Great Ground Covers for KZN Midlands Gardens
We’ve compiled a list of hardy, beautiful ground cover plants that are perfect for gardens in the KZN Midlands. They will manage through our hot summers, as well as through our frosty winters! Whether you’re looking to add lush greenery or vibrant flowers, these ground covers will help keep your garden looking stunning year-round.
Ajuga reptans Rainbow
Ajuga is grown primarily for its colourful foliage. It forms a dense mat of shiny, multi-coloured foliage, ideal as a ground cover. The leaves change colour throughout the year and range from flecks of pink, red, purple, cream and green. Blue flower spikes appear in spring and summer. A tough and resilient, low growing evergreen.
Perennial | Partial Shade | Well-draining soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Alternanthera ‘Purple Prince’
A very neat and compact mounding groundcover with beautiful burgundy-purple leaves and a spreading habit, which creates a durable carpet of eye-catching foliage. Heat and drought-tolerant once established.
Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-drained soil | Mild Frost
IMAGE: SEGUINGARDENS
Baleria repens (Indigenous)
A semi-hardy, evergreen, indigenous ground cover that is very drought-tolerant once established. It blooms profusely in autumn and some flowers are present most of the year round. Flowers are fairly large, and are a pink-red.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well drained soil | Frost hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Carex Amazon Mist
A clump-forming, evergreen perennial grass with arching, hair-like, silvery sage-green leaves.
Perennial | Full sun | Moist, well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Erigeron karvinskianus
A graceful, trailing, woody-based perennial noted for its endless production of small daisies almost year-round. Don’t be fooled by the dainty, fine-leaved appearance of this ground cover – it is tough, evergreen, fast-growing!
Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Gazania rigens uniflora (Indigenous)
A hardy, evergreen, drought resistant, creeping ground cover with attractive, glossy green leaves. They are free flowering with beautiful, large clear yellow flowers which are borne from August to February.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Hedera Golden Child
A captivating and versatile evergreen plant known for its stunning foliage, trailing growth habit and rapid vigorous growth. Drought-tolerant once established. Low maintenance.
Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Juniperus procumbens Nana
A very popular compact, mat-forming evergreen shrub which makes a wonderful, hardy dwarf ground cover. Suits being grown under trees and is low maintenance due to it’s slow growth habit. It tolerates a wide range of soils and is drought-tolerant once established.
Perennial | Full sun / partial shade | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Lamium
Lamium is typically used as a ground cover in shady areas, and can cover large areas quickly, as it’s fast-growing. It’s attractive foliage brightens up deep shade areas and provides a lovely contrast against the other foliage. It gets very attractive flower spikes in pink, white or yellow.
Perennial | Full sun to shade | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Pholx McDaniel’s Cushion
A compact, mat-forming evergreen perennial, smothered with large rose-pink flowers for weeks in early summer; the effect is stunning. A superb plant for ground covers or in the rock garden.
Perennial | Full sun | Well-drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Sagina subulate Aurea
A low-growing perennial that creates a soft carpet of bright lime green foliage, like a carpet of moss. Plant in semi-shade to sun, but not in a spot with hot afternoon sun. Small white flowers begin to appear in late spring to summer. Very low maintenance plant.
Perennial | Full sun / Semi shade | Well-draining soil | Frost hardy
Stachys byzantine – Lamb’s Ear
A perennial much loved for its distinctive, soft, velvety leaves, low-growing habit and low maintenance. It adds texture and interest to the landscape. Drought-tolerant once established.
Perennial | Full sun / partial shade | Well drained soil | Frost Hardy
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
SUCCULENTS
Crassula expansa (Indigenous)
A delicate-looking but vigorous indigenous ground cover with tiny, bright-green, slightly fleshy, finger-like leaves. It bears masses of tiny, star-like, white flowers from November to April. They do best in a sunny or semi-shade position and require a well draining soil.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-draining soil | Mild frost
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Crassula muscosa (Indigenous)
An indigenous, bushy perennial succulent with slender, branching stems and tiny, densely packed, light green leaves. Plant in a well-drained soil in partial to full sun.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-draining soil | Mild frost
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Crassula multicava (Indigenous)
A moderate to fast-growing, mat-forming, evergreen succulent ground cover. It bears many sprays of dainty, star-shaped, pink flowers from May to November. There are not many shade-tolerating succulents that create as beautiful a display as Crassula multicava.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-draining soil | Mild frost
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Oscularia deltoides (Indigenous)
An indigenous, hardy, evergreen, succulent ground cover with short, greyish-green, three-angled leaves. Small bright, pink or white flowers are borne en masse from June to December.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-draining soil | Mild frost
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
Sedum ‘Little Missy’ (Indigenous)
An attractive, trailing, fast-spreading indigenous succulent with heart-shaped variegated foliage with with cream and pink edges. Displays pink, star-shaped flowers. They grow best in full sun and well-drained soil. Drought tolerant.
Indigenous | Perennial | Full sun / semi-shade | Well-draining soil | Mild frost
Sedum rubrotinctum (Jellybean plant)
A cute-looking succulent with colourful chubby, little red-tipped leaves which colour up well in winter, giving it a jelly bean-like appearance. It adds an interesting shape and colour to the garden.
Perennial | Full sun | Well draining soil | Mild frost
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA
DISCLAIMER: The information presented on this website is intended solely as a general guide. We neither endorse specific plant varieties over others nor claim expertise in stock performance. All information is believed to be accurate, based on private inquiries and experiences, and is provided in good faith. Blackwood’s, including its employees, disclaims any responsibility for harm, loss, cost, or damage arising from the use or reliance upon any information on this website, especially if any part of the information proves to be inaccurate or incomplete. Please note that the displayed photos are not representative of current stock but are used for illustrative purposes only.