Care-free groundcovers

Groundcovers are one of the quickest and easiest ways to instantly turn a bare space into something lovely and textured. Pretty much all you have to do is plant them and watch them grow.

Instead of going with what the majority of homeowners do

Selecting the right kind of groundcover

Most broadly speaking, you can divide groundcovers into those that do well in sun and those that prefer shade. There are also groundcovers that fall somewhere in between, but those should be selected if the area receives neither full sun nor shade.

Groundcovers can also be further subdivided into flowering and non-flowering kinds. The former tends to do better when planted to complement existing flowers with similar colour schemes, while the latter are mainly used to subtly enhance plants without taking a starring role themselves.

There are dozens of different kinds of groundcovers available and choosing one really just comes down to your own tastes and preferences. Keep in mind whether there'll be foot traffic or not, as some groundcovers can be delicate and shouldn't be trod upon. Other than that, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Shade-loving groundcovers

If the area you want to plant a groundcover in receives less than four hours of direct sunlight a day (i.e. north- or east-facing), these are popular choices.

Periwinkle: They bloom in a lovely bluish colour and fill spaces extremely easily. It's a groundcover that's perfect for filling forgotten-about areas, such as slopes and property borders.

Sweet woodruff: When you want a powerful fragrance punch to go along with lovely colour and texture, this groundcover is an easy choice.

Lily-of-the-Valley: While you may have to watch it closely to ensure it doesn't spread too wildly, Lily-of-the-Valley is an excellent choice for shady, damp conditions for its ease of growing there. It also boasts fragrant white flowers that instantly brighten up dark areas.

Groundcovers for sunny areas

For areas that get six or more hours of direct sunlight each day, the following groundcovers are really popular, easy choices.

Ajuga: This one comes in many varieties, giving you plenty of options of colours and textures to choose from. Because of the breadth of selection, it's really easy to pair them with just about any other plants already growing.

Campanula: The selection of white, purple, blue and variety of shapes make this groundcover a good choice to quickly and easily fill any space. They also grow a little bit taller than other groundcovers, so they can perform double duty as flower and groundcover.

Dianthus: This one straddles the border between groundcover and regular plant, and really comes down to how you use it. There are several varieties with a pleasant fragrance, and each one comes with a highly artistic colour scheme.

When you're looking for a unique alternative to plain old grass for your yard, going with a groundcover is a really easy and beautiful way of achieving it.