Think ‘outside the box’ and plant tough groundcovers where it is hard to mow or grow flowers.
Many groundcovers can usually survive the toughest of conditions. Note I said usually. All living things will eventually give up the ghost. To make these hellstrip workhorses even more praiseworthy, I’m recommending those that are also drought-tolerant. Now let’s give the following a standing ovation. (pictured Creeping phlox)
Sun Loving Groundcovers:
Catmint (Nepeta), especially shorter cultivars
Creeping phlox (phlox stolonifera) pictured above
Creeping Sedums like ‘Dragon’s Blood’ and ‘Angelina’
Geranium sanguineum
Lamb’s Ear (Stachys)
Low-growing varieties of Yarrow (Achillea)
Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium pictured)
Thymes
Shade Loving Groundcovers:
Astilbe chinensis ‘Pumila’
Bugle Weed (Ajuga)
Dead Nettles (Lamium)
Foam Flowers (Tiarella cordifolia)
Lily-of-the-Valley
Pachysandra
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum)
Sweet Woodruff (Galium)
Vinca
Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon)Whatever groundcover you choose, give it a leg up by loosening the top few inches of soil and scratching in some compost or manure before planting. A sprinkle of an organic time-released fertilizer such as Plant-Tone wouldn’t hurt either. Provide them with a little extra water their first season as they settle in and you’ll be generously repaid for your kindness the following year.