2016-05-28

Eastern Native Groundcovers

2022-10-20: Please refer to the new, updated list.
I started to reply to a Facebook post and quickly realized I had enough content for a blog post.
Hello from Long Island NY..looking for suggestion for ground cover that won't eat my plants. I would like somthing a bit tamer the vinca . The area is slightly damp..part sun/part shade. Any suggestions. See posted pics! Thanks!!
The accompanying photos show a mix of young trees, shrubs, and perennials in a nice non-lawn streetside garden. The photos show a lot of sun, with some shade. The shade will increase over time as the trees and shrubs fill in.

Another commenter suggested Lamium and Galium, neither of which I would describe as "tame." Either can take over an area in the right conditions.

These are some of the Eastern North American species I've grown and can recommend as groundcover. Some of these prefer shade, some prefer sun. Most of these will spread by runners, stolons, and the like, as "true" groundcovers. Others are effective as groundcovers because of their habit and crown expansion over time.

2016-05-16

10th Blogiversary

10 years ago today, I wrote the first post of Flatbush Gardener, a reflection on my first garden in NYC, started in 1981 in the East Village. I don't think I can summarize all the changes I, and the gardens, have gone through over the past decade. Blogging itself is nearly a lost art, monetized and franchised, aggregated and amplified

Still, the gardens endure, transformed and transforming, embodying and expressing my evolution as a gardener.

The Back Yard
Backyard Over the Years

The Front Yard
Front Yard Over the Years

Related Content

Links

2016-05-09

Event: Sunday 5/15 NYCWW Tour of my Gardens

The Gardener's Nook this weekend
The Gardener's Nook, May 2016
10 years ago, on May 16, 2006, I wrote the first post for this blog. To celebrate my 10th Blogiversary, on Sunday, May 15, I'm opening my garden for a tour with NYC Wildflower Week. The event is free, but registration is requested, as space is limited.