Groundcover Collection

Due to their low profile and ability to capture space quickly, groundcovers can provide an attractive and more sustainable alternative to a high-maintenance lawn. These low-maintenance plantings effectively crowd out weeds, help prevent soil erosion and drying, and have attractive foliage texture and color.

Our collection includes a wide range of plants that make ideal groundcovers for either shady, sunny, or sloped areas located in the Shady Groundcover Collection, the North Walk, and the Mullestein Hillside Garden.



Shady Groundcover Collection: Shade-loving groundcovers, such as hostas and pachysandra, are protected by trees including Cornelian cherry, false cypress, and bigleaf magnolia.

The north walk (north of the herb garden) contains groundcovers that can tolerate full sun and heat, and includes ornamental grasses.

  The Mullestein Hillside Garden (east of the herb garden) features spreading groundcovers good for stabilizing slopes—including gray dogwood and cut-leaf stephanandra.

These three microclimates allow an impressive diversity of plants in one collection, including the three main types of groundcovers: clump-formers, spreaders, and carpet-formers.

Click here to view a plant list for this garden. (pdf file, 50 pages)

Click below to hear a two-minute audio narrative about the Groundcover Collection.