Ground cover: The most beautiful easy-care varieties

Easy to care for and beautiful - ground covers are an integral part of creative garden design. We show you the 20 most beautiful varieties for your garden.

Large, flat beds that look beautiful, but still don't need a lot of maintenance? What sounds like a beautiful dream is actually quite easy thanks to so-called ground cover plants. Ground covers grow quickly and will soon cover the entire bed in a carpet of green leaves and beautiful flowers, while also protecting the soil and suppressing weeds. Since most varieties are also particularly easy to care for and robust, ground covers are suitable excellent for gardens that require little maintenance, but the garden is still green should stay. Here you can find out which ground covers look particularly beautiful in the garden.

Groundcovers are simple and easy to care for, but can still look gorgeous. You can find out here which varieties are a special treat for the eyes.

1. Common Soapwort

Not only the beautiful, white or slightly pink flowers make the common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) to a particularly beautiful ground cover; its sweetish-floral scent, which occurs particularly in the evening hours, is an insect magnet and even flatters the human nose. Particularly undemanding and fast-growing, the common soapwort can get along in almost any garden and is also very hardy. However, caution is also advised: the common soapwort is very keen to spread and conquers also likes areas that it shouldn't penetrate at all if you don't have the right preparation meets.

2. box finial

Bright, two-tone flowers of purple and yellow - the box milkwort (Polygala chamaebuxus) is a real eye-catcher. But despite its beauty, the box-leaved milkwort, as it is also called, is anything but high-maintenance. On the other hand, it is very robust, only waterlogging does not get you so well. But the box milkwort not only cuts a fine figure in summer: the shrub, which is around 20 cm high, keeps its leaves even in winter, ensuring green beds.

3. cushion phlox

If you want to transform your rock garden into a sea of ​​flowers, you can use the cushion or carpet phlox (Phlox subulata) made the right choice. Between April and July, the plant transforms into a carpet of countless star-shaped flowers, ranging in color from white to crimson, depending on the variety. The cushion phlox blooms particularly beautifully in full sun, and even an annual pruning does not harm it, although it tends to be a slow-growing ground cover. Otherwise, however, the carpet phlox is an uncomplicated contemporary.

4. lampranthus

Radiant flowers in bright colors - the Lampranthus (lampranthus) immediately catches everyone's eye with its appearance. Especially its beautiful flowers, which in their perfection often give the impression that they are made of plastic, make the charm of this plant. Unfortunately, this flowering splendor only appears on days in full sun, which has also given the plant the name ice plant. Although the Lampranthus is actually very robust and needs little care, the succulent cannot cope with the German winter. However, you can simply pick the plant up from the bed and let it hibernate indoors, or you can sow it again in the spring with the help of cuttings.

5. speedwell

To the genus of honorary award (Veronica), also known under the name Veronika, includes over 450 species, which are characterized above all by their easy-care nature, but also by their colorful flowers. However, not all speedwell species are suitable as ground cover, due to the diversity within the plant genus is enormous: Individual species can grow up to 2 m tall, while other species only measure just under 20 cm reach. The Niederliegend Speedwell (Veronica prostrata) and the Stalked Speedwell (Veronica peduncularis), both of which turn out to be pretty eye-catchers, especially when they are in bloom.

6. Wollziest

A plant that you want to pet all the time? In fact, the leaves of the Wollziest (Stachys byzantina) so soft that they are even popularly referred to as hare's or donkey's ear. The reason for this is a woolly hair that not only gives the evergreen leaves a great texture but also an unusual appearance. Its flowers, on the other hand, are quite inconspicuous, but with their pink to silvery-white color they are by no means to be despised. The Wollziest likes sunny locations best, but the evergreen plant is very sensitive to waterlogging and winter moisture.

7. Small periwinkle

The name of the periwinkle (Vinca minor) says it all: With a height of only 10 to 30 cm, the plant is not one of the really big ones, but it keeps its beautiful, dark green leaves even in winter. But the small periwinkle is particularly beautiful in spring - from April to September it carries the Plant small, pure blue flowers that turn an inconspicuous groundcover into a real eye-catcher transform. In addition, the small periwinkle is also extremely easy to care for and adaptable, so it can thrive in almost any location.

8. woodruff

woodruff (Galium odoratum) is not only extremely popular in terms of taste, but is also ideal as a ground cover. Especially in shady beds, the forest plant spreads itself and impresses with its aromatic smell and the small, white flowers. Woodruff also convinces with its robust and easy-care nature. On the other hand, it is not advisable to use woodruff in the kitchen, because it can quickly lead to dizziness, headaches or even liver damage in the event of an overdose.

9. thrifts

thrifts (Army) are a real feast for the eyes: The plant develops individual inflorescence stems, on each of which a hemispherical flower appears in red, white or yellow. The bushy, evergreen perennial is not only beautiful but also very robust. Despite its height of up to 20 cm, the thrift is surprisingly wind resistant and hardy, which makes it ideal for planting in seaside gardens.

10. sedum

The name sedum doesn't sound particularly attractive, but the plant that goes with it is: the sedum (sedum) impresses with its beautiful flower umbrellas, but its ornamental leaf rosettes are also a real adornment, after all they shine in all possible colors from silver-green to copper-red. With almost 500 varieties, the sedum hen has a number of variations to offer, but unfortunately only the small varieties such as the white sedum hen (Sedum album) as ground cover, but they are very easy to care for.

11. Felty tomentosum

Whether as an evergreen ground cover or as an ornamental plant in the rock garden: the felty tomentosum (Cerastium tomentosum) almost always looks good. With its gray felty leaves and rapid growth, the plant is ideal as a ground cover for sunny locations. In May, however, the chickweed only shows its true beauty and bears its large, bright white star-shaped flowers, which make the flower a great eye-catcher in the rock garden.

12. bluebell

bluebells (campanula) are already a popular ornament in gardens because of their pretty flowers, but many do not even know the potential of the beautiful plants. In fact, numerous types of bluebells are ideal as ground cover. There is something for every garden: the hanging cushion bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) it prefers shady, the dwarf bellflower (Campanula cochleariifolia) is characterized above all by its winter hardiness and the Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpartia) bears not only blue, but also violet and white flowers, depending on the variety.

13. Pennywort

With its good growth and easy-care nature, pennywort (Lysimachia nummularia) has already proven itself as a ground cover in many gardens. Pennywort is particularly popular as planting at the edges of ponds because it also thrives well in moist soil. With its round, light green leaves and the about a cent-sized, golden-yellow flowers, pennywort is also extremely decorative.

14. Pink evening primrose

Beautiful by day and by night – the pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa) is a real eye-catcher with its delicately shimmering flowers, which flaunts its beauty day and night. It is rather persistent and flowers continuously from June to September. Only the harsh winter does not tolerate the groundcover well - if the temperatures drop too low, parts of the beautiful plant can freeze. However, the pink evening primrose is blessed with an enormous joy of spreading and vitality, so that it often comes to life again in spring and quickly finds its place in the bed again fought for.

15. Wild Thyme

If you are looking for a ground cover for all the senses, you will find it with this Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) just the right plant. With its small pink to purple flowers, wild thyme not only cuts a good figure, its scent also enchants every herb lover. But the taste of wild thyme is also like that of its big brother, the real thyme (Thymus vulgaris) in no way and is ideal as a spice. Since the wild thyme is also easy to grow and is evergreen, it is also an excellent ground cover for your garden.

16. deadnettle

Whether in the sun or in the shade, the dead-nettle (lamium) is suitable for almost every location. The dead nettle, with around 50 species, is particularly interesting for horticultural design because of its versatility - there are summer and winter green, annual and perennial variations. However, they all have in common their beautiful leaves, which resemble that of a stinging nettle (but fortunately do not sting) and their pretty flowers. In addition, dead nettles are particularly hardy, persistent and easy to care for.

17. Bloody Cranesbill

The blood-red cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) is probably one of the most popular perennials in hobby gardens. No wonder, after all, the Cranesbill Art particularly floriferous and inspires with its crimson flowers from May to September. At the same time, the perennial plant is also extremely undemanding and easy to care for. It cuts a fine figure as a groundcover, especially in sunny locations.

18. elf flower

She is the jewel in the shade garden - the elf flower (epimedium) impresses with its beautiful foliage and great flowers. Roughly speaking, the type of elfin flower can be divided into two large groups: the wintergreen representatives are extremely robust and vigorous and therefore particularly well suited as ground cover. The deciduous species, on the other hand, are more sensitive to waterlogging, but show an unexpected Abundance of flower variations - so both groups make a perfect ground cover for shade gardens away.

19. Canadian Dogwood

Most know dogwood (Cornus) probably much more as an ornamental tree and not as a ground cover - but in fact the genus also includes a beautiful ground-covering, herbaceous species. The Canadian Dogwood (Cornus canadensis), also known as the carpet dogwood, grows to just a few inches tall and is perfect as a ground cover for shady gardens. From July to August, the plant impresses not only with its beautiful leaves, but also with the white or pink flowers. Later, the Canadian dogwood bears extremely decorative, non-poisonous, red berries.

20. houseleek

Heat, cold, drought? For houseleek (sempervivum) no problem - the indestructible mini perennials grow even where hardly any other plant can survive and stay nice and green even in winter. The thick-leaved plants only need sun, otherwise they lose their typical shape and do not bloom. But not only its robustness but also its appearance makes the houseleek a great ground cover: almost 3000 varieties are bidding interesting rosette shapes, beautiful leaf colors and attractive flowers of all kinds that many passionate collectors have come to love have learned.

Many ground covers are not only easy to care for, but are also considered to be particularly bee-friendly. In our special article you will find 15 bee-friendly ground covers for each location to help you support the bees in your garden.

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