ground cover – greenupside

Ground cover plants can beautify your yard and prevent soil from washing away. Some ground cover vines are cold hardy and can survive in cold climates, even with subzero temperatures in winter. So, what are some ground cover vines for your yard? Ground cover vines include: Blue Dawnflower, Clematis, Coral Honeysuckle, Creeping Fig, English Ivy, Maypop, Pothos, Star Jasmine, Twinflower, and Virginia Creeper. Some of these ground cover vines produce colorful flowers or have interesting foliage. Of course, some of these vines will tolerate extreme cold and can survive even further in Zone 6 or even further north. In this article, we’ll talk about 10 ground cover vines. We’ll also take a look at what each one needs in terms of light, water, and other important growth factors. Let’s get going. 10 Ground Cover Vines There are lots of ground cover vines to choose from, but here is a list of 10 to get you started: Blue DawnflowerClematisCoral HoneysuckleCreeping FigEnglish IvyMaypopPothosStar JasmineTwinflowerVirginia Creeper Let’s start with Blue Dawnflower Blue Dawnflower (Ipomoea indica) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces showy blue or indigo flowers in late spring, summer, or early fall. Blue Dawnflower is a perennial ground cover vine that has dazzling blue or indigo flowers. Blue Dawnflower prefers moderate moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the plant. Blue Dawnflower needs full sun. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.1 to 6.5). Blue Dawnflower can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –7 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 10 to 25 feet, so keep it trimmed to avoid it overtaking the house if it is close by! You can propagate Blue Dawnflower by seeds, layering, or by softwood cuttings. You can learn more about Blue Dawnflower from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Blue Dawnflower from Plants Express. Clematis Clematis is a perennial ground cover vine that produces showy flowers of various colors in late spring, summer, or early fall. Clematis is a ground cover vine that can produce flowers of various colors, like the purple ones shown here. Clematis prefers moderate moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the plant. Clematis can tolerate full sun or partial shade. It prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 7.0 to 8.5). Clematis can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 6 to 8 feet. You can propagate Clematis by softwood cuttings. You can learn more about Clematis from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Clematis from Spring Hill Nursery. Coral Honeysuckle Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces showy and fragrant small (1 to 2 inch) red flowers in late spring, summer, or early fall. Coral Honeysuckle is a ground cover vine with small red flowers. Coral Honeysuckle prefers moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the plant. Coral Honeysuckle can tolerate full sun or partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8). Coral Honeysuckle can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 12 to 16 feet, with a width of 3 to 6 feet. You can propagate Coral Honeysuckle by cuttings. You can learn more about Coral Honeysuckle from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. Creeping Fig Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) is a perennial ground cover vine that can be kept as a houseplant or in a classroom. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) flowers that may turn into fruit. Creeping Fig is a ground cover vine that produces tiny flowers and can climb 6 feet or higher outdoors. Creeping Fig needs moderate moisture levels, and it tolerates both drought and humidity. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant. Creeping Fig prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial or full shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8). Creeping Fig cannot tolerate much cold. It is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or -7 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 3 to 6 feet. You can propagate Creeping Fig by stem cuttings. You can learn more about Creeping Fig from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Creeping Fig from PlantVine. English Ivy English Ivy (Hedera helix) is a perennial ground cover vine that can be kept as a houseplant or in a classroom. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) greenish white flowers in late summer, fall, or winter. English Ivy is a ground cover vine that can also climb up walls and hang on easily. English Ivy needs moderate or wet moisture levels, but resists drought. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant. English Ivy tolerates partial or full shade, but it can survive in full sun. It can tolerate moderately acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 5.6 to 7.8). English Ivy can tolerate severe cold. It is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 36 feet. You can propagate English Ivy by layering, stem cuttings, tip cuttings, or by seeds. You can learn more about English Ivy from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find English Ivy from Calloway’s Nursery. Maypop Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) is a drought tolerant perennial ground cover vine that produces showy and fragrant purple flowers in summer or fall. Maypop is a ground cover vine with showy and fragrant flowers with purple coloring. Maypop needs moderate moisture. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant. Maypop prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5.5 to 7.0). Maypop can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5b (as cold as -15 degrees Fahrenheit or –26 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 6 to 20 feet, with a width of 3 to 6 feet. You can propagate Maypop by layering, stem cuttings, or seeds. You can learn more about Maypop from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Maypop from Direct Gardening. Pothos Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is an epiphytic drought tolerant evergreen ground cover vine that can be kept as a houseplant or in the classroom, as well as a ground cover outdoors. Pothos is a ground cover vine that can be kept as a houseplant or outdoors. Pothos needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant. Pothos likes partial or full shade. It prefers slightly acidic soil (pH of 6.1 to 6.5). Pothos cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9b (as cold as 25 degrees Fahrenheit or -4 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 6 feet indoors, and possibly more outdoors. You can propagate Pothos by stem cuttings. You can learn more about Pothos from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Pothos from Woodie’s Garden Goods. Star Jasmine Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces showy and fragrant white flowers in late spring or summer. It is a good addition to a windbreak or hedge. Star Jasmine is a ground cover vine with showy and fragrant white flowers. Star Jasmine needs moderate moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant. Star Jasmine needs full sun. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8). Star Jasmine can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8a (as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 15 to 40 feet. You can propagate Star Jasmine by stem cuttings. You can learn more about Star Jasmine from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Star Jasmine from the Nursery at Ty Ty. Twinflower Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces showy, fragrant bicolor pink and white flowers in summer or early fall. Twinflower is a ground cover vine with showy, fragrant bicolor pink and white flowers. Twinflower needs moderate to wet moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant. Twinflower tolerates partial or full shade, but it can also survive in full sun. It prefers acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6.0). Twinflower can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or -40 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 2 to 4 inches, with a width of 8 to 12 inches. You can propagate Twinflower by division, stem cuttings, or seeds. You can learn more about Twinflower from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Twinflower from Green Seasons Nursery. Virginia Creeper Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a perennial ground cover vine that produces tiny (less than 1 inch) green or greenish white flowers in late spring or summer. Virginia Creeper is a ground cover vine with green or greenish white flowers. Virginia Creeper prefers moderate moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the plant. Virginia Creeper prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers somewhat acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5.1 to 7.3). Virginia Creeper can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 2 (as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or –46 degrees Celsius). This plant grows to a height of 50 feet or more, so keep it trimmed to avoid it overtaking the house if it is close by! You can propagate Virginia Creeper by seeds or by stem cuttings. You can learn more about Virginia Creeper from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database. You can find Virginia Creeper from Cold Stream Farm. Conclusion Now you know about 10 ground cover vines and how to care for them. Hopefully they will help you to fill in the landscape in your yard and beautify your home. You might also want to check out some vine house plants, flowering vines for sun, or flowering vines for shade. I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information. If you want to read some of my most popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy! ~Jonathon