We live in USDA plants hardiness zone 5 and it’s pretty dry. What are the best fast growing ground cover plants for our garden? I don’t mind if I need to replant next year, though.
Jill Farrer, Orem, UT
If you want to know what are the best fast growing ground cover plants or fast growing evergreen trees, I think we can help you make some good selections for your area.
We have an article listing ten of the best on this page:https://www.tipsbulletin.com/ground-cover-plants/. I’ll mention some of the best for your growing region here.
First, I can see that where you live, it gets quite hot and dry. In that case, I’d recommend red creeping thyme. Not only does it prefer full sun, but it’s also deer-resistant. And you’ll have deep green foliage in the spring followed by beautiful little blooms in the summer.
If you have a problem with deer nibbling on all the foliage and flowers in your yard and garden, you need to find plants that they don’t like but are still attractive and complement the rest of your plantings. Other deer repellent plants include Allegheny spurge, Northern sea oats, blue oat grass, liriope, and bugleweed.
Next, try bigroot geraniums or apple geraniums. They tolerate drought and like bright sunshine and are ground cover flowers that are very cheerful. Plus, apple geraniums have a pleasant scent.
Subsequently, if you have partly shady areas that need ground cover, try trailing periwinkle. Just be careful because it grows aggressively and can quickly take over your yard. In addition, there are several fast growing trees for shade that also tolerate a hot climate if you need to have some cover from the hot sun on occasion.
But of all the ground cover plants on the list, creeping phlox grows the fastest. You’ll need to trim it back regularly to keep it in check, but its colorful blooms are lovely and a great addition to any yard or garden.
For a fruiting plant, grow strawberries, either in pots or a garden setting. Keep in mind that almost everyone loves the sweet berries – including the wildlife – so you need to keep an eye on them.
Finally, bearberry, an evergreen shrub, grows well in sandy, dry soil. Each bearberry bush reaches about a foot in height and up to six feet in width. It tolerates winters and rebounds in the spring with little white and pink flowers. Then it sprouts berries at the end of the summer. Bearberry is an excellent choice for borders and adds some nice color in three of the four seasons.
I hope these ideas help you find the perfect ground cover plants for your garden this year, in spite of your dry climate.