by Ray Fauteux

Created on: May 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 05, 2009

There are many varieties that will not do particularly well in the shade but will thrive in the direct sunlight. It's a simple matter of choosing the color and the mature height of the plant that will best suit the area to be filled in. A flower bed or yard with bare spots can easily be filled in and made to look beautiful with the use of plant ground covers. Some plants do very well in cooler, shady areas and are perfect for underneath those big leafy trees that block out the sunlight for most of the day.

An evergreen like the Creeping Juniper might be an excellent choice for a year-round ground cover. For most of the year the foliage will be a blue-green color and in the Winter months it will turn to more of a light purple hue. The Juniper will grow between one and two feet high at maturity and will spread from two to four feet. This is an ideal choice for sloping terrain that is exposed to sun most of the day and is also in need of erosion control.

For spots that are so hot and dry that nothing seems to grow, Creeping Phlox might be the perfect choice. This plant has moss-like characteristics, grows four to six inches in height, and is normally very dense at maturity. Creeping Phlox is actually ideal for rock gardens as it tends to follow the contour of rocks and will fill in bare spots nicely.

For very arid desert-like climates the Yucca plant can serve as a very effective ground cover. At two or three feet in height they grow much higher than more traditional ground cover plants, but at the same time can be a perfect addition to a rock garden considering how they tend to thrive in hot, dry weather conditions.

If a more aromatic plant is desired the Creeping Thyme has a pleasant scent and is available in ornamental varieties that have bright red flowers. The ornamental Creeping Thyme is not edible, but matures into an amazing ground cover that only grows from two to four inches in height and covers an area of fourteen to twenty inches. Creeping Thyme is ideal as a border for pathways as it's pleasant scent can be enjoyed every time one passes by.

There are also many other flowering plants that grow into colorful ground covers. Petunias, Rosemary, Sedum Shrubs, and Lillie's of the Valley are often used as ground covers to brighten up a yard. Some gardeners begin to like these colorful plants so much that soon most of their high-maintenance grass is ripped up and replaced with brilliant red, purple, white and blue ground covers.

Learn more about this author, Ray Fauteux.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.