7 groundcover shrubs that flower in spring
Our selection of flowering groundcover plants
Contents
Groundcover shrubs are perfect for dressing soil, offering abundant flowering and bringing colour and diversity to gardens. Whether you are looking to enhance a slope, to fill a woodland understorey 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'
Ceanothus ‘Blue Sapphire’ is a magnificent shrub with intense, deep sapphire-blue flowering. It produces dentate, dark, deep purplish-green foliage and flowering in small clusters. Ideal as groundcover and for low hedges, borders, containers, it tolerates poor soils and resists drought. Preferring warm, sunny positions, it is perfect for coastal and urban gardens, but avoid overly chalky or waterlogged soils.
This ceanothus, hardy to about -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, rarely living more than around ten years.
Creeping Ceanothus ‘Blue Sapphire’ is an evergreen shrub of rapid growth, reaching 1 metre high by 1.5 m wide. Its sapphire-blue flowers, of an extremely rare hue, appear from April to July. It tolerates light pruning after flowering. Nursery growers have developed ceanothus varieties suited to our gardens, such as ‘Blue Sapphire’, which contrasts well with the sunny-yellow flowering of Fremontodendron californicum, or with dry-soil plants such as cistus and arbutus. Also showcase it with golden foliage such as that of Choisya ternata ‘Goldfinger’.
Sarcococca hookeriana humilis
Sarcococca hookeriana humilis, a dwarf shrub with a compact habit, is notable for its dark green leaves and its white flowers flushed with pink in winter. This evergreen shrub retains its appeal throughout the year, including winter, when many other plants are in dormancy.
Native to China, the Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis is characterised by a dense, suckering habit, and reaches about 60 cm in height with a spread of 1 m. It produces late-winter to early-spring flowering, from January to March, made up of clusters of white flowers tinged with pink that give off a pleasant scent. Flowering is followed by black, globose fruits about 5 mm in diameter. The shrub’s upright, robust branches bear oblong leaves.
Whether planted in a mixed border, in a container, along a path edge, as a low hedge or to screen a low wall, Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis forms an effective, long-lasting groundcover, reliable all year round. To enjoy its captivating scent fully, plant it in areas with frequent foot traffic. Pair it with Daphnes, Pieris and Azaleas in heather soil.
Hardy to −15°C, the Sarcoccoca hookeriana humilis favours shaded to semi-shaded sites. It thrives in light, dry soil and should be protected from strong, drying winds.
Berberis darwinii 'Compacta'
Berberis darwinii ‘Compacta’, a compact variety of Darwin’s barberry, is a small spiny shrub with dark green, dentate evergreen foliage resembling holly leaves. Young leaves are tinged red, later darkening and contrasting with the orange-yellow, bell-shaped spring flowers. In autumn, glaucous-blue then purplish-black berries, favoured by birds, adorn the shrub. Ideal for a border or low hedge, vigorous and adaptable to sun or partial shade in well-drained soils.
Native to South America, this shrub tolerates cold down to -15°C, salt spray and poor soils. It has a bushy, dense habit with thorny, brown-reddish shoots. Growth is slow, reaching about 90 cm in all directions in 10 years. From April to May it produces clusters of orange-yellow, nectariferous flowers.
Berberis darwinii ‘Compacta’ should not be confined to hedge use. It is enhanced by blue-flowering shrubs such as Ceanothus, red-flowering plants like Japanese quince or yellow-flowering species such as Honeysuckle. Also suitable for rock gardens, covering embankments or as groundcover along paths.
Read also
5 groundcovers for clay soilPhiladelphus 'Little White Love'
Philadelphus ‘Little White Love’ is a recent variety of Canadian mock orange, small and growing like a bush, forming a dome with slightly arching branches. Between May and July, it is covered in large double white flowers, like pom-poms, and gives off an intense scent reminiscent of old-fashioned varieties. Easy to grow, ideal for small urban gardens and container growing, and forms a generously flowering groundcover, but deciduous.
Philadelphus ‘Little White Love’ is an uncommon horticultural hybrid, growing like a bush and compact, reaching about 1 metre in every direction at maturity. Its large double flowers, 4 cm across, last for about a month. Their intense scent evokes orange blossom. Its deciduous leaves, dark green, are slightly dentate and arranged oppositely on the branches.
This dwarf poet’s jasmine, tolerant of pollution and easy to grow, is perfect for small spaces, especially in urban settings. It prefers sunny or semi-shaded positions and adapts to ordinary soil, even calcareous soil. Ideal in a container 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 alongside paths to enjoy its scent.
Convolvulus cneorum - Silvery Convolvulus
Convolvulus cneorum or silver bindweed is a Mediterranean shrub of great ornamental value, with silky, silvery, glossy foliage that gleams in the sun. It flowers for a long period, from April to August, producing beautiful white, funnel-shaped flowers veined with pale pink. Decorative all year round, ideal for dry rockeries, coastal gardens or areas without irrigation.
Native to the Mediterranean basin, it prefers sun and stony soils, even calcareous, but can withstand short frosts down to -12°C in free-draining soil. Its tolerance of summer drought is very good. Its flowering attracts insects and produces capsule fruits. In the leaf axils and at the tips of the shoots appear small clusters of turbinate, pinkish-red buds. These open into white flowers with yellow centres, 2 to 4 cm in diameter, marked by five pinkish veins.
Silver bindweed forms a dense shrub, wider than it is tall, with small oblong green-and-silvery leaves, 40-50 cm tall and up to 80 cm wide at maturity. The foliage, very abundant, is evergreen in winter.
Plant in full sun, in free-draining soil, in a rockery, on a low wall or in a container. In cold regions, grow in a pot. Pair with plants that enjoy dry conditions and direct sun such as creeping rosemary, lavender, cistus and creeping ceanothus.
Mitchella repens - Partridgeberry
Mitchella repens, known as partridgeberry, is a little-known prostrate, creeping shrub among gardeners. It is notable for its evergreen, glossy green foliage veined with white, forming over time an elegant groundcover. It bears white flowers, preceded by dark pink buds and followed by red berries that persist until late autumn.
Native to eastern North America, Mitchella repens is a cousin of the coffee plant. It grows in moist to drier woodland, along watercourses or on sandy slopes, and tolerates harsh winters. It has a prostrate, spreading, creeping habit, with short, ramified shoots. Growth is slow, reaching about 10 cm in height with a 1 m spread at maturity. Its small, thick, leathery leaves are oval or heart-shaped, a bright glossy green with veins almost white. Flowering in May and June consists of fragrant tubular flowers borne in pairs.
Mitchella repens is ideal for elegantly covering semi-shaded areas of the garden. It prefers non-calcareous soils and climates neither too warm nor too dry. Perfect at the base of a large hedge or in a rockery, it can also be planted on a large shaded bank, above a wall or 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 distinctive hydrangea forming a large flowering cushion, ideal for any garden. Low-growing but spreading, it flowers abundantly from spring to summer and produces striking foliage in autumn. Its flattened inflorescences change colour according to soil pH, from pink to mauve-blue.
Native to Japan and Korea, this hardy montane hydrangea reaches 50 to 60 cm tall and 1 to 1.30 m wide. Its flowering, from late May to July, consists of inflorescences 6 to 10 cm in diameter, with fertile central flowers surrounded by a ring of sterile florets. Red stems and petioles bear oval leaves that turn red–burgundy late in the season. Deciduous, it loses its leaves in winter and can live for more than 50 years.
It prefers cool, acidic soils and a semi-shaded position, it is ideal for gardens in Brittany or Normandy. Suitable for container growing, it is perfect for terraces or entrances, ideal for a large border or as a front-of-border plant in a partly shaded bed. Pair with shrubby fuchsias, hellebores or spring-flowering bulbs for year-round colour.
- Subscribe!
- Contents
Comments