7 groundcover bushes that bloom in spring
Our selection of flowering groundcover plants
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The groundcover shrubs are perfect for dressing the soil, providing abundant flowering and bringing sparkle and diversity to the garden. Whether you’re looking to embellish a slope, to plant a woodland understory, or to create a flowering carpet, for spring, these shrubs, suited to different soil types and climatic conditions, are easy to maintain and hardy. Discover our selection of 7 groundcover shrubs that flower in spring.
Ceanothus 'Blue Sapphire'
The Céanothe ‘Blue Sapphire‘ is a magnificent evergreen shrub with sapphire-blue, intense and deep flowering. It develops dentate, dark, deep-green leaves and flowering in small clusters. Ideal as a ground cover and for low hedges, borders and containers; it tolerates poor soils and drought. Preferring warm, sunny locations, it is perfect for coastal and urban gardens, but avoid soils that are too calcareous or damp.
This Ceanothe, hardy to around -10°C, thrives in dry conditions. It is sensitive to excessive moisture, which can be fatal. Native to North America and Mexico, it forms a bushy, spreading shrub with evergreen, dentate leaves. It is a short-lived shrub, lasting no more than about ten years.
The creeping Ceanothe ‘Blue Sapphire’ is a fast-growing evergreen shrub, reaching 1 metre high by 1.50 metres wide. Its sapphire-blue flowers, of an exceptionally rare colour, appear from April to July. It tolerates light pruning after flowering. Horticulturists have developed Ceanothus varieties suited to our gardens, such as the ‘Blue Sapphire’, which contrasts well with the sun-yellow flowering Fremontodendron californicum, or dry-soil plants like rockroses and strawberry trees. Highlight it also with golden foliage such as that of Choisya ternata ‘Goldfinger’.
Sarcococca hookeriana humilis
The Sarcococca hookeriana humilis, a dwarf shrub with a compact habit, is distinguished by its dark green leaves and its white flowers tinged with pink in winter. This evergreen shrub maintains its appearance year-round, including in winter, a period when many other plants are in dormancy.
Originaire de Chine, le Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis se caractérise par un port dense et drageonnant, et atteint environ 60 cm de hauteur pour une envergure d’1 m. Il offre une floraison de fin d’hiver et début de printemps, de janvier à mars, composée de bouquets de fleurs blanches nuancées de rose, dégageant un parfum agréable. La floraison laisse place à des fruits noirs et globuleux, mesurant environ 5 mm de diamètre. Les rameaux de cet arbuste, dressés et robustes, portent des feuilles oblongues.
Que ce soit en massif, en bac, en bordure d’allée, en haie basse ou pour dissimuler un muret, le Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis forme un couvre-sol efficace et persistant, fiable toute l’année. Pour bénéficier pleinement de son parfum envoûtant, il est conseillé de le planter dans des zones de passage fréquent. Associez-le à des Daphnes, des Pieris et des Azaleas en terre de bruyères.
Résistant au froid jusqu’à -15°C, le Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis préfère les emplacements ombragés ou mi-ombragés. Il s’épanouit dans un sol léger et sec, en le protégeant des vents forts et desséchants.
Berberis darwinii 'Compacta'
The Berberis darwinii ‘Compacta’, a compact variety of Darwin’s barberry, is a small spiny bush with dark green, dentate evergreen foliage, resembling holly leaves. When young, the leaves are tinged red, then darken, contrasting with the orange-yellow bells of the spring flowering. In autumn, bluish-glaucous berries, later turning to purplish-black, are enjoyed by birds and decorate the shrub. Ideal for a border or a low hedge, it is vigorous and tolerates sun as well as partial shade in well-drained soils.
Originating from South America, this bush tolerates frost down to -15°C, salt spray and poor soils. It features a bushy, dense habit, with reddish-brown spiny shoots. Its growth is slow, reaching about 90 cm in all directions in 10 years. From April to May, it produces clusters of orange-yellow flowers that are nectariferous.
The Berberis darwinii ‘Compacta’ should not be confined to the role of a hedge bush. It is complemented by blue-flowering bushes such as Ceanothus, red like Japanese quinces or yellow like honeysuckle. It is also suitable for rockeries, covering banks or along borders as groundcover.
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5 groundcovers for clay soilPhiladelphus 'Little White Love'
The Philadelphus ‘Little White Love’ is a recent cultivar of Canadian mock orange, compact and bushy, forming a dome with slightly arching branches. From May to July, it is covered with large white double flowers, pom-pom-like, and releasing an intense fragrance reminiscent of old-fashioned varieties. Easy to grow, it is ideal for small urban gardens and container culture, and forms a generously flowering groundcover, though deciduous.
The mock orange ‘Little White Love’ is an uncommon horticultural hybrid, bushy and compact, reaching about 1 metre in all directions at maturity. Its large double flowers, 4 cm in diameter, last about a month. Their intense fragrance evokes orange blossom. Its deciduous leaves, dark green, are slightly dentate and arranged opposite on the shoots.
This dwarf poet’s jasmine, pollution-tolerant and easy to grow, is perfect for small spaces, especially in urban settings. It prefers sunny or partly shaded positions and will tolerate ordinary soil, including chalky soils. Ideal in a tub on a terrace or balcony, or in a small garden, it pairs well with other small shrubs with staggered flowering or perennials such as Delphinium or herbaceous clematis. Plant it near the house or along paths to enjoy its fragrance.
Convolvulus cneorum - silver bindweed
Convolvulus cneorum or Silver Bindweed is a Mediterranean shrub of great ornamental value, with silvery, silky and glossy foliage that gleams in the sun. It flowers for a long period, from April to August, with beautiful funnel-shaped white flowers veined with pale pink. Decorative all year round, it is ideal for dry rockeries and coastal or drought-tolerant gardens.
Native to the Mediterranean basin, it loves sun and stony soils, even calcareous soils, but is able to withstand short frosts down to -12°C in well-drained soil. Its tolerance to summer drought is excellent. Its flowering attracts insects and yields capsules. At the leaf axils and near the tips of the shoots, small clusters of turbinate pink-tinged buds appear. They open into white flowers with yellow centres, 2–4 cm in diameter, veined with five pink veins.
The silver bindweed forms a dense bush, wider than tall, with green and silvery leaves, small and oblong, 40–50 cm tall and up to 80 cm wide at maturity. The foliage, very dense, is evergreen in winter.
Plant it in full sun, in well-drained soil, in a rock garden, on a low wall or in a container. In cold regions, grow it in a pot. Pair it with plants that thrive in dry conditions and direct sun, such as creeping rosemary, lavenders, rockroses and creeping Ceanothus.
Mitchella repens - partridge berry
Mitchella repens, known as partridge berry, is a creeping and prostrate evergreen bush that is still little known to gardeners. It features evergreen foliage, bright green with white veins, forming with time an elegant groundcover. It bears a white flowering, preceded by dark pink buds, followed by red berries persisting until late autumn.
Originating in eastern North America, Mitchella repens is a cousin of the coffee plant. It grows in woodlands—from damp to drier sites, along waterways or on sandy slopes, and withstands harsh winters. It has a prostrate, spreading and creeping habit, with short, ramified shoots. Its growth is slow, reaching about 10 cm in height and about 1 m across in time. Its small, thick, leathery leaves are oval or heart-shaped, a bright, glossy green with almost white veins. The flowering, in May and June, consists of tubular, fragrant flowers, grouped in pairs.
Mitchella repens is ideal for elegantly covering semi-shaded areas of the garden. It prefers non-calcareous soils and climates that are neither too hot nor too dry. Perfect at the foot of a tall hedge or in a rock garden, it can also be planted on a large shaded bank, above a wall or a low retaining wall, or at the edge of a terrace or a path. It pairs well with creeping juniper or small perennials such as Hepatica.
Hydrangea serrata 'Koreana'
Hydrangea serrata ‘Koreana’ is a unique hydrangea, forming a large flowering cushion, ideal for all gardens. Low-growing but spreading, it flowers abundantly from spring to summer and offers striking autumn colour. Its flat-topped inflorescences change colour with soil pH, from pink to mauve-blue.
Originating from Japan and Korea, this montane hydrangea, hardy, reaches 50–60 cm in height and 1–1.3 m in width. Its flowering, from late May to July, consists of inflorescences 6–10 cm in diameter, with central fertile flowers and a crown of sterile florets. The red stems and petioles bear oval leaves that turn burgundy-red at the end of the season. Deciduous, it loses its leaves in winter and can live for more than 50 years.
Prefers cool, acidic soil and partial shade, and is ideal for Breton or Norman gardens. Suitable for container culture, it is ideal for terraces or entrances, perfect for a large border or as a foreground plant in a partially shaded border. Pair it with shrubby fuchsias, hellebores or spring-flowering bulbs for a colour-filled garden all year round.
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