Solved! The Best Plants for Erosion Control

Choose the Right Rock for the Best Erosion Control

• Fill Gravel-Our most popular grades of fill gravel are 57 & 67 stone, which is perfect for French drains and dirt driveways.
• Rip Rap-Rip rap stones are generally about 10-18” in size, and are great for stabilizing a hillside or a shoreline.

Cover crops, such as vetch, rye and clover, are excellent plants for erosion control. These hardy easy to grow plants send out nets of roots that help hold topsoil in place while also reducing competitive weeds. When tilled back into the soil, they increase the nutrient density as they compost.

• Creeping plum yew covers large, partial shade areas quickly.
• Plant creeping phlox on sunny slopes for erosion control with a pop of spring color.
• Protect sunny landscape beds with ornamental grasses.
• Plant masses of cotoneaster for flowers, foliage, and fruit in full sun.

When it comes to selecting plants for your embankment, you have two options – ground cover (plants that remain short but spread quickly) or shrubbery and small trees. Ground covers I like to use include Japanese Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), Periwinkle (Vinca minor) and Lily turf (Liriope muscari).

The Best Low-Maintenance Ground Covers for Your Garden

• Heuchera. 1/11. An evergreen perennial, heuchera is known for its vibrant foliage, which ranges in color from silver to green to brown.
• Honeysuckle. 2/11.
• Brass Buttons. 3/11.
• Creeping Phlox. 4/11.
• Creeping Jenny. 5/11.
• Stonecrop. 6/11.
• Vinca Minor. 7/11.
• Lamium. 8/11.

Low-Maintenance, Weed-Abating, Perennial Ground Covers

Liriope. Also known as monkey grass, liriope is a tough evergreen that also makes a great edging plant for pathways and driveways. Extremely drought resistant, it blooms in summer with purple or white flower spikes.

Eco-Friendly Alternatives to a Grassy Lawn

• Groundcovers. Groundcovers sprawl across the ground but don’t grow tall, eliminating the need to mow, providing the perfect alternative to grass.
• Corsican Mint.
• Creeping Thyme.
• Clover.
• Ornamental Grasses.
• Evergreen Moss.
• Native Perennial Beds.
• Artificial Turf.

Perennial Drought-Tolerant Ground Covers

• 01 of 07. Angelina Sedum. Satakorn/Getty Images.
• 02 of 07. Yellow Alyssum. The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova.
• 03 of 07. Ice Plant. Sergi Escribano/Getty Images.
• 04 of 07. Candytuft. Alexander Ludwig/EyeEm/Getty Images.
• 05 of 07. Vinca Minor. The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova.
• 06 of 07. Bugleweed or Ajuga.
• 07 of 07. Chinese Lantern Plants.

Our Favorite Flowering Ground Covers

1. Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
2. Canadian anemone (Anemone canadensis)
3. Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
4. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
5. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serphyllum)
6. Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)
7. Hosta (Hosta sieboldiana)
8. Horned Violet (Viola cornuta)

• Balloon Flower. Balloon flower (Platycodon) is an especially easy-to-grow plant that prefers full sun to part shade and organically-rich, well-drained soil.
• Black-Eyed Susan.
• Blazing Star.
• Bugleweed.
• Clematis.
• Coneflower.
• Cranesbill Geranium.
• Creeping Thyme.

Once established, Creeping Jenny grows and recovers quickly. Some consider this plant to be invasive, so don’t leave to its own devices for too long or it will overtake a garden. Or, if spreading is a concern, try growing as a trailing, complimentary plant in a container or along the edge of a raised bed.

Best Evergreen Cover Plants

1. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
2. 2. Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
3. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
4. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
5. Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
6. Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
7. Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)
8. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia)

10 Best Ground Covers for Full Sun

• 01 of 10. Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
• 02 of 10. ‘Six Hills Giant’ Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
• 03 of 10. Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina)
• 04 of 10. Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
• 05 of 10. Yellow Alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis)
• 06 of 10. Silver Mound Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana)
• 07 of 10.
• 08 of 10.

Cheap Natural Perennial Ground Cover Options

• Creeping Periwinkle – $1.07 per plant.
• Walk-on-Me Thyme – $3.99 per plant.
• Moss Phlox – $4.59 per plant.
• Violets and Pansies – Seeds range from $0.95 to $2.95.
• Early Snow Glories – $2.40 per plant.

Creeping jenny plant, also known as moneywort or Lysimachia, is an evergreen perennial plant belonging to the Primulaceae family. Creeping jenny is a ground cover that works well in rock gardens, between stepping stones, around ponds, in container plantings or for covering hard to grow areas in the landscape.

two feet

Creeping jenny, also called moneywort, is a long, crawling plant that can spread very tenaciously. in height, this plant can grow to 2 feet (61 cm.) long and has an unusually extensive root system. Once it’s established, it can be hard to get rid of and will crowd out or strangle plants that get in its path.

A nontoxic ground cover that grows well in part shade, creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) features petite, rounded leaves that turn golden with some sunlight, but will still be striking in shade.