Ground cover?

[Popcorn Lover]

We live in the Denver area.

What are good flowering, inexpensive fast growing ground cover true perennial plants for zone 5?

We have an embankment that's a long strip next to the house ( the house was just built and finished in December ) that's about

1000 sq ft and needs to be filled with something like that, before grass and weeds take it over.

[Doug Kanter]

Not inexpensive (at least around here), but pachysandra is bulletproof. In my previous house, it thrived in a corner with little or no sun (but it will do fine with more sun), and had chunks of ice crashing onto it all winter long (Rochester NY, zone 5, aka "please when will it be over").

Check with some nurseries and find out how to buy it in large quantities. Most garden centers sell it in flats the size of a medium pizza box for around $8.00. But, I can't believe landscapers, who often plant the stuff in huge areas, would pay that much. Has to be a way to buy it more cheaply.

[Vox Humana]

I don't want to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but there probably isn't a ground cover that meets your requirements. Any ground cover perennials you use will be sold in flats or plugs. You will have to prep the area and then put in the plants - probably spaced between 6 and 12 inches apart. It will take three to five years for most ground covers to form a weed-choking cover. In the mean time, you will have to deal with weeds, grass, and erosion. I would use a combination of pre-emergent herbicide like Preen (or Preen for ground cover) and hand weeding. If the slope is steep, you will have to think about erosion control. Most ground covers will still have the occasional weed. I have an area covered with vinca that has been infested with a number of weeds like thistles, wild honeysuckle, wild strawberries, and tree saplings. The vinca has been far more work than any of the other areas where I have used a dense, mass planting of perennials.

There are a number of plants that are commonly used as ground covers that would work in zone 5 - ajuga, English Ivy, vinca, pachysandra and others. You can do a Google search for "ground cover zone 5." Depending on the exposure, you might also consider blanket junipers. While not usually considered ground cover plants, I use hostas, daylilies, Siberian iris, perennial geraniums, and tradescantia on a slope as ground cover and for erosion control. I have found hosta "gold standard" to be an excellent ground cover as it has a pretty horizontal form and is fast growing. While it is deciduous, the roots form a dense matt that prevent erosion. The common daylilies or "ditch lilies" are an excellent, fast growing, weed chocking ground cover and they can often be had for free. The perennial geranium "Claridge Druce" is a good choice as it forms a dense 36 inch clump and is semi-evergreen, has nice foliage, and a long bloom time. You might consider using a variety of plants instead of a mono-culture of boring ground cover.

[Popcorn Lover]

Thanks, I'll check into it.

I did pick up some dragon's blood sedum and a couple of other varieties today. I understand it's fast growing, needs little water, and attracts hummingbirds with the flowers.