I recently extolled the virtues of plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, zones 5 to 9) here, and I think it's worth mentioning twice, just to drive the point home: This plant grows well in sun and part shade in all kinds of conditions all over the U.S. It chokes out weeds, blooms in a clear blue that reflects the summer sky and tops it off with fantastic fall color. What more could you ask for?
Asian jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) has been a popular evergreen ground cover in the South for years, and when we say weed smothering, we mean it with this one. It's for those who want a very low, very dense hedge. If you're in the market for that with a little added pizzazz, check out these fabulous variegated cultivars: 'Gold Brocade' (shown here) features wild and crazy gold foliage with reddish new growth, while 'Tricolor' (next photo) is more demure in mottled white with pink new growth. This brand of jasmine is grown primarily for foliage and seldom blooms. These cultivars thrive in average conditions in sun or shade. They're solidly hardy in zones 8 to 10 but definitely worth a shot in zone 7. Their unvariegated parent grows just fine well into warmer parts of zone 6, though it's less proven there. All are lively, glossy-leafed garden additions that send weeds packing.
Creeping raspberry (Rubus pentalobus) is a little locomotive of a plant, with crushed-velvet leaves that turn a lovely bronze color in zones where the weather gets chilly but not so cold it dies back. It's hardy in zones 6 to 9, grows well in sun or shade and even moderately dry conditions, in average soil. You might also find it under the name Rubus calycinoides and the very similar cultivar 'Emerald Carpet'.
Last but not least is a sumac. No, not the poison kind — this is 'Gro-Low' sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low', zones 3 to 9), and it's not poisonous in the least. Grow it for its glossy blue-green leaves, buttery-yellow spring flowers, fuzzy red fruit in late summer and fire-engine-crimson fall color. This plant is one tough cookie and grows great in shade, but it picks up steam faster with sun and heat — the first place I saw it was a parking lot. And as if all that weren't enough, its parent plant is native to the entire eastern half of North America.
Q