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Hardy Plumbago

True blue flowers are rare, especially late in the season. But with hardy plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides), you’ll enjoy a carpet of cerulean blue blooms every year from late summer to frost.

This quickly spreading ground cover forms a tight, six- to 10-inch tall mass of shiny green foliage that blushes bright red and bronze beginning in early fall. The kaleidoscope of red, blue and green all at once lights up the shade like ground level fireworks.

This species of plumbago is cold hardy to USDA Zone 5, but will survive winter better if you cover it with a light mulch, or if there’s snow cover. It’s also heat tolerant through USDA Zone 9. It grows best in morning sun and afternoon shade.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t reappear first thing in spring. This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs.

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Himalayan Maidenhair Fern

This elegant fern looks as dainty as a pearl necklace, but is tough enough to survive winter growing in the Himalayan Mountains, where it is native. Here in North American home gardens, it serves as a six- to 10-inch tall, slowly spreading ground cover for part shade to full shade.

Try growing it as a green carpet laid at the feet of your big leaf hydrangeas or Lenten roses. It’s fascinating to watch in the spring as its semi-evergreen foliage emerges bronze, then brightens to fresh green and covers up the previous year’s growth.

Hardy and deer resistant in USDA Zones 4 through 8, this colonizing fern prefers humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. It detests hot, humid weather, but thrives where temperatures drop at night. Once it settles in to its new home, this fern will speed up its spread and transplant easily if you find new shady places for it in your landscape.

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