Florida-Friendly Ground Covers - University of Florida

Florida-Friendly Ground Covers 

David Shibles 

Urban Horticulturist 

UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service 

gammatwo@ufl.edu 

www.polkhort.com 

October 1 st , 2012

What is a Ground Cover? 

• Essentially it is any low-growing plant that can be 

used in the landscape to cover bare ground. 

• It is a functional name as a plant may function as a ground 

cover for one person be used as a bedding plant for 

someone else. 

• They can be used to fill in between adjacent accent plants 

or to frame/border a grouping of similar shrubs. 

• Ground covers are often thought of as having a creeping 

or climbing habit, but there are many low growing plants 

which serve this purpose. 

• They probably should be less than 3 feet tall. 

• Probably should not include annuals or short lived 

perennials.

How do they benefit the homeowner? 

• Can provide a surprising amount of energy savings 

5-7 months per year. 

• Evaporative cooling can lower the temperature 

immediately surrounding the plants by as much as 

9 degrees F. and can be as much as 25 degrees F. 

cooler than paved surfaces. 

• Water savings plus fertilizer and pest control savings 

can be significant. 

• Some will grow in deep shade others in full sun – some 

grow in both. 

• Apart from their value as a filler and weed suppression, 

many ground covers have inherent ornamental value (showy 

flowers attractive foliage).

Perennial peanut 

• Arachis glabrata 

• Non-native 

• Zones 8-11 

• Height – ½ to one foot 

• Width – one to eight feet 

• High drought tolerance 

• Make sure to purchase rhizomal type – Ecoturf 

or Needlepoint which are drought tolerant. 

• Stoloniferous type like “Repens Golden Glory” 

are commonly for sale in central Florida. 

• Flowers summer thru fall.

Perennial Peanut 

Advantages 

• Requires little to no fertilizer or water. 

• Does not need regular mowing. 

• Forms a dense mat of rhizomes when established. 

• Very few to no pests and diseases. 

Disadvantages 

• Does not grow well in shade and does not traffic well. 

• Does not take cold. 

• Takes an extended period to establish particularly 

from sprigs may give weeds a chance establish. 

only a few registered herbicides. 

• Basagran and Cadre DG will control yellow nutsedge and 

• some broadleaves. 

• Fusilade, Poast, Select and Prism are labeled for grassy 

weed control.

Pinto peanut – Arachis pintoi. 

Locally called Repens Golden Glory. 

Forms roots at the nodes, does 

not form rhizomes as does Arachis 

glabrata – Ecoturf/Needlepoint. 

Studies around the world 

indicate that Pinto Peanut 

is more prone to have winter 

kill, spider mite damage and 

have nematodes issues. Logic 

would dictate that they are 

also less drought tolerant.

Ecoturf perennial peanut on right-of-way at the Polk County Extension Office

Perennial peanuts growing between parking lot and Highway 

17/98 at the Polk County Extension office

Will not encroach into shady areas under trees.

Stand of perennial peanut planted on the right-of way 

of Ewell Road in Lakeland, FL. 

Photo by D. Shibles

Photo by Anne Yasalonis 

Ecoturf perennial peanut at a residence in Lakeland, FL.

Photo by Gail Crawford 

Ecoturf perennial peanut planted in home landscape in Bartow, FL.

Yellow Jasmine – Gelsemium sempervirens 

• Zones 8 and 9 

• Native evergreen 

• Fast Grower – 20-40 feet tall/20-30 feet wide. 

• pH 4.5 to 7.2 

• Medium drained soil. 

• Like partial shade. 

• Has low drought tolerance. 

• Yellow tubular winter through spring flowers. 

• Is poisonous.

Yellow Jasmine growing as 

a vine on a pergola at the 

Polk County Extension Office 

photo by Anne Yasalonis

St. Bernards Lily – Anthericum sanderi 

• All of Florida – zones 8-11 


• 1 ½ feet tall ½ to 1 foot wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 

• Likes well drained soil. 

• Medium drought tolerance. 

• Likes full sun to partial shade. 

• Has white spring flowers.

St. Bernards Lily growing in 

the demonstration garden 

at the IFAS Plant City 

Campus. 

photo by Anne Yasalonis

Bugleweed – Ajuga reptans 

• North and central Florida – zones 8 to 9a. 


• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 

• Fast growth 

• ½ to 1 foot tall 1 to 2 feet wide. 

• Well drained soil. 


• Full sun, partial shade to full shade. 

• Purple/blue foliage 

• Spring through summer flowers. 

• Many cultivars. 

• Is susceptible to many diseases.


Bugleweed growing at a residence in southwest Lakeland, FL.

Cast iron Plant – Aspidistra elatior 

• Most of Florida – zones 8b through 11. 


• Slow grower 

• 1 to 3 feet tall – 1 to 3 feet wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 



• Does best in part to full shade. 

• Has dark green glossy foliage. 

• Has brown flowers periodically throughout the year. 

• Tolerates deep shade.

‘Milky-Way’ Cast Iron Plant 

(photos by Plant Delights Nursery) 

Raleigh, N.C. 

Cast Iron Plant 

Photo by 

Stephen Pategas-Hortus Oasis 

FDACS photo shows striped, 

normal and Milky-Way types

Cast iron plant growing in a landscape in southwest Lakeland, FL. 

Photo by D. Shibles

Sweet Potato Vine – Ipomea spp. 

• Also called Railroad vine. 

• Native cultivars. 

• All of Florida – zones 8 to 11. 

• Grows fast. 

• 10 to 20 feet tall and 10-40 feet wide. 

• pH 6.0 to 7.2 

• Well to medium drained - any texture soil. 

• High drought tolerance. 

• Full sun to part shade. 

• Medium salt tolerance. 

• Flower color varies. 

• Spreads easily. 

• Provides food for wildlife.


Ornamental sweet potato vine growing in a Landscape 

in southwest Lakeland, FL

Two cultivars of sweet potato vine 

growing in a pot at the Polk County 

Extension Office. 

Photo by Anne Yasalonis

Photo by D. Shibles 

Edible sweet potato growing in a terrace at a Lakeland residence.

Holly Fern – Crytomium falcatum 

• Most of Florida – zones 8b to 11. 

• Non- Native 

• Evergreen fern 

• Good low maintenance ground cover. 

• pH – 6.2 to 7.0 

• Does not grow exceptionally fast or slow. 

• 2-3 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. 

• Well to medium drained soil. 

• Full sun to full shade. 

• Susceptible to pests.

Holly ferns – photos courtesy of Floridata

Autumn Fern – Dryopteris erythrosora 

• All parts of Florida – zones 8-11 

• Native status depends on variety. 

• Slow growing 


• pH – 4.5 to 6.5 

• Well drained soil 


• Part sun to full shade. 

• Low to no salt tolerance. 

• Dark green fern with delicate appearance. 

• Fronds appear reddish when young. 

• Choose species on growing conditions. 

• Combine with Mahonia fortuneii and Holly Fern 

for a mixed planting in a shady location.

Autumn Fern ‘Brilliance’ 

Autumn Fern ‘Brilliance’

Autumn fern growing in the 

landscape at the Polk County 

Extension Office. 

Photos by D. Shibles

Twin Flower – Dyschoriste oblongifolia 

• All of Florida – zones 8-11 

• Native 

• Fast growing. 

• ½ to 1 foot tall and 1 to 1½ foot wide. 

• pH 6.0 to 7.2 



• Lavender year-round flowers. 

• Larval food for common buckeye butterfly.


Twin flower photo taken at the Polk County 

Extension Office in Bartow, FL.

Twin flower in landscape at 

the Polk County Extension 

Office in Bartow, FL. 


Blue Daze – Evolvulus glomeratus 

• Central and south Florida – zones 9 to 11. 

• Native to Brazil and Paraguay 


• ½ to 1 foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 



• Part shade 

• High salt tolerance. 

• Creates grey/green carpet-like cover accented 

with sky blue flowers spring through summer.

Blue daze needs full sun but some 

protection from frosts and freezes.

Photo by N. Winter 

Here blue daze is mixed with ‘Profusion Fire’ zinnia.

Tampa Vervain – Glandularia tampensis 

• South and central Florida – zones 9-11 

• Native – also known as Verbena tampensi 


• 1½ to 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. 

• pH 6.2 to 7.0 

• Well drained sandy soil. 


• Full sun 


• Attracts butterflies. 

• Purplish pink/white summer flowers.

Tampa Vervain growing in the 

Landscape at the Polk County 

Extension Office with Sand 

Cord Grass in the background. 

Photo by D. Shibles

Algerian Ivy – Hedera canariensis 

• Also called Canary Island Ivy and Madiera Ivy 



• Growth fast – will spread aggressively. 

• ½ to 1 feet tall and 1 to 6 feet wide. 

• Leaves may get 6-8 inches across. 

• pH – 4.5 to 7.2 

• Any soil type. 



• For shady areas. 


• Distinctive red leaf stems. 

• Beautiful, thick leathery foliage. 

• Rich groundcover in the shade.

Photo – University of Illinois 

Algerian Ivy foliage slightly 

broader than English Ivy 

Photo courtesy of Ground Effects Nursery 

There are several forms of 

Variegated Algerian Ivy 

Hedera canariensis

English Ivy – Hedera helix 

• North and central Florida – zones 8-9 


• Fast growing – watch for aggressive spread. 

• 1 to 2 feet high and 2 to 5 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 7.2 

• Any well-drained soil texture. 


• Shady locations. 

• Leaves provide dark green mat of foliage. 

• Aerial roots will grow up tree trunks, walls, trellises.

English Ivy makes a nice groundcover 

Photo by Rosie Lerner – Purdue University 

Don’t let it escape up trees 

Photo by Carole Bergmann 

Or buildings (at Cornell)

Shore Juniper – Juniperus conferta 

• North and central Florida – zones 8-9 


• Grows slowly – 1 to 2 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 



• Full sun 


• It is flammable – keep 30 feet away from buildings. 

• Used for dune stabilization. 

• Susceptible to diseases.

Blue Pacific Juniper 

(Plant City IFAS Campus) 


Blue Pacific Juniper – in the 

landscape at the Polk County 

Extension Office in Bartow, FL. 


Creeping Juniper – Juniperus horizontalis 

• North and central Florida – zones 8a to 9a. 


• Neither fast nor slow growth. 

• ½ to 1 foot tall and 8 to 10 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 

• Any well drained soil texture. 


• Does not tolerate water-logged conditions. 

• Full sun – plants thin in shady areas. 


• Attracts birds. 

• Susceptible to pests and diseases.

This variety is called ‘Twomedicine’. 

This unusual variety with yellowish 

foliage is called ‘Motherlode’.

Trailing Lantana – Lantana montevidensis 

• Central and south Florida – zones 9 – 11. 


• Fast growth – 1 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 

• Any well drained soil texture. 


• Full sun 

• Attracts butterflies and birds. 

• White/pink/lavender summer through fall flowers. 

• Susceptible to pests and diseases.


Trailing Lantana growing at a residence in southwest Lakeland, FL.

Trailing Lantana growing in a 

landscape in southwest Lakeland. 



Trailing lantana growing in a landscape a residence in Lakeland, FL.

Liriope – Liriope muscari and cvs. 

• Also called monkey grass, Lily Turf and Border Grass 

• North and central Florida – zones 8-9. 


• Neither fast nor slow growth. 

• 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 

• Well drained any textured soil. 


• Full sun to part shade to full shade. 


• Purple summer flowers. 

• Forms a solid groundcover in a few years. 

• Variegated cultivar is damaged by frost and 

is susceptible to pests.


Green Giant Liriope along with several bromeliads growing under 

a Laurel Oak tree at the Polk County Extension Office in Bartow, FL.

Green Giant Liriope growing in the 

landscape at a Lakeland, FL residence. 


Small pretty flowers which require 

a close look. 

A bed of liriope in Tallahassee, 

Florida in bloom.

Powderpuff – Mimosa strigillosa 

• Also called Sunshine Mimosa 

• All of Florida – zones 8-11. 

• Native perennial 

• Fast growing – 1-2 feet tall and1-2 feet wide. 



• Full sun 


• Attracts butterflies. 

• Pink powderpuff flowers.

Sunshine mimosa growing at the home of 

one of the Polk County Master Gardeners 

in Lakeland, FL. 


Giant Sword Fern – Nephrolepis biserrata 

• Not to be confused with the exotic invasive fern 

N. cordiflora. 

• Central and south Florida. 

• Native 

• Neither fast nor slow grower. 

• ½ to 4 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 6.8 

• Medium drained clay/loam soil. 

• Part to full shade. 


• May spread beyond small gardens. 

• Looks best in full shade.

University of Florida photo 

University of Florida photo

Sword Fern – Nephrolepis exaltata 

• Central and south Florida – zones 9-11. 

• Native – not to be confused with N. cordifolia. 

• Neither fast nor slow grower. 

• 1 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet tall. 

• pH – 6.0 to 6.8 

• Medium drained any textured soil. 




• May spread beyond small gardens. 

• Looks best in full shade.

University of Florida photos

Mondo Grass – Ophiopogan japonicus 

• Also known as Dwarf Lilyturf and Dwarf Liriope. 

• All of Florida – zones 8-11. 


• Slow growing – ½ to 1 foot tall and ½ to 2 feet wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 

• Any textured well drained soil. 




• White summer flowers. 

• Dark green grass-like mounds. 

• Tolerates some foot traffic.

Mondo grass growing between pavers 

at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. 

Photo by D. Shibles


Mondo grass placed in a triangle at the junction of two 

sidewalks at the Polk County Extension Office in Bartow, FL.


Mondo grass growing as a sidewalk border at a Lakeland, FL residence.

Leatherleaf Fern – Rumohra adiantiformis 

• Central and south Florida – zones 9b-11. 


• Evergreen fern with triangular-shaped, dark 

glossy green leaflets. 

• Grows neither fast or slow. 


• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 

• Medium drained any textured soil. 

• Partial to full shade. 


• Low to no salt tolerance.

Southern Shield Fern – Thelypteris kunthii 

• North, central and south Florida - zones 8-11. 

• Native 

• Robust fern with graceful light green foliage. 

• Fast growing – 2-3 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide. 

• May spread out of small gardens become 

difficult to control. 

• pH – 6.0 to 8.0 

• Any well to medium drained soil. 


• Full sun to total shade. 

• Low to no salt tolerance.


Southern Shield Fern in the landscape at the Polk County Extension Office.


Southern Shield Fern in the landscape at the Polk County Extension Office.

Asiatic Jasmine – Trachelospermum asiaticum 

• AKA Small leaf Confederate Jasmine 

• Most of Florida – zones 8b-10. 


• Small, dark green glossy leaves with light green veins. 

• Fast growing – 1 to 3 feet tall and 1-30 feet wide. 

• Spreads aggressively. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8 

• Well drained to medium well drained – any texture. 


• Full sun to partial shade. 


• Tolerates foot traffic. 

• Susceptible to pests and diseases. 

• May have cold damage when temperatures in the 20’s.


Variegated Asiatic Jasmine forming a border between a path and a bed 

of dwarf variegated Schefflera at a landscape in southwest Lakeland, FL.


A bed of Variegated Asiatic Jasmine in a landscape in southwest Lakeland, FL.

A bed of green cultivar Asiatic Jasmine 

growing at a residence in Lake Ashton, FL. 


A bed of variegated Asiatic Jasmine 

intruding into a neighboring walkway 

and into neighboring shrubs. 


A mix of variegated and green Asiatic Jasmine 

climbing up the wall of a Lakeland, FL home. 

This plant will require maintenance 4-5 times 

per year. There is also obvious staining on the 

brick facia. 


Confederate Jasmine/Star Jasmine 

Trachelospermum jasminoides 

• Most of Florida – zones 8b-10. 


• Fast growing – 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 30 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 


• Well to medium drained any textured soils. 

• Full sun to partial shade. 


• Attracts hummingbirds. 

• White, fragrant, showy spring flowers. 

• Susceptible to diseases.

During April and May the plant goes 

two-tone as it flushes light green with 

new growth. Shortly thereafter one 

inche white flowers are produced 

with a wonderful fragrance.

Periwinkle – Vinca major 

• North and central Florida – 8a to 9. 


• Neither fast nor slow growing 

• 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 5 feet wide. 

• pH – 6.0 to 7.2 


• Well to medium drained any textured soil. 



• Oval or heart-shaped dark green leaves. 

• Blue/purple/lavender summer flowers. 

• Good for small shaded gardens. 

• Does not tolerate hot dry conditions.


A colorful border of Periwinkles between turfgrass and Thryallis shrubs.



Perwinkles mixed with Melampodiums forming a colorful border between 

St. Augustine turf and a walk way.

Coontie, Florida Arrowroot, Florida Zamia 

Zamia floridana 


• Native – Florida’s only native cycad. 

• Small, palm-like perennial plant 

• Slow growing – 1 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 





• Is the sole larval food plant for the Atala butterfly. 

• Susceptible to pests and cold damage in the 20’s.


Coonties placed in a bed with rock mulch separating a cement 

sidewalk and a mulched path.

Cardboard Plant – Zamia furfuracea 

• Central and south Florida – zones 9b to 11. 

• Non- native 

• Slow growing – 2 to 5 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide. 

• pH – 4.5 to 8.0 


• Well drained – any texture. 



• Seeds and caudex poisonous. 

• Freezes in central Florida and can come back.


Cardboard plant growing in a mulched bed separating a sidewalk and 

a parking lot at the Polk County Extension office.

Beach Sunflower – Helianthus debilis 

• All of Florida – zones 8 – 10. 

• Florida native. 

• Fast growing. 

• Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. 

• Well drained sandy soil – will decline if soil is 

too rich or too moist. 

• Very drought tolerant. 


• Full sun. 

• Has 2 inch yellow sunflowers with a brown 

center – blooms all year. 

• Fruit is a small kernel with an oily seed – eagerly 

sought by birds and small mammals. 

• Has few pests.


Beach sunflower in a mulched bed separating Schellings holly from a 

parking lot at the Polk County Extension Office.

Beach sunflowers growing down 

a terrace at a southwest Polk 

County residence. 


Aloe – Aloe spp. 

• Consists of a basal rosette of thick fleshy lanceolate 

leaves often variegated with soft spiny margins. 

• Grows well in all of Florida – zones 8 to 11. 

• Inflorescence produced in the spring on a tall often 

branched bloom spike – most produce offsets. 

• Full sun with partial afternoon shade. 


• Not all species of aloe have emollient sap. 

• Species with lots of offsets can spread 10 inches/year. 

• Clumping aloes are especially useful as a ground cover 

in a dry rock garden. 

• May require water during prolonged droughts.


Aloe growing in a bed at the base of a foundation at a residence 

in southwest Lakeland, FL.

In the winter and spring medicinal 

aloe (Aloe vera) bares small tubular 

yellow flowers on branched stalks up 

to 3 feet tall.

Blue-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium angustifolium 

• All of Florida – zones 8 through 11. 

• Florida native. 

• Grows slowly and reachs 6 to 12 inches tall and wide. 

• Plants will survive surprisingly hot and dry weather, 

but under stress are prone to attack by root mealybugs. 

• Ideally grow them in moist soil in full sun. 

• They can be propagated by seed or division. 

• The flowers are proportionately rounded and occur in 

rich shades of blue, purple or violet. 

• Albino forms with pure white flowers are known to 

occur.

Blue-eyed Grass in a mulched bed 

separating shrubs and turfgrass. The 

photo was taken at a residence in 

southwest Lakeland, FL. 


Mid-summer Aster, Fleabane or Mexican Daisy 

Erigeron karavinskianus ‘’Profusion’ 

• All parts of Florida – zones 8a to 10. 


• Spreading 6 to 12 inches. 

• Is cold hardy. 

• Flowers – many 3/4 inch white to pink daisy-like 

flowers with yellow centers. 

• Leaves are gray-green with a fine texture. 

• Takes full sun to part shade. 

• Drought tolerant – does best in well drained soil. 

• Salt tolerance – medium. 

• Pest problems – generally free of pests. 

• Propagation – cuttings and division.


Mid-summer Aster planted in a mulched bed at the Polk 

County Extension Office separating a planting of Liriope 

and a sidewalk.


A close-up of the Mid-summer Aster flower from a planting 

at the Polk County Extension Office.

Pineland Heliotrope – Heliotropium polyphyllum 

• All of Florida – zones 8 to 11. 

• Native 

• Partly erect (6- 8 inches tall) – stems 6 to 18 inches 

long. 

• Prostrate forms only 1 to 3 inches tall. 

• Plants bare hundreds of snowy white or yellow flowers 

most of the year in central and south Florida. 

• Need annual pruning to the ground in late winter/early 

spring to maintain neat appearance. 

• Spread by root suckers and self sown seed. 

• Prefers rather dry to moist soil in full sun. 

• Flowers attract many nectar seeking insects including 

butterflies.

Pineland Heliotrope separating 

Turfgrass and a sidewalk at 

a residence in southwest 

Lakeland, FL. 



Pineland Heliotrope separating turfgrass and a sidewalk at 

a residence in southwest Lakeland, FL.

A couple of possibilities as ground covers: 

• Peace lilies 

• Spider plant

Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum 

• Central and possibility south Florida 

• Not known to stand cold temperatures. 

• Medium to fast growth. 

• Filtered light to full shade. 

• Reach 3-4 feet tall. 

• Produces a profusion of white flowers. 

• Some maintenance required to remove spent flowers. 

• Require minimal amounts of water and fertilizer. 

• Generally pest and disease free. 

• A number of landscapes in the Lakeland area have 

these plantings. 

• The following photos are peace lilies which have 

survived outside winters at a Lakeland residence 

under a large sand live oak tree for 3-4 years.

The parents of these plants 

were kept in pots for many 

years in a lanai in which the 

temperature did not go 

below freezing. They were 

transplanted to the outside 

landscape about 3 years ago. 

Peace lilies in a mulched bed 

under a sand live oak tree. 

They are covered during 

frosts and freezes with 

freeze cloth. The plants 

have shown little to no cold 

damage. 


Spider Plant – Chlorophytum comosum 

• Central and possibility south Florida. 

• Require little to no fertilizer. 

• Appear to be pest and disease free. 

• Require some maintenance as they produce 

numerous outgrowths. 

• Survive under live oak trees during cold weather 

• without additional protection.

Caladiums surrounded by an oblong ring 

of spider plants at a southwest Lakeland, Fl. 

residence under a live oak tree.

Florida-Friendly Ground Covers - University of Florida

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?