Perennial Ground Cover Flowers

Oriental Agapanthus

• Oriental agapanthus, with lovely, arching leaves similar to lilies, grows in a clumping form and reaches up to 2 feet in height. It produces impressive blue flower clusters on tall 2-foot high stalks from spring to fall. The flowers attract hummingbirds and the foliage makes it a good mass-planting ground cover. It prefers sandy soil but will grow in well-drained heavier soils in full sun to partial shade. It multiplies slowly and is propagated by division.

Blue Star Creeper

• Blue star creeper is a small evergreen perennial ground cover that grows to 12 inches in height. It will grow in sun or partial shade, is drought-tolerant when established and handles foot traffic well. It is a good ground cover to use between stepping stones and in garden paths. It flowers from spring to fall with small star-shaped light blue flowers.

Golden Dead Nettle

• Golden dead nettle has attractive heart-shaped leaves that are green and silver. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows to 2 feet in height. It produces tiny bell-shaped yellow dangling flowers in the spring. Golden dead nettle can be an aggressive spreader and is best contained with a barrier-like deeply set edging. It grows well in sun or shade and in any soil, but does not grow well in wet areas. It's also used in hanging baskets and containers.

Sedum Spurium "John Creech"

• Sedum Spurium John Creech is one of the best sedums for use as a ground cover. It is a small succulent reaching only 4 inches in height. It has attractive blue-green leaves. Plants form a thick low-growing mat of foliage that blooms with pink flowers at the end of summer. Sedum is drought tolerant, and the John Creech variety is a slow-spreading, nonaggressive and noninvasive plant that does well in sun or light shade.

Herrenhausen Oregano

• Herrenhausen oregano is an ornamental oregano with purplish foliage and purple flowers. It is a hardy and drought-tolerant perennial that does well in any soil, although it prefers rough gravel. Reaching heights from 6 to 18 inches, it flowers in the summer and its foliage turns darker purple in autumn. It is a good ground cover near gravel parking lots and driveways.

Japanese Pachysandra

• Japanese pachysandra is an herbaceous evergreen perennial. It reaches 6 inches in height and has a low-growing, spreading growth habit, forming a tight mat that keeps out weeds. It is a shade-loving perennial that flowers in the spring with tiny white flowers. It tolerates dry soil but prefers moisture, although it will suffer in soggy, wet conditions. The foliage is distasteful to deer.