Grave planting: 26 evergreen ground covers for the grave

As grave planting, evergreen ground cover offers the ideal solution because they all year round Look decorative, require little maintenance and make a grave look well-groomed even in winter. A hardy planting also saves the costs for new plants and thus also a lot of time. The range of ground cover is extensive, but some species / varieties are particularly suitable for planting on the grave, which stand out due to their low maintenance and robustness.

Ground cover for the grave

Sunny grave location

Andean cushion "Nana" (Azorella trifurcata "Nana")

• Formerly called "Minor"
• Growth: very flat, cushion-forming, densely growing ground cover
• Height: three to five centimeters
• Flower: greenish-yellow
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: inconspicuous
• Characteristics: year-round dark green foliage, easy to care for, tolerates partially shaded locations
• Quantity of plants: 24 to 26 plants per square meter

Cranberry / cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

• Growth: ground covering, very dense, spreading flat, upright stems, densely growing, evergreen ground cover
• Height: ten to 20 centimeters
• Flower: pink
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: edible, health-promoting fruits (harvest: mid-September to the end of October)
• Properties: green foliage all year round, very decorative, easy to care for, must be in a sunny location
• Plant quantity: six to eight plants per square meter

Fettblatt "Weihenstephaner Gold" (Sedum floriferum "Weihenstephaner Gold")

• Well known and widespread
• Growth: very dense, carpet-like, mat-like, clumpy
• Height: between ten and 20 centimeters
• Flower: deep yellow - star-shaped
• Flowering period: July to August
• Fruits: capsules
• Properties: hardy, evergreen, makes little demands on soil and maintenance, no pruning required
• Quantity of plants: five to eight plants per square meter

Cinquefoil feather carpet (Cotula potentillina)

• Growth: fast growing, like a carpet, if the location is suboptimal, light ground cover
• Height: five to ten centimeters
• Flower: pale yellow to greenish yellow
• Flowering period: July to August
• Fruits / berries: no fruit decorations
• Properties: alternately colored, finely pinnate leaves, smells of honey, hardly needs maintenance in an optimal location. tolerates partial shade
• Plant quantity: six to ten plants per square meter

tip: There are several types of feathered carpets to choose from, which also look good as grave plants and require just as little maintenance, such as the green and dark feathered carpets.

Hedge myrtle (Lonicera nitidia "Elegant")

• Growth: dense shoots, slowly growing
• Growth height: up to one meter without pruning
• Flower: creamy white, inconspicuous
• Flowering period: May
• Fruits / berries: purple-red
• Properties: high cut resistance, tolerates partial shade, low soil demand,
• Amount of plants: two to five plants per square meter

Small-leaved evergreen (Vinca minor)

• Growth: dense, low, carpet-like, slowly growing
• Height: ten to 15 centimeters
• Flower: violet-blue or white
• Flowering period: April to May, re-blooming in autumn
• Fruits / berries: no fruit decorations
• Characteristics: dark green foliage, suitable location sunny to shady, needs nutrient-rich soil
• Amount of plants: five to seven plants per square meter

Red moss stonecrop (Sedum album)

• Very popular and widely used as grave planting
• Growth: carpet-like, creeping
• Height: five to ten centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: June to August
• Fruits / berries: capsules
• Properties: thrives optimally on barren grave soils, red, thick-fleshed leaves, hardy, low humus and nutrient requirement, prefers exclusively sunny locations
• Plant quantity: six to ten plants per square meter

Summer heather (Calluna vulgaris)

• Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, flat, slow-growing, small-growing
• Height: eight to twelve centimeters
• Flower: green, purple
• Flowering period: mid-August to mid-September
• Fruits / berries: no
• Properties: evergreen, tolerates partial shade, easy care, very hardy
• Amount of plants: seven to nine plants per square meter

Star moss (Sagina subulata)

• Moss-like, evergreen ground cover
• Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, flat
• Height: three to 18 centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: April to May
• Fruits / berries: inconspicuous
• Properties: evergreen, needle-like leaves, easy to care for, very hardy, likes stony soils
• Quantity of plants: 15 to 17 plants per square meter
• Recommended variety: "Irish moss"

Cranesbill (Geranium)

• Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, stiff-axed
• Growth height: ten to 20 centimeters - depending on the variety
• Flower: pink to purple depending on the variety
• Flowering period: June to July / August depending on the variety
• Fruits / berries: beaked
• Properties: evergreen, shade-friendly depending on the variety, easy to care for, loves dry and humus-poor soils
• Quantity of plants: 24 to 26 plants per square meter

Sündermann Silberwurz (Dryas x suendermannii)

• Growth: extensive, cushion-forming, carpet-like, creeping
• Height: five to 15 centimeters
• Flower: white with a yellow center
• Flowering period: June to July / August
• Fruits / berries: fruit decoration after the flowering period
• Properties: evergreen, extremely long-lived, medium to dark green leaves, very easy to care for, pure sun worshiper
• Quantity of plants: ten to 12 plants per square meter

Loquat (Contoneaster dammeri radicans)

• Growth: very dense, medium fast growing
• Height: between ten and 20 centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: May / June
• Fruits: red into winter
• Features: weeds do not leave any space
• Quantity of plants: five to eight plants per square meter

tip: Among the Contoneaster (dwarf medlars) there are other evergreen ground cover plants with the same properties that are suitable for grave planting. These include, for example, "dammeri Coral Beauty" and "dammerie Jürgl".

Ground cover for shady, partially shaded grave locations

Dickmännchen / Schattengrün (Pachysandra terminalis)

• Growth: climbing and covering the ground, spreads through rhizomes, growing low and mat-shaped
• Height: 20 to 30 centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: April to May
• Fruits / berries: No fruit decorations
• Properties: evergreen, robust, undemanding, for shady and partially shaded locations, ideal grave planting under / next to large trees
• Plant quantity: eight plants per square meter
• Recommended varieties: "Green Carpet" and "Compacta"

Partridge berry (Mitchella repens)

• Growth: low, matt-forming,
• Height: five to ten centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: small, dark red, suitable for consumption
• Properties: very hardy, undemanding, easy to care for, only thrives in partially shaded or shady locations
• Amount of plants: twelve to 16 plants per square meter

Elven flower (Epimedium)

• Growth: pillow-like, upright stems, weak growing
• Height: ten to 40 centimeters - depending on the variety
• Flower: white, pink, orange, yellow
• Flowering period: April to May
• Fruits / berries: No fruit decorations
• Properties: does not tolerate sun in winter, not evergreen, but summer or winter green
• Amount of plants: ten to 17 plants per square meter, depending on the variety
• Wintergreen varieties: dainty elf flower 'Niveum', Warley elf flower 'Ellen Willmott', Warley elf flower 'Orange Queen'

Common ivy (Hedera helix)

• Growth: climbing and ground covering, fast and densely growing
• Growth height: uncut up to 500 centimeters
• Blossom: green-yellow for the first time after about ten years
• Flowering period: September to October
• Fruits / berries: blue-black spherical fruits
• Characteristics: evergreen, very undemanding, extremely long-lived, most robust variety among ivy, gets along well in the shade
• Quantity of plants: four to six plants per square meter
• Other types of ivy for grave planting: ivy ovata, white-green ivy 'Glacier', Hedera hibernica

Native hazel root (Asarum europaeum)

• Growth: very dense, spreading flat, creeping, mat-like, slow growth
• Height: ten to 15 centimeters
• Flower: brown, simple
• Flowering period: March to April
• Fruits / berries: capsules
• Properties: evergreen, prefers partial shade, smells of ginger (roots), needs soil rich in humus
• Amount of plants: twelve to 15 plants per square meter

Cat's paw (Antennaria dioica)

• Growth: very dense, flat, upright stems
• Height: ten to 20 centimeters
• Flower: pink
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: no fruit decorations
• Characteristics: evergreen or year-round silvery foliage, preferably sunny to partially shaded, well frost hardy, very easy to care for
• Amount of plants: around ten plants per square meter
• Note: cut off flowers and leaves after wilting

Cherry laurel "Mount Vernon" (Prunus laurocerasus "Mount Vernon")

• Growth: compact dwarf shrub, flat on the ground
• Height: 30 to 40 centimeters
• Flower: white
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: fruit decorations
• Properties: evergreen, very hardy, tolerates sun in summer - not in winter
• Amount of plants: three to four plants per square meter

Creeping juniper "Blue Carpet" (Juniperus squamata "Blue Carpet")

• Growth: flat, dwarf shrub and ground cover, growing slowly and densely
• Growth height: uncut up to 50 centimeters
• Flower: inconspicuous in greenish yellow
• Flowering period: June / July
• Fruits / berries: orange seed coats
• Properties: evergreen or year-round steel-blue needles, tolerates grave planting in sun or partial shade, very hardy and undemanding, tolerates pruning
• Plant quantity: one plant per meter

Porcelain flowers (Saxifraga x urbium)

• Growth: carpet-like, dense,
• Height: five to 20 centimeters
• Flower: white, simple
• Flowering period: May to June
• Fruits / berries: capsules
• Properties: evergreen or year-round gray-green foliage, very hardy, ideal for stone graves
• Plant quantity: six to eight plants per square meter

Red carpet berry (Gaultheria procumbens)

• Growth: creeping, carpet-like, dense
• Height: ten to 20 centimeters
• Flower: light pink
• Flowering period: July to August
• Fruits / berries: red
• Properties: reddish leaves in winter, aromatic fragrant fruits (not edible), shiny summer leaf green
• Plant quantity: eight plants per square meter

Candytuft / snow pillow (Iberis sempervirens)

• Growth: very dense, spreading flat, upright stems, densely growing ground cover
• Height: 15 to 30 centimeters
• Flower: white, rich
• Flowering period: April to May
• Fruits / berries: pods
• Properties: year-round green foliage, undemanding in terms of soil, bee-friendly, ideal for planting in gravel soils
• Amount of plants: eight to ten plants per square meter

Spindle bush (Euonymus fortunei "Darts Blanket")

• Growth: moderately fast growing, cushion-forming, carpet-like, creeping
• Growth height: uncut up to 50 centimeters
• Flower: inconspicuous in greenish yellow
• Flowering period: June / July
• Fruits / berries: orange seed coats
• Characteristics: evergreen, purple-red autumn leaves, tolerates grave planting in sun or shade, very hardy and robust
• Amount of plants: three to five plants per square meter

tip: Great color contrasts can also be set with the spindle bush varieties yellow and white, all of which can be used as ground cover and climbing plants for the grave.

Table disc (Taxus baccata "Repandens")

• Also called pillow grater and ground cover grater,
• Growth: flat, strongly spreading, dense, slowly growing
• Height: 40 to 60 centimeters
• Flower: light pink
• Flowering period: July to August
• Fruits / berries: red
• Properties: shiny, slightly prickly leaves, ideal for shady graves under trees, also tolerates sunny locations, hardy, but sensitive to late frost
• Plant quantity: one plant per square meter
• Caution: poisonous

Waldsteinia / Dreiblatt Golden Strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata)

• Growth: very dense, spreading flat, creeping, carpet-like, slow growth
• Height: ten to 15 centimeters
• Flower: golden yellow
• Flowering period: April to May
• Fruits / berries: No fruit decorations
• Properties: does not tolerate sun, evergreen, ideal planting for shady / shady locations, tends to overgrow
• Amount of plants: eight to twelve plants per square meter