In order to decoratively green spartan locations such as rock gardens, dry stone walls and roof gardens, floral problem solvers are required. With succulent ground cover you can transform these barren areas into a feast for the eyes. We have put together the most beautiful species and varieties for you in this selection.
Which succulents are suitable as ground cover?
Succulent ground cover plants, such as houseleek (Sempervivum) and sedum (Sedum), are ideal for barren locations such as rock gardens and dry stone walls. They are undemanding, easy to care for, hardy and can easily be propagated through offshoots.
Indestructible houseleeks draw picturesque garden pictures
Their botanical name Sempervivum means “always living” and it gets to the point. Houseleeks maintain their decorative appearance in sweltering heat and bitter cold. The following species and varieties are ideal as succulent ground cover thanks to their low growth height:
- Houseleek 'Bronze pastel': reddish leaves, pink flowers in summer, height 10-15 cm
- Dachwurz 'Silberkarneol': silvery leaf rosettes, purple flowers from June to July, height 3-10 cm
- Cobweb stone rose 'Rheinkiesel': blue-green, ciliated leaves, pink summer flowers, height 5-10 cm
Houseleeks prefer a sunny, warm location with a gravelly, stony to rocky base. Its legendary undemanding nature requires neither watering nor fertilization. The watering can is only used from time to time during long periods of drought in midsummer. Since the stone rose is completely hardy, it is considered an ideal succulent for outdoors.
Sedums prefer lean conditions
The multifaceted genus of stonecrops (Sedum) is also precisely called stonecrop. Under the barren conditions of a dry stone wall, the following succulent ground cover plants show their most beautiful side:
- Rich-flowering fat leaf 'Weihenstephaner Gold': the name says it all with bright yellow flowers, 10-20 cm
- Colourful leafy leaf 'Variegatum': white-edged leaves, orange-yellow flowers in July and August, 10-20 cm
- Carpet fat leaf 'Purple Carpet': dark red, round shaped foliage, purple summer flowers, 10-20 cm
Succulent ground cover is characterized by its creeping growth and lack of pruning. Since sedums have to develop their stable winter hardiness in the first two years, they are grateful for light winter protection in the form of a cover made of leaves or straw in the year of planting. Otherwise they are just as easy to care for as Sempervivum.
Tip
Succulent ground cover plants tirelessly produce offshoots in the form of daughter rosettes and children. Once houseleeks and sedums have gained a foothold, the resilient perennials can be easily propagated. Plants that are at least a fifth the size of their mother plant can be broken off or cut off to add colorful greenery to other locations.
