Pachysandra (Japanese Spurge ):

An extremely popular ground cover.

Excellent native, fast spreading ground cover with attractive leathery leaves and creamy white flowers. Pachysandra is a great problem solver for those super shady areas in the yard/garden as pachysandra is shade loving.

Did you know? Once pachysandra has been established in your yard (a couple of years) you can cut it with a lawn mower, typically near the beginning of the season. Set the mower blade a bit high as you don't want to cut it to the soil. Each plant will separate and divide to create a full thick bed for the following season.

Ajuga (reptans ):

These are low, spreading groundcovers with glossy spoon shaped spinach-like leaves. Grows 3-5" with cobalt blue flowers. Excellent for erosions control Prefers part-shade to shade, will tolerate full sun in cooler climates.

Grows where other plants may not grow. Very low maintenance.

also known as Purple Winter Creeper, the foliage turns a wonderful burgundy in the winter.

Euonymus has some great benefits, it can can take the full sun spectrum as it will grow in full sun or shade. It is also great for erosion control because it holds the soil well. If it gets unruly it can merely be trimmed down with a string trimmer (weed whacker). This dense spreading groundcover grows to a height of 12-15".

Myrtle (Vinca Minor, Periwinkle):

Low growing evergreen groundcover with lavender flowers in spring. One of the hardiest groundcovers available. Enjoys part-sun to full shade environments. Grows 6-8" high.

An excellent choice to plant around fences, light posts, mailboxes. Spreads beautifully on hills.

Don't be afraid to trim this lovely groundcover - just use gardeners scissors - hold in your hand and trim it back to give your myrtle "hair cut."

Ivy (Hedera helix ):

A classic New England groundcover. Very hardy, evergreen climbing vine and is drought tolerant. This is another groundcover great for erosion control.

Prefers part-shade to shade environments, will tolerate full sun in cooler climates. Grows 12-18" high. Trim it back to keep it under control. Like myrtle, you can use garden scissors.

Alternative Groundcovers: Would you like a different groundcover in your garden? Here is a short list of alternative hardy low growing, spreading perennials you can use.

Notes about groundcover:
The best way to break apart groundcover in "solid" flats is to simply cut it like you would a tray of brownies. This will create your individual cells.

Be sure to read the tags of your groundcovers to learn the preferred light environment for each.

When planting, the spacing for groundcover cells varies when planting an really depends on your needs. A good rule is to plant each cell/plant aproximately 6-8" apart. Plant in rows and work backwards.