Groundcover doesn’t have to be grass. Here are other options that thrive in North Texas

Technically speaking, a “groundcover” is anything used to cover bare earth. Most of us think of some low-growing plant that we use in landscaping beds, but the definition should actually be a lot broader.

The most effective groundcover you’ll ever find is plain turfgrass. It holds the soil well. It’s usually the easiest to maintain, and it’s almost always the least expensive to plant. If needed, you can lay it down in the form of sod, so that you have a perfect cover within hours. So, that’s one good way you can go, and it’s probably the way that you should go in most parts of your landscape.

There are times, however, where turfgrass isn’t as appealing. Maybe it’s out back in the alley where you have 18 inches of ground running 60 feet across the back of your property. Grass would be difficult to mow and maintain. Or maybe it’s a steep slope where your only means of mowing would be to trim it by hand while you hang onto a tie rope. Or, most commonly, it’s beneath a big shade tree where the grass has given it up multiple times over. Those are all situations that call for a groundcover. And there are times we just like to use groundcovers for a transition from shrubs down to turfgrass.

English ivy and trailing periwinkle were the only groundcovers our grandmothers grew. They were passed along from gardener to gardener, rooting easily from cuttings. They were used mainly to fill bare spots beneath majestic old shade trees.

In the late 1950s and into the ‘60s a new groundcover really caught on. Asian jasmine became the rage as we planted it all across Texas. We loved its glossy green foliage and the fact that it thrived in the sunshine. Add to that the fact that it never seemed to be bothered by insects or diseases.

Liriope and mondograss moved into shade areas and proved their worth, too. Several dozen named selections of liriope came into the market, and they’re still being introduced today. They’re great at holding soil, and the liriopes have the added bonus of producing handsome flower spikes in the summer.

When Asian jasmine browned out badly after severe winters of ‘83-’84 and 1989, we began to search for other alternatives that might provide us more reliable choices. Some of us tried purple wintercreeper euonymus and we were very well pleased. It’s durable to any cold Texas can throw at it, and it does equally well in hot, sunny conditions in summer. It was a really good alternative that has now become mainstream.

Then there are some slightly taller groundcover choices that can still provide good transitions between turfgrass and landscape shrubs. Depending on how they’re used, their height can even be camouflaged by low benches and retaining walls. I’ll give you a few examples that come to my mind.

Harbour Dwarf, Harbor Belle and Flirt dwarf nandinas. These are all low-growing versions of heavenly bamboo, one of our longest-proven landscaping shrubs. I use them even where I don’t have full sun. They may not develop quite as much winter color as they would in full sun, but they’re great and unobtrusive, knee-high groundcover options.

Dwarf yaupon hollies can be used as tall groundcovers. They can be carefully kept sheared at 15-18 inches for many years. They’ll be a lot happier if you do it in mounds rather than by flat-topping them. You could also use dwarf Chinese hollies and Carissa hollies this way.

Purpleheart is a deciduous groundcover. That means it will die to the ground with the first freeze, but it will always return the following spring. It’s a cousin to the various tropical types of wandering Jews, but it’s noted for its larger stems and thicker leaves. It’s extremely durable — enough so that there are cities that use it in their street medians. Those are foreboding conditions, but it’s up to the task.

Horseherb is a little native plant that some people use as a natural groundcover. However, I’m not going to recommend it for two reasons. It’s extremely invasive. I planted a small bed of it 20 years ago, and now I have it in another part of our landscape 150 yards away. I can’t get rid of it. It’s everywhere. And second, it too is deciduous. Half of the year you’re going to be left with bare ground. I can handle that with the tough-rooted purpleheart, but with much finer-textured horseherb there’s too much mud that will get tracked into the house. But, since so many people ask about it, I thought I’d better include it.

Finally, to end on a similar note since so many people plant them, I’m not a fan of ornamental grasses as groundcovers. Mexican feathergrass is one people ask about most often. It’s beautiful around town right now but delve into it a bit deeper. You’ll also find older beds where the feathergrass has worn out or frozen. Its productive life expectancy is only three or four years.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 p.m. and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 a.m. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 5:30 AM.