Clay tolerant low maintenance ground cover plants for borders and problem areas

Ground cover plants are ideal for low in put gardener. Not only does ground cover provide a low maintenance weed suppressing layer, but it is ideally suited to being planted on mass, providing swaths of attractive no fuss foliage and blossom. A variety of ground cover plants are tough enough to put up with heavy clay and some will also put up with a shady spot. Many of the plants on this list are also evergreen, which means you get some added winter interest thrown in.

Ground cover can be planted around taller plants, as a low edge of bed planting or in larger drifts, and there are a wide range of ground cover plants that will be happy on heavy clay soils in a range of troublesome conditions, such as difficult hard to manage banks or in a shady corner that you don’t know what to do with.

To get plants going it is best to dig a decent sized planting pit at least three times the size of the pot you are planting – dig into the hole and spoil plenty of well rotted compost to ensure young plants are not exposed to water-logging after planting. Once established this will become less of a problem and many plants will spread and root into surrounding soil, in fact eventually you might find your biggest problem with some of these plants is keeping them under control.

Click Image for Full Profile	Latin & Common Name	Earmark	Type & Form	Flowers & Foliage
	Alchemilla mollis Ladies mantle, Alcemilla		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Rounded - Clump	Lime green flowers (Summer early)
	Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' Golden Sedge, Carex		Herbaceous Flowers, Grass, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading arching	Non-flowering
	Polygonatum x hybridum 'Stiatum' Solomon's seal, Polygonatum		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Spreading	White flowers (Summer early)
	Brunnera macrophylla 'Langtrees' Siberian Bugloss		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading	Dark blue flowers (Spring)
	Hedera helix 'Goldchild' Ivy, Hedera		Climber, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading arching	Non-flowering
	Ajuga reptans Bugle, Ajuga		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading ground hugging	Dark blue flowers (Spring)
	Persicaria affine Bistort		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading	Red flowers (Summer)
	Bergenia purpurascens Elephants ears, bergenia		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading clump	Dark pink flowers (Spring)
	Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain' Lungwort		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Rounded - Clump	Dark pink flowers (Summer early)
	Vinca minor 'Atropurpurea' Periwinkle		Herbaceous Flowers, Ground cover, Container-friendly, Spreading	Purple flowers (Summer)