Maintaining a Rock Garden & Ground Covers During the Cold Months

Rock gardens have become increasingly popular in landscape design. The variety of shapes and colors found in the rocks and in ground cover plants plus the ease of maintenance make rock gardens ideal for residential and commercial landscapes.

A rock garden commonly consists of rocks of different shapes and sizes arranged with small gaps between in which plants are rooted. Typically, ground cover plants are found in rock gardens. These are small plants that do not grow larger than 3 feet tall. Small trees and shrubs up may be used to create a shaded area but are grown low to the ground so as not to obscure the rocks. The plants generally are species that flourish in well-drained, poorly irrigated soil.

Rock gardens and ground covers are generally hardy features that, with the right plants, require very little maintenance. If you think a rock garden or ground cover features might look good in your landscape, just contact Piedmont Landscape Management. Our experts can help you design the perfect landscape.

Keep reading to find out about some easy-maintenance ground cover plants perfect for Augusta-area winters.

Ajuga reptans: A fully evergreen groundcover, this hardy plant comes in a wide range of foliage colors and textures. It hugs the ground (just a half-inch tall) and is covered with spires of purplish-blue flowers in spring. Commonly called bugleweed, it’s a fast, controlled, spreader that prefers full to partial shade. Burgundy Glow is a blend of pink, green and white foliage. Metallica Crispa has crinkled, dark-green/burgundy foliage.

Phlox subulata: Perhaps the best feature of creeping phlox is its flower production. The simple blooms - in pink, red, white, blue, rose, lavender and purple - are as pretty as they are plentiful. The flowers are so densely packed that it can be hard to make out the plants' foliage from a distance.

Iberis sempervirens: With white flowers in spring, evergreen candytuft remains a rich, deep green all winter long. It does not spread through roots like many groundcovers. Instead, it makes a large, billowing clump and develops roots along the stem as it grows. Easy to start from stem cuttings, candytuft prefers full sun.

Liriope spicata: Lilyturf’s dark green leaves remain evergreen through most of the winter. In spring, purple-blue flowers spike up from the center. Lilyturf spreads at a moderate rate and is suitable for both full sun and partial shade.

Sedum rupestre Angelina: The succulent, golden-yellow foliage hugs the ground at just 4 inches in height. In the spring, it has yellow, star-shape flowers. In colder months, the foliage turns a reddish-amber color. Angelina is drought-resistant and tolerant of hot, sunny areas. This plant looks is often used tumbling over rocks or retaining walls.

Rock gardens and ground coverings provide areas of interest in just about any landscape. If you want to explore these concepts for your residential or commercial landscape, contact Piedmont Landscape Management today.