Groundcovers For Beauty - and Usefulness!

Creeping Phlox

The Creeping Phlox is a low-growing perennial plant with small, vibrant pink flowers that form a dense carpet-like display in spring. It forms a beautiful, lush pink carpet array of blooms and is an excellent spreading groundcover plant that will control weeds and overgrowth near hillsides and banks you can not maintain. Due to its numerous benefits and aesthetic appeal, it is a popular and versatile plant used in landscaping.  The creeping phlox is a solid option for those who want to add gorgeous color to their yard. This plant, also known as the mountain type, moss type, and moss pink, is native to the central and eastern United States, and its beauty makes it a popular option for gardens around the globe. What are the benefits of adding this vibrant plant to your yard or garden? Creeping Phlox Has Brilliant Colors Creeping Phlox's flowers are stunning, with colors ranging from pale blue, white, and pink to bright violet. Each flower has five hardy petals, but some have six petals. The plants bloom through the spring and summer, providing lasting color for approximately one month. As an evergreen perennial, the plant remains green throughout the year. It can brighten up an otherwise dull, dreary yard in the peak of the cold weather season. Creeping Phlox Is A Filler Plant This plant grows five inches tall and up to 13 inches in diameter. In addition to the expanse of a single plant, the plant proliferates. Many use its beauty as an alternative to grass or a filler in their more extensive gardens. Because of its short height, it does not need to be cut back like grass and other ground cover. Weeds increase and can make your yard look poorly maintained in a matter of weeks. The plant is dense with tightly clustered leaves. When in bloom, the flowers blanket the tops of the plants. Because of its unique traits, the plant prevents or minimizes weed growth. As a result, your gardens can continue to look fabulous without needing to devote hours of your valuable time to pulling weeds regularly. Creeping Phlox Helps With Soil Erosion Prevention Grass generally only thrives on ledges and steep banks, making your grounds look barren and subject to erosion. The creeping phlox, however, thrives in these areas. Its presence can dramatically reduce the damaging effects of erosion while enhancing aesthetics. It is well-suited for providing immediate and long-term benefits to your property.

Vinca Minor

The Vinca Minor has lush and evergreen foliage and delicate blue or white flowers, making it a popular choice for various outdoor spaces. While its benefits extend beyond its use in herbalism, let's explore its landscaping advantages. Vinca Minor, also called creeping myrtle, lesser periwinkle, or just myrtle, is a perennial beauty that instills a fetching charm in gardens, landscapes, and even potted plants. Vinca Minor Has Deep Emerald Green Foliage The leaves are a deep shade of rich emerald green, and most have a glossy, polished, or shiny appearance. They are typically oval-shaped with smooth edges, a thick texture, and prominent veins. Some species are varied. The plants can be erect or trailing. Leaves occur in pairs along the height of the stem, making the plant look lush and thick. The plant is graced with trailing stems and adorned with clusters of small blooms in white or in a pale, pastel purple-blue color that many people associate with serenity. This plant is active year-round. Delicate little flowers appear early in spring and continue to bloom throughout spring and summer. Against a strikingly verdant backdrop provided by the rich green leaves, the clusters of blossoms are displayed to the best advantage. Creeping myrtles may look delicate. Nevertheless, they are hardy plants that tolerate harsh conditions gracefully. As perennial evergreen plants, they remain bright green throughout the winter. The Ground Cover Characteristics Of Vinca Minor This plant reaches only six inches when upright. However, the roots continue to grow underground every year, eventually becoming quite long. Although this plant has a medium growth rate, the roots can form a trailing mat, prostrate mat, or mounding mat. The stems like to get tangled up with each other, and as they do, they produce a thick mat of greenery that thrives all year. Vinca Minor Looks Great In Hanging Baskets Vinca Minor works well as trailers in large hanging baskets and tall pots. They provide superior coverage for hilly areas and can even be used in landscaping designs where you want subtle pops of color added to your existing ground-cover greenery. They have other uses as well. They have long been used in folk medicine to treat heart, nervous system, and GI tract conditions. The herb is thought to improve cognition and brain health.