Low-maintenance Groundcovers for Delaware

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Theodora Mosley
6 years ago
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1 Low-maintenance Groundcovers for Delaware Botanic name Common name Height Spread Light Soil Features/tes Ferns Adiantum pedatum rthern maidenhair fern part shade moist Delicately textured, soft green fronds; clumpforming Athyrium filix-femina rthern lady fern part mode Light green, fine-textured fronds with burgundy-tinted, arching stems Dennstaedtia punctilobula hay-scented fern Fragrant, lacy, green-yellow fronds with yellow fall color; spreads over large areas Dryopteris marginalis marginal wood fern part shade slow Evergreen, leathery, deep blue-green foliage; clump forming Oclea sensibilis sensitive fern indefinite shade Light green foliage that dies back at first frost; decorative brown fertile fronds in summer Osmunda cinnamomea cinnamon fern shade Upright, vase-like form; yellow-green fronds; attractive red-brown fertile fronds in late spring It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

2 Features/tes Osmunda claytoniana interrupted fern part shade moist Feather-like frond with a line of triangular leaflets (pinnae) interrupted by a gap in the middle; yellow fall color Osmunda regalis royal fern shade Bold-textured leaflets (pinnae); upright habit; toles both drought and periodic saturation Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern part shade moist slow Evergreen clump-former with rich green fronds Thelypteris veboracensis New York fern indefinite part shade Arching, green-yellow fronds; forms large colonies; easily divided and transplanted Woodwardia virginica Virginia chain fern part shade wet fast Shiny purple-brown stalks of rich green, wavy-edged leaflets (pinnae); great for wet areas Ornamental Grasses and Grass-Like Plants Carex flaccosperma var. glaucodea (C. glaucodea) blue wood sedge part shade Narrow blue-green foliage; good native alternative to lily turf It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

3 Features/tes Carex morrowii var. temlepis 'Silk Tassel' variegated sedge Variegated cream and green, grass-like foliage Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania sedge part shade Fine textured foliage, excellent turf grass alternative when densely planted Festuca brevipila (trachyphylla) hard fescue mode Tufted, blue-green foliage; cool season grass; can tole infrequent mowing Hakonechloa macra Aureola Japanese forest grass part moist Arching golden leaves with green center stripes; dding yellow-green summer flowers Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' black mondo grass indefinite moist slow Evergreen, thin purpleblack leaves; pale pink summer flowers; deep purple berries Panicum amarum Dewey Blue coastal panic grass slow Powder blue foliage; fountain-like form; bluetinged summer flowers; beige fall seedheads; great for wildlife habitat; prefers lean sandy soils It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

4 Features/tes Panicum virgatum 'Shenendoah', 'Rehbraun', Heavy Metal, or 'Hanse Herms' switchgrass drywet Cloudy plumes of pinktinged flowers in summer; good wildlife habitat; excellent fall color; salt Schizachyrium scoparium (Andropogon scopiarus) little bluestem dry mode Purple-bronze flowers in summer turning to silverywhite seedheads for winter interest; toles poor soils Other Herbaceous Perennials Ajania pacifica (Chrysanthemum or Dendranthema pacificum) gold and silver chrysanthemum moist fast Mounds of attractive silveredged foliage; button-like yellow blooms in late fall Antennaria plantaginifolia pussytoes mode Woolly gray-green foliage; spring white-pink blooms; prefers lean soil; great for rock gardens Asarum canadense wild ginger 0.5 indefinite part shade moist slow Semi-evergreen, kidneyshaped leaves; hidden purplish red-brown flowers in spring; reliable spreader It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

5 Features/tes Brunnera macrophylla Siberian bugloss part moist slow Striking powder-blue spring blooms; broadly heartshaped, deep green leaves; may need division every 2-3 years Ceratostigma plumbagiides plumbago indefinite moist Deep blue flowers from summer-frost; bronze-red fall color; semi-evergreen; prefers well-drained soils Chrysogonam virginianum green and gold shade mode Gold starry flowers from early spring-summer; forms attractive mats of semievergreen foliage Convallaria majalis lily of the valley indefinite moist Fragrant, bell-shaped flowers on arching stems in spring; lily-like leaves form dense covering Coreopsis verticillata threadleaf coreopsis mode Yellow blooms from late spring through early fall; threadlike foliage; very attractive to pollinators It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

6 Features/tes Dianthus Feuerhexe ( Firewitch ) cheddar pink moist Fragrant bright magenta blooms in late spring; mats of blue-green grass-like foliage Eurybia divaricata (Aster divaricatus) white wood aster part shade mode White starry summer flowers; performs well under trees; great for pollinators Geranium maculatum wood geranium Rose-purple flowers in summer; attractively mottled leaves; open habit; self-seeding Geranium cantabrigiense Biokovo geranium moist White flowers with pale pink centers in late spring; forms neat, aromatic, semievergreen carpet Heuchera americana coral bells part shade slow White, green, pink or purple flowers in late spring; evergreen leaves emerge with attractive purple mottling Heuchera villosa Autumn Bride hairy alumroot slow Broad, fuzzy, semievergreen leaves; white flowers in early fall It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

7 Features/tes Iris cristata dwarf crested iris indefinite moist mode Pale blue spring flowers marked with gold; forms dense colonies Liriope muscari lily turf moist slow Dark green linear leaves; late summer whorls of purple flowers; deep purpleblack berries; extremely adaptable Mitchella repens partridgeberry 0.5 indefinite part shade slow Rich evergreen foliage; white summer flowers; bright red edible berries; mat-forming; high wildlife value; prefers acidic soils Pachysandra procumbens Allegheny spurge indefinite part moist slow Attractively mottled semievergreen leaves; hidden clusters of delicate white flowers in spring Parthecissus cinquefolia Virginia creeper (vine) shade drywet fast Versatile vine with high wildlife value and gorgeous fall color Phlox stolonifera creeping phlox indefinite part shade mode Blue-violet trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring; small evergreen leaves; semiwoody It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

8 Features/tes Phlox subulata moss phlox dry mode Profusion of pink, violet or white trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring; small evergreen leaves; semiwoody Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum' variegated Solomon s seal part shade slow Variegated leaves, sweetsmelling white bell flowers in spring; blue-black fruit in fall Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii Goldsturm orange coneflower; black-eyed Susan Golden blooms with black centers summer-fall; reliable spreader; attracts pollinators Santolina chamaecyparis lavender cotton dry Evergreen; spicily aromatic, silver-green, fine-textured foliage; tiny yellow summer flowers; needs excellent drainage; prefers lean soils Sedum ternatum mountain stonecrop <0.5 indefinite part shade moist mode Starry white flowers in late spring; succulent foliage Solidago rugosa Fireworks dwarf goldenrod mode Upright arching stems covered with golden yellow flowers late summer-fall; high wildlife value; toles poor soil It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

9 Features/tes Solidago sphacelata Golden Fleece autumn goldenrod mode Dense clusters of bright golden flowers summer-fall; deep green foliage; high wildlife value; toles poor soils Stachys byzantina Big Ears lamb s ear mode Fuzzy silver-green leaves; forms dense, attractive mat Tiarella cordifolia Allegheny foamflower shade moist mode White plumes of late springsummer flowers; clumps of bold-textured foliage Tradescantia virginiana Virginia spiderwort 1-3 indefinite shade moist Deep blue-purple, threeparted flowers; blooms continually from late springsummer Viola labradorica var. purpurea Labrador violet 0.5 indefinite moist Violet late spring flowers; heart-shaped, purple-tinted foliage; aggressive spreader Waldsteinia fragarioides barren strawberry 0.5 indefinite moist Evergreen, strawberry-like leaves that acquire a bronze tinge in winter; yellow late spring flowers It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

10 Features/tes Shrubs Arctostaphylos uva-ursi bearberry; kinnikinnik indefinite White-pink flowers in late spring; bright red fruits adored by wildlife; reddishgray exfoliating bark; evergreen Ceathus americanus New Jersey tea dry White summer flowers and black fall fruit; fixes nitrogen; high wildlife value Comptonia peregrina sweetfern dry slow Fragrant fern-like foliage; fixes nitrogen; salt Gaultheria procumbens wintergreen <0.5 indefinite part shade slow Forms a fragrant evergreen mat; red berries for winter interest; prefers acidic soils Gaylussacia baccata black huckleberry indefinite drywet slow Evergreen; white spring flowers; black edible summer fruits; high wildlife value; prefers acidic soils Juniperus horizontalis creeping juniper moist Blue-green foliage acquires lovely purple tinge in winter; coniferous evergreen It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

11 Features/tes Leucothoe fontanesiana drooping leucothoe part moist Evergreen; white fragrant flowers in spring; dark shiny leaves Rhododendron atlanticum coast azalea part shade moist Coastal plain species; fragrant white-purple flowers in spring; bluegreen leaves; forms colonies Rhus aromatica Gro-Low fragrant sumac dry Fragrant miniature, oakshaped leaves; red berries on females; high wildlife value; salt- Rosa carolinina pasture rose Pink summer flowers; red berries persist from fallwinter; aggressive spreader Sarcoccoca hookeriana var. humilis dwarf Himalayan sweetbox shade moist slow Fragrant white flowers in late winter; highly glossy, evergreen foliage Vaccinium angustifolium lowbush blueberry Excellent fall color; edible berries; high wildlife value; prefers acidic soils; great replacement for the invasive burning bush It is the policy of the Delaware Cooperative Extension System that person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, or

Adiantum pedatum Maidenhair Fern

FERNS Adiantum pedatum Maidenhair Fern - Deciduous, upright, slow growing spreader - Tolerates heavy shade - Bright green, delicate fronds, black stems Mature Height: 1-2.5 Mature Spread: 1-1.5 ZONES 3-8