Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers – Southern California

1. Pink Knotweed

Name:Persicaria capitata

USDA hardiness zones:8 to 9

Size:3 to 6 inches grandiloquent and up to 20 in wide

Conditions : Full Sunday to partial shade ; well - drained grime

This delicate - looking but rugged and vigorous evergreen plant dry land cover is well used in 2-dimensional areas , not on side , because it ’s not conducive to erosion restraint . It make a dense , ground - hugging mat . drouth tolerant once established , it becomes lush and colourful starting in spring and retain throughout the season . Because it spreads by rooting stem and self - seeding , pinkish knotweed is perfect for filling in around border perennials and shrub .

2. Blue Chalk Sticks

Name:Senecio serpens

Zones:7 to 11

Size:10 inches tall and up to 3 foot wide

grim crank sticks is a drought - tolerant , ground - hugging evergreen plant , ideal for the foreground of plantings with improbable perennial and bush behind it . This showy succulent has crawling , tubular , tendril - similar leave fork at the base and rooting along the stems where they touch the soil ; a striking light blue - unripe colour ; and an ability to grow where many other earth cover song wo n’t . gamey chalk stick is remarkably unfearing for a succulent , make it slightly - below - freezing temperature ( not unheard of in Southern California ) . It is easy to maintain but will not tolerate foot traffic .

3. ‘Huntington Carpet’ Trailing Rosemary

Name:Rosmarinus officinalis‘Huntington Carpet’

Zones:6 to 11

Size:18 inches tall and up to 4 feet wide of the mark

Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained soil

‘ Huntington Carpet ’ is a creeping variety of rosemary that grows rapidly and stays dense and full over time . Both the evergreen leaves and the flowers of this Rosmarinus officinalis are edible : The dark light-green leaves are used for seasoning , and the mostly - twelvemonth - round , beautiful blue heyday are a nifty garnish . This low - growing cultivar does n’t get as woody or postulate as much pruning as the more common prostrate Rosmarinus officinalis ( R. officinalis‘Prostratus ’ ) . It is easy to maintain in low areas and on broad banks , and is excellent for attracting Bronx cheer and butterfly .

4. White Creeping Thyme

Name:Thymus praecox‘Albiflorus’

Zones:2 to 11

Size:3 inches tall and up to 2 foot wide

White creep thyme is an redolent herb great for fill up heavyset space like the nooks and crevice between dry - set flagstones and between rock - garden accent boulder . The purple flowers of the stock variety of creeping thyme provide people of color , but like any white - florescence plant , this variety lights up in dark domain and in moonshine . Like most herbs , the tiny evergreen leaves of this thyme are best sheared back on social function to prevent legginess and to spring a dense mat .

Frank Mitzelis the owner of Aesthetic Landscape Design in San Diego , California .

pic : # 1 , Nancy J. Ondra ; # 2 , Michelle Gervais ; # 3 , Doreen Wynja ; # 4 , Bill Johnson

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Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Northeast

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Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Midwest

Regional Picks: Tough Ground Covers - Southern Plains

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