Plant Encyclopedia
Discover plants for your garden — filter by sun, water, bloom time and more.
9 plants
Ground coverAjuga reptans
Bugleweed
Bugleweed is a robust ground cover that spreads rapidly through runners. From April to June, dense spikes of blue-purple flowers rise above the dark green, glossy foliage. The plant is evergreen and forms a continuous carpet within a single growing season.
Ground coverLamium maculatum
Spotted Dead-nettle
Spotted Dead-nettle is an attractive ground cover with silver-green leaves marked by a distinctive pattern. From April to June, lipped flowers appear in pink, purple, or white. The plant is semi-evergreen and quickly forms an ornamental carpet beneath trees and shrubs.
Ground coverLiriope muscari
Lily Turf
Lily Turf is a robust evergreen ground cover with grass-like dark green foliage and striking purple flower spikes in late summer. The plant forms dense clumps that suppress weeds effectively. After flowering, decorative black berries appear and persist through winter.
Ground coverLysimachia nummularia
Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny is a fast-spreading, trailing ground cover with round, coin-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers in June and July. The plant spreads via long runners, forming a dense, green carpet. It is ideal for moist spots and pond margins.
Ground coverOphiopogon planiscapus
Black Mondo Grass
Black Mondo Grass is a striking ground cover with nearly black, grass-like foliage that is unique in the plant world. Small white to light purple flowers appear in summer, followed by glossy black berries. The plant is evergreen and provides a stunning contrast with light-coloured neighbours.
Ground coverPachysandra terminalis
Japanese Spurge
Japanese Spurge is a reliable evergreen ground cover with rosette-shaped, glossy dark-green foliage and modest white flower spikes in April and May. The plant forms a dense, uniform carpet via runners and is the ideal solution for dry shade under trees. Japanese Spurge is extremely hardy.
Ground coverSagina subulata
Irish Moss
Irish moss is a charming, moss-like ground cover that forms a soft, bright green cushion. Despite the name, it is not a moss but a flowering plant. In June and July, countless tiny white star-shaped flowers appear above the fine foliage carpet. The plant is ideal between stepping stones, in Japanese gardens, or as a small-scale lawn replacement.
Ground coverThymus serpyllum
Wild Thyme
Wild thyme is a creeping, aromatic ground cover that forms a dense carpet of pink-purple flowers in summer. The plant grows only a few centimetres tall but spreads gracefully, making it ideal between paving stones, on walls, or as a lawn replacement in dry spots. Every step on the carpet releases a delightful thyme fragrance.
Ground coverVinca minor
Lesser Periwinkle
Lesser Periwinkle is an evergreen ground cover with glossy dark-green foliage and abundant blue-purple flowers from March to June. The plant forms a dense carpet that effectively suppresses weeds and is ideal under trees and shrubs. Periwinkle is extremely hardy and tolerates deep shade.