Suppress Weed Growth In Your Garden With This Drought-Tolerant Ground Cover

Ground cover plants are a unique pick for any gardener, as they grow horizontally across the yard, filling in empty spaces and reducing the need for mulch. In addition to the beauty ground cover can bring to your garden it also helps manage weeds by blocking access to sunlight, water, and nutrients. To gain this natural weed control advantage, it's important to choose the right ground cover depending on your climate conditions so that your plants thrive; part of that is knowing your plant hardiness zone.

Fortunately, one of the best ground cover plants grows in the majority of hardiness zones (all the way from zone four to nine), and is also drought-tolerant. The Turkish speedwell (Veronica liwanensis) is an eye-catching evergreen ground cover featuring stunning, deep blue flowers starting in April and going through June. Once established, it subdues weeds by outcompeting them for all the things weeds need to live.

because this hardy plant thrives in harsh conditions and is very low-maintenance, you can definitely add Turkish speedwells to the list of fuss-free plants great for gardening beginners. Turkish speedwell is deer- and rabbit-resistant, but attracts multiple pollinators, and is an especially good plant for attracting butterflies. This lovely ground cover reaches a mature height of about 2 inches tall, while its spread extends a nice 18 inches, so you can cover a large amount of ground with each plant. You can expect your Turkish speedwell to live about eight years with the right sun and water conditions.

Plant your Turkish speedwell in places that get full sun, ideally with morning sun and afternoon shade. This drought-tolerant plant needs about a half-inch of water every nine to 14 days. When planting, space the plants about 14 inches apart to create an appealing ground cover. Turkish speedwell doesn't really have any specific soil requirements, so long as it's well-draining with normal moisture levels. It doesn't tolerate standing water and can die when subjected to soggy areas that don't drain off.

Otherwise, Turkish speedwells can grow in a variety of conditions, making it a great choice for rock gardens, hills, sloping yards, and anywhere you want to suppress weeds and not have to worry about mowing. During the winter, you can expect the plant to die back before growing again in the spring. Avoid damaging the crowns during late winter so that no harm comes to the plants.

While primarily a ground cover plant, many people use Turkish speedwell for borders, to beautify pathways, or for spillover along rock or retaining walls. They can even be a great choice for containers, so you could add this colorful evergreen to planters on your front porch or patio, although you will need to water them quite a bit more, as the reduced soil dries out faster.