Asarum caudatum

Asarum caudatum new leaves & flower March 2010

Asarum caudatum old leaves January 2009

Asarum caudatum flower March 2010

Asarum caudatum (Wild Ginger) is a Washington native plant.  It is a small, slow-spreading groundcover for a shaded garden.  Asarum caudatum grows from British Columbia to central California, including Idaho & western Montana.  The leaves stay green through winter, becoming darker & more leathery.  In spring shiny, new, bright-green leaves appear with peculiar purple or red-brown flowers.  The flowers lie upon the ground, often hidden by the leaves.  Asarum caudatum does not need a great deal of water, but don't let it dry out completely in summer.

Groundcovers in the Cascadia Garden

Ajuga reptans & Fragaria vesca May 2009

Hypericum cerastioides May 2009

Pratia pedunculata May 2009

Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Orange Man’ April 2009

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco' January 2009

There are over 5,000 square feet of ground to cover at the Cascadia Garden in sun & shade. I really count on my groundcovers to fill up space & discourage weeds. Some of these are better at the job than others.  The really hard workers are Ajuga reptans, Dicentra formosa, Fragaria vesca, Geraniums, Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’, Laurentia fluviatilis, Liriope spicata ‘Majestic’, Maianthemum dilatatum, Oxalis oregana & Veronica pectinata. Together they cover a lot of ground. The others are smaller. Even though they don’t spread very far, they are useful in tight spaces. Sedums are wonderful groundcovers in pots. Pots often get weedy without them.

Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf): shade

Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’ (Bishop’s Weed): shade

Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle): sun or shade

Arctostaphylos x media: sun

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick): sun

Asarum caudatum (Wild Ginger): shade

Blechnum penna-marina (Little Hard Fern): shade

Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern): shade

Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower): shade

Dicentra formosa (Native Bleeding Heart): shade

Euphorbia cyparissias: sun

Euphorbia myrsinites (Myrtle Spurge): sun

Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry): sun or shade

Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen): shade

Geranium cantabrigiense (Cranesbill): sun

Geranium himalayense (Cranesbill): sun or shade

Geranium orientalitibeticum (Cranesbill): sun

Geranium phaeum (Mourning Widow): sun or shade

Gymnocarpium dryopteris (Oak Fern): shade

Hypericum cerastioides (St John’s Wort): sun

Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’: sun or shade

Linnaea borealis (Twinflower): shade

Liriope spicata ‘Majestic’ (Creeping Lily Turf): shade

Luzula piperi (Wood Rush): shade

Mahonia nervosa (Longleaf Mahonia): sun or shade

Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley): shade

Microbiota decussata (Carpet Cypress): sun or shade

Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel): shade

Pratia pedunculata (Blue Star Creeper, formerly Laurentia fluviatilis): sun

Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’ (Bloodroot): shade

Sedum aizoon: sun

Sedum anacampseros: sun

Sedum dasyphyllum: sun

Sedum divergens: sun

Sedum forsterianum: shade

Sedum grisebachii : sun

Sedum gypsicola: sun

Sedum kamtschaticum: sun

Sedum obtusatum: sun

Sedum oreganum: sun

Sedum oregonense: sun

Sedum palmeri: sun

Sedum rupestre: sun

Sedum sexangulare: sun

Sedum spathulifolium: sun or shade

Veronica pectinata: sun

Zauschneria latifolia: sun

Groundcovers for Shade

 Dicentra formosa April 2009

 Achlys triphylla May 2009

Smilacina stellata May 2009

Oxalis oregana April 2009

Here is a list of groundcovers  that grow in shade for garden in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & USDA Zone 8.  Generally, groundcovers are perennials that spread over the ground by one means or another. Groundcovers are very helpful to control weeds. They give depth & richness to a garden. They make plantings look more natural. Choose several groundcovers if your garden is small, many if your garden is large. A single groundcover will spread throughout, looking a bit weedy. As in business, it is better to give groundcovers competition than to let them monopolize your garden. You will also get better coverage & weed-suppression by using a variety of groundcovers.  The groundcovers pictured above are all Pacific Northwest native plants.  Many sources of information will tell you they require moist shade.  But these will all survive the summer with very little irrigation.  I've seen Achlys triphylla growing luxuriantly in dry Ponderosa Pine forest on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains.  Although they grow in shade, do not use Hedera helix (English Ivy) or Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae (Mrs. Robb’s Bonnet). They are too aggressive, will overwhelm other plants & grow out of control. English Ivy is considered a noxious weed by the State of Washington.

Groundcovers for Shade

Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf): tolerates dryness,spreads widely, but not densely by rhizomes
Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle): tolerates some dryness, many cultivars, spreads by stolons & seed, also grows in sun

Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle): tolerates dryness, forms large clumps

Asarum caudatum (Wild Ginger): needs moisture, spreads by rhizomes, but not quickly

Blechnum penna-marina (Sea Plume): needs moisture, forms mats

Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower): tolerates dryness, trails & spreads by seed

Dicentra formosa (Native Bleeding Heart): spreads widely by creeping & by seed

Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry): tolerates dryness, spreads widely by runners but will share space, tasty fruits, also grows in sun

Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff): tolerates dryness but better with moisture, can spread widely  
Gaultheria nummularioides (Gaultheria): forms mats, needs moisture, Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen): spreads modestly, needs moisture

Geranium himalayense (Himalayan Cranesbill): forms spreading mats, not aggressive
Gymnocarpium dryopteris (Oak Fern): needs moisture, forms small spreading mats

Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' (Dead Nettle): despite the ugly common name, a beautiful plant, forms creeping mats with limited seeding

Liriope spicata (Creeping Lily Turf): spreads widely & densely by rhizomes, will overpower other groundcovers & perennials, use under shrubs or in contained spaces

Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley): tolerates some dryness, spreads by rhizomes to form large patches, but will mix with other perennials
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass): not a grass, needs moisture, spreads modestly by stolons

Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel): tolerates some dryness, spreads very widely by rhizomes but willing to share space, not difficult to remove

Pachysandra terminalis: needs moisture
Phlox divaricata, Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox): forms mats, needs moisture
Pleioblastus fortunei 'Variegatus' (Dwarf Whitestripe Bamboo) Pleioblastus viridistriatus (Dwarf Greenstripe Bamboo): spreads aggressively, keep in enclosed area
Polypodium glycyrrhiza (Licorice Fern): forms slowly spreading mats, also grows in trees
Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot): tolerates some dryness, spreads slowly by rhizomes

Sedum forsterianum (Forster's Stonecrop): for light shade, spreads slowly

Smilacina stellata (Starry False Solomon's Seal): tolerates some dryness, spreads by rhizome to form large patches, but will mix with other perennials

Soleirolia soleirolii (Baby’s Tears): needs moisture

Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup)

Vinca minor (Dwarf Periwinkle): spreads aggressively by creeping & rooting stems, not for small gardens

Groundcovers for Sun

  Arctostaphylos uva-ursi February 2010

Veronica pectinata April 2009

Geranium orientalitibeticum May 2009

 Sedum reflexum February 2010

Thymus pseudolanuginosus February 2010

Here is a list of groundcovers  that grow in sun for garden in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & USDA Zone 8.  Generally, groundcovers are perennials that spread over the ground by one means or another. The exceptions here are some woody trailing or vining plants & some low spreading shrubs. Groundcovers are very helpful to control weeds. They give depth & richness to a garden. They make plantings look more natural. Choose several groundcovers if your garden is small, many if your garden is large. A single groundcover will spread throughout, looking a bit weedy. As in business, it is better to give groundcovers competition than to let them monopolize your garden. You will also get better coverage & weed-suppression by using a variety of groundcovers. Most of the groundcovers listed below tolerate dryness. Xeric plants prefer dryness & often require well-drained soil.

Groundcovers for Sun

Acaena microphylla (New Zealand Burr): xeric, spreads widely, can overwhelm smaller perennials, often used between stepping stones
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow): xeric, forms spreading mats

Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle): many cultivars, spreads by stolons & seed, also grows in shade, shares space well

Arctostaphylos x media (A columbiana x A uva-ursi) Arctostaphylos nevadensis (Pinemat Manzanita) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick): all xeric, spread by prostrate branches, can be controlled by pruning

Armeria maritima (Thrift): xeric, forms small mats, easy to remove
Aubrieta deltoidea (Rock Cress): forms mats, spreads by seed
Aurinia saxatilis (Basket of Gold): xeric, forms low mounds, spreads by seed

Campanula carpatica (Carpathian Harebell): forms slowly spreading mounds
Ceanothus gloriosus (Point Reyes Ceanothus) Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis (Carmel Creeper): xeric, low spreading shrubs, can be contained by pruning

Cerastium tomentosum (Snow in Summer): forms small mats, short-lived
Chamaemelum nobile (Roman Chamomile): tolerates some dryness, can spread invasively by seed, this is not used for tea
Erica x darleyensis (Darley Heath): low spreading shrub

Erigeron glaucus (Beach Aster): xeric, forms mats with limited spread, Erica karvinskianus (Santa Barbara Daisy): xeric, short-lived, but returns & spreads by seed
Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus', Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' (Winter Creeper): low spreading shrub, tolerates dryness

Euphorbia cyparissias (Cypress Spurge): xeric, spreads widely by rhizomes & seed, can be invasive, Euphorbia myrsinites (Myrtle Spurge): xeric, forms prostrate clumps, spreads by seed
Fragaria chiloensis (Sand Strawberry): tolerates dryness, spreads by runners, little fruit, Fragaria 'Pink Panda': spreads by runners, no fruit, Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry): spreads widely by runners, but will share space, tasty fruits, also grows in shade

Geranium x cantabrigiense (Dwarf Cranesbill): forms mats, tolerates dryness, Geranium orientalitibeticum (Tibetan Cranesbill): forms small patches, tolerates dryness
Hebe glaucophylla, Hebe x pimeleoides, Hebe pinguifolia 'Pagei' (Hebe): low shrubs with limited spread, tolerate dryness

Hypericum cerastioides (St John’s Wort): forms mats, spreads from seed, easy to control
Iberis sempervirens (Evergreen Candytuft): tolerates dryness, spreads moderately to form mounds

Juniperus conferta (Shore Juniper) Juniperus procumbens (Japanese Garden Juniper) Juniperus squamata 'Blue Carpet': tolerates dryness, shrubs form mats with prostrate branches, can be controlled by pruning
Leptinella squalida (New Zealand Brass Buttons, formerly Cotula): needs moisture, spreads widely, can overwhelm smaller perennials, often used between stepping stones

Lithodora diffusa (Lithodora): xeric, sprawls modestly
Penstemon pinifolius (Pineleaf Beardtongue): xeric, low spreading shrub

Pratia pedunculata (Blue Star Creeper, formerly Laurentia fluviatilis): tolerates dryness, spreads widely, but shares space fairly well, may prevent some bulbs from emerging
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’ (Trailing Rosemary): xeric, low spreading shrub

Sedum oreganum, Sedum reflexum 'Angelina', Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco', Sedum spurium (Stonecrop): xeric, spreads by rooting stems, many species & cultivars

Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears): xeric, spreads widely by rooting stems & seed, but easy to remove

Thymus serpyllum (Creeping Thyme) Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Woolly Thyme): xeric, forms very low mats
Trachelospermum asiaticum (Japanese Star Jasmine): vining stems spread densely to 20 feet, use under shrubs, not with perennials

Veronica pectinata (Woolly Speedwell): xeric, spreads very widely, but not terribly difficult to remove, Veronica prostrata (Harebell Speedwell): xeric, spreads widely, Veronica repens (Creeping Speedwell): xeric, spreads modestly