Herbal Ground Covers for Virginia

03/19/2007
Tired of cutting your grass? Looking for something different for your yard? A perennial herbal ground cover may be just what you need.

There are a number of herbs which can serve as effective ground covers in Virginia. Once established, they will remain year after year, continually spreading out and blooming in the spring or summer. Most require no care after being established. Moreover, after reaching their maximum height, they grow no taller for the remainder of the season. Some, like bee balm, offer bright red and pink flowers through the hottest part of summer, others, like creeping thyme, provide a fragrance which lingers after being walked on. In addition, many (such as echinacea and various mints) are strong bee and bird attractants.

The most common herbs to use as groundcovers (and easiest to grow) in Virginia are as follow:

o for a sunny, dry location: bee balm, echinacea, oregano, creeping thyme, creeping rosemary, lamb's ear, yarrow.

o for a sunny, damp location: Roman chamomile, pennyroyal, peppermint, spearmint, pineapplemint, applemint, catmint, catnip.

o for a shady, dry location: sweet woodruff.

o for a shady, damp location: try pennyroyal, English or garlic chives, and fennel.

The rate of spread of these groundcovers varies depending on the type of herb and growing conditions, but generally speaking, a four inch pot can be expected to cover between 1 and 2 square feet at the end of the first year after planting. In addition, many of these herbs (such as pennyroyal) can be divided before planting, thus affording even greater initial area coverage.