ground cover plants for hot dry areas
Looking for ground cover plants for hot dry areas in New Zealand? You’re not alone. Exposed slopes, sun-soaked driveways, and sandy soils are common challenges for Kiwi gardeners. Luckily, the right groundcover choices can create low-maintenance, drought-tolerant carpets of green (and even silver or blue) in the toughest spots. In this guide, we’ll introduce several top-performing ground cover plants for hot dry areas, along with tips on how to establish and care for them in your garden.
Juniperus procumbens Nana (Japanese Dwarf Juniper)
Juniperus procumbens 'Nana', commonly known as the Prostrate Juniper, is a ground-hugging conifer that forms a carpet of blue-green, needle-like leaves. The foliage is held densely on prostrate branches as it grows to 30 cm in height and 1.5 m in width. Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' is commonly used as an attractive groundcover, included in rock gardens, grown around the base of large trees, used in borders, mass planted on a bank, or generally included where a hardy, ground-covering plant is required.
Helichrysum petiolare (Licorice Plant)
Helichrysum petiolare, commonly known as the Licorice plant, is a popular, evergreen shrub that is often used as a groundcover. It produces long stems that host small and rounded, grey-silver leaves. The leaves are complemented with cream-coloured flowers in summer as it grows to 50 cm tall and 1.5 m wide. Helichrysum petiolare is commonly included in rock and cottage gardens, used in border plantings, maintained in a container, planted around outdoor living areas such as pools and the like, or mass planted as a groundcover on a bank.
From $24.23
