Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - January 12, 2010
From: Gurnee, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Groundcover for primary school in Illinois
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I'm looking for a ground cover to plant on primary school grounds. It will need to be able to handle foot traffic. Is there anything that flowers and is a perennial? The area gets full sun and is beside a sidewalk. The area can hold water during heavy rain but does drain.ANSWER:
Below are some suggested groundcover plants (with their light requirements) that are native to Illinois. However, I feel sure that none of them will stand up to heavy foot traffic. If the foot traffic will be an occasional person walking across it, then these should be fine once they are established. If this is an area where the children will be playing several times a day, however, I doubt that any of these will be able to survive successfully. In that case you would be better served by grass or sedges. In either case, you will need to limit any sort of foot traffic until the plants are well-established. Note: shade = less than 2 hours of sun per day, part shade = 2 to 6 hours of sun per day, and sun = more than 2 hours of sun per day.
Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop) part shade
Asarum canadense (Canadian wildginger) part shade, shade
Waldsteinia fragarioides (Appalachian barren strawberry) sun, part shade. Here is more information.
Heuchera richardsonii (Richardson's alumroot) part shade, shade
Heuchera americana (American alumroot) part shade. shade
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick) sun, part shade, shade
Cornus canadensis (bunchberry dogwood) sun, part shade, shade
Fragaria virginiana (Virginia strawberry) sun, part shade. Here is more information.
Viola sororia (common blue violet) sun, part shade
More Groundcovers Questions
Erosion Control for a NC Clay Slope
June 06, 2013 - Hi, We have a large slope on the road edge of our property that has been gradually eroding with spring rains (NC red clay). We would really like to plant something for erosion control but the bank is...
view the full question and answer
Ground covers for a shady spot in central Texas
February 23, 2016 - I reside in Austin, Texas and need advice on my xeriscaping project. Portions of my front yard have always been a challenge to get grass to grow, so I have xeriscaped that area with Fairland Pink gran...
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for East Texas
October 05, 2010 - Thank you for your response to (Hamelia), it was very helpful. I recently moved to East Texas and I live in a rural area at altitude 754ft with a sloping landscape with good drainage. My property is...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for gravesite in Maryland
March 13, 2013 - I know this is very unusual question but here I go. I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and I am looking for a low ground cover for my grandparents grave. The soil is very sandy and I am looking...
view the full question and answer
Strong groundcover for Southern California
March 28, 2012 - Need a strong ground cover. Hard time getting anything to grow. Full sun. Prefer some color. Low upkeep. The soil probably isn't great. It is a small hill within a planter.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |