Ground Covering Plants in California

Native

• California gardeners have a wide variety of native ground cover plants to choose from, many growing no taller than 1 foot. Ground covers such as Carmel Sur manzanita, Heuchera hirsutissima and Wayne Roderick daisies are smaller plants well suited to small gardens. Gardeners in coastal areas should select ground covers such as Arctostaphylos Pacific Mist, Holly Ceanothus and Maritime California lilac -- as they're native to coastal areas and grow well in sandy soils.

Xeriscaping

• Gardeners interested in conserving water or those located in hot, dry areas such as southern California should plant ground covers with minimal water requirements. Xeric ground covers are ideal for use in landscaping areas not suitable for grass or areas difficult to water. Select plants that grow to heights of less than 2 feet and spread readily. Evergreen ground covers such as Creeping juniper, Silverton bluemat penstemon, Creeping thyme or Goldmoss sedum provide year-round visual interest to the landscape and flourish in areas that receive full sun. Plant ground covers such as Kinnikinnick, Coloratus Wintercreeper and Periwinkle in areas that receive full to partial shade.

Options

• Add color to sunny areas by planting flowering ground covers such as freeway daisies, which bloom with colorful flowers and adapt to a variety of growing conditions, including those along California's coastline. Asian jasmine blooms with fragrant flowers, is evergreen and grows up to 20 feet in length. Showy dewflower blooms with profuse pink flowers and silvery-gray leaves. Ground covers for partially shaded locations include Hardy iceplant, a non-invasive ground cover that blooms with vibrant violet flowers from May through October.

Considerations

• Select ground cover plants suitable for your region. California is home to a wide range of United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zones. California's varied climate also means that it is home to varied hardiness zones, since zones are determined based on average annual minimum temperatures in the area. Depending on your exact location, you could be in zone 5b, with minimum temperatures of -15 to -10 degrees F, or in zone 10b, with minimum temperatures of 35 to 40 degrees F. This is significant since plants hardy in zone 8 will not survive winter temperatures in zone 6.

  Additionally, gardeners must be cautious to avoid ground cover plants that California considers invasive. This includes ice plants (except for the Hardy ice plant), the licorice plant, English ivy and periwinkle. These plants spread rapidly, smothering native plants.