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Browse Plants

Narrowed By:Uses: Ground Covers + Tolerance: Drought Tolerant
Displaying 1 - 20 of 100 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5View AllNext > Sort By: Sort
Berberis × stenophylla 'Corallina Compacta' Berberis × stenophylla 'Corallina Compacta'
(Compact coral barberry)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

"Thorny but irresistible" best describes this low-maintenance, elfin barberry. Tiny leaves are smothered in coral-colored buds opening to bright yellow-orange spring flowers. These, in turn, produce silver-frosted, blue-black berries in fall. 'Corallina Compacta' is evergreen, tolerates most soil types, and is pest-free and drought tolerant once established.

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. 

Carpobrotus edulis Carpobrotus edulis
(Iceplant, Hottentot fig, Kaffir fig)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This ground-hugging succulent perennial roots at the nodes, has a creeping habit, and often forms deep mats covering large areas. It produces abundant yellow daisy-like flowers that open at noon and turn pink later in the day.

Cerastium tomentosum Cerastium tomentosum
(Snow-in-summer)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Snow-in-summer is great for rock gardens and dry areas, and also works well as a container plant. Plant it on a stone wall for a cascading effect. Snow-in-summer needs room to perform. A single plant can carpet an area as wide as a yard across. After the flowers fade, the silver/grey foliage shines on in contrast to more predictable shades of green.

Coreopsis lanceolata Coreopsis lanceolata
(Lance-leaved coreopsis)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Solitary yellow petals with toothed edges and flat, yellow centers open from early to late summer. Native to the central and southern U.S.

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’
(Thread-leaved tickseed)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Moonbeam' produces star-like blossoms of pale yellow from late spring into autumn. This cultivar is widely used because the refreshing tint of yellow compliments so many colors. The finely textured foliage adds interest all season long.

Corepsis verticillata ‘Zagreb' Corepsis verticillata ‘Zagreb'
(Thread-leaved tickseed)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Zagreb' produces star-like blossoms in egg-yolk yellow in early summer on plants 12 inches tall and wide. The sturdy, upright stems and finely textured foliage add delicate texture to the garden.

Correa 'Dusky Bells' Correa 'Dusky Bells'
(Australian fuchsia)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This spreading ground cover flowers from fall into spring. Its tubular, dusky pink flowers attract hummingbirds, and its deep green leaves release a citrus scent when crushed. Tolerant of dry conditions, frost-hardy 'Dusky Bells' correa should be tip-pruned regularly to promote new growth and improve flowering. Healthy specimens can live up to 50 years or more.

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata Dwarf Mix' Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata Dwarf Mix'
(1 user review)

This series produces compact plants 1 foot tall and about as wide with large blossoms in pure white and many shades of pink. These season-long performers make fine edging plants.

Cosmos sulfureus 'Cosmic Red' Cosmos sulfureus 'Cosmic Red'
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The intense scarlet red blooms and yellow centers of this bedding plant will stop you in your tracks. ‘Cosmic Red’ blooms all summer and looks great at the front of the border and in containers. As with other cosmos cultivars, grow this plant in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. The already hypnotic color will intensify as light levels increase.

Dalea greggii Dalea greggii
(Trailing indigo bush)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Despite a soft, delicate appearance, trailing indigo bush is one of the toughest groundcovers around. The feathery, silvery green compound foliage makes the clusters of tiny, rosy purple flowers stand out at close range. The blooms, which occur most heavily in spring and summer, return sporadically the rest of the year. This plant is excellent for stabilizing soil on slopes because its stem nodes root wherever they come in contact with the ground.

Delosperma cooperi Delosperma cooperi
(Ice plant)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Summer-long bloom and a tough constitution make the mat-forming ice plant a perfect groundcover. Two-inch magenta blossoms with white anthers are produced in midsummer and late summer.

Dicentra formosa Dicentra formosa
(Western bleeding heart)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Don't let its delicate appearance fool you: Western bleeding heart is hardy and tenacious. This elegant, herbaceous perennial spreads slowly from rhizomes to form drifts of soft blue-green, ferny foliage in shady woodland areas. Above the leaves in late spring, pink heart-shaped flowers hang gracefully from long, arched stems, attracting scores of hummingbirds but not the local deer. It is surprisingly drought tolerant during the summer months.

Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls' Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls'
(Kidney weed, Silver nickel vine, Silver pony's foot)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Long silvery stems, sometimes reaching 4 feet or more, bear silvery, small leaves. Use this striking plant as a groundcover or in containers.

Epimedium × rubrum Epimedium × rubrum
(Red epimedium, red barrenwort, bishop's hat)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Early in the season, the thin, heart-shaped leaves of this plant have a red tinge, which turns to bronze in fall. Plant red epimedium along a path, where its delicate foliage and tiny spring flowers can be admired. -Marty Hair, Regional Picks: Upper Midwest, Fine Gardening issue #127

no image available Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Rubra’
(Wood spurge)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This cultivar has a compact, bushy habit to 20 inches tall and purple-red flushed leaves, especially on new growth and in winter. It produces yellow bracts in mid-spring and early summer.

no image available Euphorbia myrsinites
(Myrtle spurge)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Long-lasting, terminal clusters of lime green bracts and flowers punctuate the meandering 'arms' of this ground-hugging species. The chalky seafoam foliage looks great spilling over a stone wall in a rock garden or at the edge of any bed.

no image available Euphorbia rigida
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This species is similar to E. myrsinites, but its habit is first erect before spreading, and its steely blue leaves are more narrow and pointed. It also bears terminal yellow bracts from early spring to summer.

Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
(Blue fescue, Gray fescue)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

These compact tufts of 8-inch-long powder-blue leaves are well suited for edging and naturalizing in the rock garden. 

Festuca mairei Festuca mairei
(Atlas fescue)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This sturdy groundcover is fast becoming one of the most dependable grasses for creating drought-tolerant meadows. Clumping evergreen foliage is a rich khaki green and grows in an arching clump. The flowers, while noticeable, are not showy. Atlas fescue is at its best in groups and grows in all but hot, humid, and low desert climates.


Displaying 1 - 20 of 100 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5View AllNext > Sort By: Sort