Groundcovers are versatile, evergreen easy-grow and easy care plants. They can add colour and interest to a garden, a rockery, a shady corner or on those hard to mow slopes. These low-growing, trailing plants also provide protection from soil erosion and drought.

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aka Bugleweed

A beautiful groundcover with striking silvery wine colour foliage that deepens in colour in cooler temperatures. Topped with upright blue flower spikes through spring and into summer. Easily grown in most well drained soils in full sun to part shade. Evergreen

 

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aka Sand Dune Coprosma

NZ Native. This form was discovered on cliffs near Hawera. It is a ground hugging native that forms a tight mat of small narrow olive green leaves. Excellent landscape plant for covering large areas of ground. Hardy, tolerant of cold and wind. Evergreen.

 

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aka Grevillea

A vigorous, ground-hugging shrub with divided green leaves that look a bit like an Oak leaf. The new shoots have a red tinge that matches the red 'toothbrush' flowers that appear from spring to autumn. Happy in the sun, tolerant of light or poor soils. Protect from frost. Evergreen.

 

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aka Hebe or Veronica

This Hebe has a low spreading habit making it useful as a ground-cover. It has small dark green leaves and pretty and plentiful racemes of bright pink flowers appear in autumn - winter. The flowers deepen in colour to burgundy tones in cooler weather. Prefers a sunny well drained spot. Evergreen

 

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aka Carpet Juniper

The Carpet Juniper is tough, hardy, tolerant, easy care and evergreen. The ideal landscaping plant for rockeries or walls with its flat spreading habit. The soft closely knit foliage is an attractive pale green. Use to add texture and interest in those spots where nothing else will grow.

 

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aka Creeping Wire Vine

Here's something just a bit different to add contrast and texture to your planting schemes. Golden stems covered with tiny dark green leaves twist and turn to form a mat of dark green. Dainty yellow flowers in summer sometimes followed by black berries.

 

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aka New Zealand Daphne

Native. A terrific little ground cover with clusters of dainty, fragrant, white flowers that appear from winter through to spring and occasionally at other times of the year. Neat and tidy small grey leaves that form a spreading mat. Quite tough and hardy, responds to trimming. Evergreen. PVR.

Pimelea look lovely cascading over a wall or bank. They can be trimmed lightly after flowering to encourage new growth. This plant would even look good in a hanging basket.

 

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aka Orangeberry

Evergreen prostrate ground cover that has very ornamental deeply veined foliage and single white flowers. Sometimes the flowers are followed by red raspberry like fruits. Very vigorous and ideal for covering up difficult spots. Happiest in full sun.

 

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Native. An intriguing moss-like plant that forms dense mounded cushions of emerald green foliage with fascinating humps and hollows. A great plant for rockeries, ferneries and containers. Does best in well-drained soil in Full sun to part shade. Evergreen

 

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aka Swamp Weed

Native. A useful native groundcover that spreads by rooting stems. The tough fleshy, green to gold leaves are wind and salt tolerant so useful to plant in coastal gardens. In the warmer months fragrant white flowers appear, these are followed by fleshy seed pods. Tolerant, hardy and evergreen. PVR

 

aka Swamp weed

Native. A useful native groundcover that spreads by rooting stems. The tough fleshy, green to gold leaves are wind and salt tolerant so useful to plant in coastal gardens. In the warmer months fragrant white flowers appear, these are followed by fleshy seed pods. Tolerant, hardy and evergreen. PVR

 

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aka Star Jasmine

In my opinion one of the best evergreen climbers available to gardeners. Leathery glossy green leaves that have tones of red in winter and myriads of little white star shaped flowers in summer. Wonderfully fragrant. Easy to grow. Can be used as a sprawling ground-cover too.