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Browse Plants

Narrowed By:Zone: 7+ Uses: Ground Covers + Seasonal Interest: Fall+ Height: 1 - 3 ft.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 82 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5View AllNext > Sort By: Sort
Alchemilla mollis Alchemilla mollis
(Lady's mantle)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This plant has lobed, densely hairy, chartreuse foliage that is crimped at the edges. Soft, frothy, yellow-green foliage hovers above the plant from early summer through autumn.

Aster dumosus 'Wood's Pink' Aster dumosus 'Wood's Pink'
(Bushy Aster, Hardy Aster)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is a short-growing aster has creeping rootstocks and pink, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. It can be used on steep slopes for erosion control.

Aster macrophyllus Aster macrophyllus
(Bigleaf aster)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This striking, richly-textured, deciduous ground cover has heart-shaped leaves that turn mauve in autumn. Purple, blue, or white flowers appear in late summer to early fall.

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Burgundy Lace' Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Burgundy Lace'
('Burgundy Lace' Japanese painted fern)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Burgundy Lace' is a real showstopper in shady borders and containers, with its silvery purple-bronze fronds. The low-growing clumps are a good choice for edging pathways, and the plant looks terrific when planted in groups. 'Burgundy Lace' grows best in humus-rich, moist soil but will also adapt to conditions that are less than ideal. -Chris Kelley, Regional Picks: Midwest, Fine Gardening issue #120

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Ursula's Red' Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Ursula's Red'
('Ursula's Red' Japanese painted fern)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The broad silvery leaves of ‘Ursula’s Red’ have a showy burgundy band at the center of the leaves in spring. This plant can double in size in a single growing season, as it spreads from rhizomes. Though deer do like it, it may simply grow more fronds and not show any lasting damage. --Michael Ruggiero, Regional Picks: Mid-Atlantic, Fine Gardening issue #127

Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana
(Hardy begonia)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This tuberous begonia bears green heart-shaped foliage with red veining and claret-stained undersides that steal the show when backlit. Pendent clusters of slightly fragrant, satiny pink or white blossoms open from midsummer until frost. It makes a good perennial companion for ferns and hostas.

Bouteloua gracilis Bouteloua gracilis
(Blue grama, Signal-arm grass, Mosquito grass)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Blue grama is a perennial grass from the Americas bearing unusually bent and flattened inflorescences. Being native to open grasslands, they are drought tolerant and at home in meadows. They provide the garden with shades of tan that persist throughout winter. 

Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita' Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita'
('Hachita' Blue Grama Grass)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Hachita' has narrow, blue-green leaves that form dense mounds. In summer, elongated seedheads add visual interest. This tough, drought-tolerant grass thrives in sand or clay soil with full-sun exposure. It needs a setting with good drainage, as it won't thrive in wet conditions. -Scott Vogt, Native grasses, Fine Gardening issue #124

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
(4 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This woodland plant is valued for its flowers and its heart-shaped, ground-covering leaves. Its small blue flowers go nicely with ephemeral bulbs in mid- to late spring,  as the enlarging leaves block out the ripening bulb foliage. 'Jack Frost' can take dry summers and wet winters. This cultivar is prized for its improved tolerance of heat and sun. -Marty Hair, Regional Picks: Upper Midwest, Fine Gardening issue# 127

no image available Brunnera macrophylla 'Langtrees'
(Siberian bugloss)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This woodland plant is valued for its flowers and heart-shaped, groundcovering leaves. 'Langtrees' can take dry summers and wet winters. This cultivar is prized for its improved tolerance of heat and sun.

Calluna vulgaris 'Spring Torch' Calluna vulgaris 'Spring Torch'
(Scotch heather, Ling)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Spring Torch' gets its name from the vibrant color of its new growth in spring. The mid-green leaves are tipped in shades of cream, orange, and red. Later in the summer, mauve-pink flower spikes cover the plant and last into the fall. As cold weather sets in, leaves acquire bronze or purple tones, adding further interest. This small, mounding evergreen shrub makes a good groundcover or rock garden plant. Bees love it. Different cultivars are beautiful woven together in the garden to form a colorful tapestry.

Carex divulsa Carex divulsa
(Berkeley sedge)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This sedge is one of the most adaptable of the ground-cover grasses. Its ability to look the same in sun or shade makes it a valuable asset in plantings that go in and out of full sun. Berkeley sedge is a good solution for areas under stress where lawn grasses often fail. The flowers are not particularly noteworthy.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This lovely herbaceous species is versatile and undemanding. It is the star of the late-summer garden with its spiky bright red flower buds and vivid blue flowers, displaying long-lasting mahogany red foliage in fall. Spreading slowly via underground runners, this long-lived plant makes a solid mat with erect, slender red stems and bright green leaves.

Coreopsis rosea Coreopsis rosea
(Tickseed)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This plant bears a profusion of lavender-pink flowers with yellow centers from mid-summer to early autumn. This perennial has finely textured leaves that give it an airy appearance.

Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue' Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is one of the coveted blue corydalises. It produces whorled clusters of sky-blue flowers on 18-inch tall plants. 

Corydalis linstowiana Corydalis linstowiana
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This species produces copious purplish-blue flowers in spring and fall. It has light green ferny leaves with a mid-rib of silver.

Corydalis lutea Corydalis lutea
(Yellow corydalis)
(3 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This species has bluntly spurred golden yellow flowers from late spring to early fall. Its pale green, glaucous leaves form compact, ferny mounds.

no image available Cotoneaster horizontalis
(Rockspray)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This deciduous shrub has a spreading habit and branches that form a herringbone pattern. Its glossy, dark green leaves turn red in autumn.White flowers tinged with pink appear in late spring and mature to bright red, round fruit.

Dennstaedtia punctilobula Dennstaedtia punctilobula
(North American hay-scented fern)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This fern's lacy foliage smells of freshly mown grass and carpets the woodland or a moist, partially sunny site. The green lushness turns golden in the fall. It is a good choice for rapid naturalizing. Use in a woodland garden or near water features.

Deschampsia cespitosa 'Northern Lights' Deschampsia cespitosa 'Northern Lights'
(Tufted hair grass, Tussock grass)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A tuft of thin grassy foliage with gray and gold variegation distinguishes this cultivar. Early summer brings 3-foot-tall, airy plumes of tiny flowers that look beautiful when backlit by the sun. As fall approaches, the foliage turns golden with pink-coral tips. This grass even grows well in shadier sites. Plant in a border, woodland garden, or shaded rock garden.


Displaying 1 - 20 of 82 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5View AllNext > Sort By: Sort