7 creeping plants that need almost no care and their flowers also suppress weeds
If you don't want weeds covering the ground in your yard, and you don't want to lay down lawn or concrete, then you can choose to grow the following flowering plants. They are extremely ornamental, can grow in rock crevices, and don't need frequent care in daily maintenance. They are especially low-maintenance creeping plants that can save you a lot of time.
The 7 flowers below are all plants that don't need frequent attention, need hardly any management, and can effectively reduce weeds. They are all perennial creeping plants with a relatively low, short habit.
1. Golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea')
Golden creeping Jenny is an especially easy-to-grow creeping plant that grows well in both the north and the south, and thrives even in damp, shady spots. In sunny spots its color looks even better: with adequate light, the leaves of golden creeping Jenny turn golden yellow, while in shade the leaves stay green.
This plant can quickly cover a large area. Once its roots and stems take hold, it can smother weeds. It will grow along walls or walkways, has a certain trailing effect over pot edges, and also produces bright yellow small flowers.
2. Miquel's mazus (Mazus miquelii)
Even when not in bloom, Miquel's mazus has tender, crisp leaves. It is a groundcover plant that needs little care and can grow in semi-shade, though of course it cannot grow in a completely dark environment.
When caring for Miquel's mazus in summer, if the light is intense or the temperature is too high, you need to keep the soil moist. In a warm environment it will stay emerald green, and after spring warms up it produces lovely flowers, blooming continuously through spring, summer and autumn.
Miquel's mazus is a very short plant, suitable for planting at the edge of flower beds or beside stepping stones. It propagates very easily, can be transplanted in both spring and autumn, and in summer can be propagated from stem cuttings.
3. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Garden phlox is a very charming perennial groundcover plant that is easy to grow and has a certain cold tolerance. It looks very delicate, is an easy-to-grow plant, and can grow in semi-shade or in full sun.
In cool, moist conditions, garden phlox can suppress weed growth, while flowering is more easily encouraged in dry conditions with adequate light.
4. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata)
Moss phlox, also called creeping phlox, is a very charming groundcover plant that grows creeping along the ground. It is extremely adaptable, able to survive in dry, poor and cold conditions, prefers a little less sun or semi-shade, and the soil can be kept moist during the growing season.
Creeping phlox has tiny leaves, can suppress weed growth, and in early spring produces lovely small white, blue, red and pink flowers.
5. Red creeping thyme (Thymus praecox)
Also called creeping thyme, it is a heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant creeping plant. When caring for red creeping thyme you must give it a suitable environment, keeping it in full light every day, with well-drained soil for growing, and avoiding frequent watering during maintenance.
Red creeping thyme can grow in rock crevices, and both its foliage and flowers give off a charming fragrance. You can plant it in every corner, and it will quickly cover an area and form a charming landscape.
6. Dragon's blood sedum (Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood')
If you want to grow a plant that doesn't need frequent management, then growing dragon's blood sedum is a good choice. It is a very low-maintenance plant that grows well in sunny and dry conditions, has fairly strong cold tolerance, and can survive in semi-shade or poor soil.
Dragon's blood sedum is highly ornamental all year round. Its leaf shape is somewhat like a small rose; the leaves are ordinary green in spring and summer, then turn red in autumn and winter, and in summer it also produces lovely small red flowers.
7. Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
All the flowering plants above are very charming, but my favorite creeping plant is still moss rose. Also called sun plant or "die-hard", it is an especially easy-to-grow perennial flowering plant. As long as it gets plenty of sunlight, it will keep blooming. It is highly adaptable, likes warm, slightly dry and full-sun conditions, and the growing soil should be loose, airy and well-drained.