And then it got out. English Ivy is a prime example of this. Yet, with all those many examples of invasive plants running rampant through the ecosystem, you have to hunt hard to find native plants that do the job right.

[@bmac6645]

And it's really fun to weed an area of ground cover, especially if the weeds are poison ivy

[@bethhamersley526]

How aggressive are these groundcovers?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Each groundcover has a varying growth rate & aggressiveness. The tight, cushioned types do not grow as quickly as the longer/taller stemmed varieties that are able to cover more space more quickly. Avoid more woody stemmed groundcovers like English Ivy, Vinca vine, Pachysandra, etc. because they really can establish quickly if you are looking for something less aggressive. Avoid chaemeleon plant (Houttytnia) & Bishop's weed (Aegopodium) as well due to their aggressive growth habit.

[@fireflyrocks1]

If one wants to create massive work in the garden, trying to eradicate these ground covers, plant them. After 40 years of gardening I've spent 20 or more years, trying to eradicate them.

[@esullivan765]

Can you plant these in the lawn interspersed with regular grass?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Yes, if you are looking for that patchwork look, yes, certainly you can plant groundcovers among the lawn grass.

[@dottyberendes5533]

Wish she would have said the zones that they are.

[@saraneufeld4582]

Do you have any thoughts on scotch moss as a ground cover? I’m in the Midwest, zone 6a

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Scotch Moss is a great plant to fill in small spaces (in between pavers, in rock gardens). but not large groundcover areas. It's pretty slow growing and will expand to about 12" wide, requires well-drained soil, but can't go dry and will burn out. Cold hardiness is not a problem, colorful foliage is a plus.

[@saraneufeld4582]

@@PetittiGardenCenters thank you!! Very helpful

[@kssh6303]

🤩🤩

[@tedbraytonjr8342]

I would like to know if the brass buttons is a shade plant or a full sun plant and how fast do they grow

[@thejillykilly]

Can you do one on arborvitae and mainly how to trim them?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Check out the Arborvitae spotlight we filmed a few years ago! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aanPn6elotCUe5Y

[@cindyeastbourn7642]

What zones?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Our garden centers are located in Northeast Ohio, which is a Zone 6. All of these plants are hardy in our growing zone!

[@ncmtncat]

I am looking for ground covers as total lawn replacement. Any suggestions?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

Look for seed varieties that are slowly but surely becoming readily available such as clovers, and other perennial seed mixtures. We carry both Dutch white clover and a product called Micro Bee Lawn in our stores.

[@sandymoon1875]

My dianthias looks like it's dying after deadheading. Help

[@evahagemeyer9142]

I planted plumbago and I have regrets. It grows thru my duetzia so I'm constantly pulling it. I thought it would be a good 3 season groundcover😬

[@untenableposition3057]

Are all the examples that you featured native to the US?

[@4cysmith]

Why does the elephant tyme called that? Does anyone know?

[@debmarlowe1204]

Are the sedum groundcovers evergreen?

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

No, unfortunately Sedum groundcovers are not evergreen in NE Ohio. They may perform differently in warmer climates.

[@sterlgirlceline]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌿🌳💚

[@LAWandCoach]

Better to film the plants closer rather than the person talking.

[@cindyrae2605]

The Yellow Archangel and Isotoma/Laurentia are very invasive and on quarantine lists in some states. You should've researched the plants you showcased and mentioned that to your viewers. I gave up on your info after your statements on these two--didn't watch the rest.

[@PetittiGardenCenters]

We are growers and garden center retailers in northeast Ohio. The Ohio Department of Agriculture determines what plant species are invasive and therefore regulates what we can grow/sell or must discontinue growing and selling. Lamiastrum spp. & Isotoma/Laurentia spp. are not considered invasive plants in Ohio. They are vigorous to aggressive growing and non-native plant species, but still considered usable groundcover options that we wanted to show in the video. If you garden in another state or another part of the world, yes, these plants may not be suitable or deemed invasive for your garden. agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/invasive-and-noxious-plants/invasive-plants

[@cindyrae2605]

@@PetittiGardenCenters right but you should remind your viewers to check the status of these invasive plants in their own state, you're doing a disservice.