Every yard presents both challenges and opportunities when it comes to plant selection. Beneath the canopy of trees and shadows of shrubs, in front of or entwined with the perennial layers that already exist, planting low-growing ground cover plants can be your next solid power play when it comes to landscape design.

Whether you have flat, full-sun expanses, steep slopes or pockets of deep shade, using the natural habits of ground covers to your advantage means you can quickly plant, grow, divide and conquer any problem spot or barren area with pizazz. From drought-tolerant succulents to alternative lawns, edible creepers to spreading, rooting vines, many hardy perennial ground cover plants are low-to-no maintenance, exhibiting showy characteristics that can be counted on year after year.

Often an afterthought, planting interesting ground covers can dramatically enhance the overall look and feel of any landscape. The list of ground covers that will thrive here is actually quite long. Below, here are just seven of my favorites to try in your yard.

CREEPING CHARLIE (Glechoma hederacea)

This carpeting perennial reaches just 6 inches in height but spreads so well by self-seeding and the creeping of its stems that it is often referred to as a pesky weed by those who don’t keep growth of this “ground ivy” in check. Small purple flowers appear in spring, but it’s the pretty scalloped edges on its heart-shaped leaves that make it such a beautiful addition to the garden.

Most cultivars have solid green leaves and do best in partially shaded spots.

But my favorite creeping charlie is the variegata, which thrives in sunnier spots and has creamy white marbling on light green leaves. According to creeping charlie grower Spring Creek Gardens in Junction City, with regular watering, the variegata will thrive in nearly all light conditions, from full sun to full shade.

CORSICAN MINT (Mentha requienii)

Although edible, this diminutive member of the mint family is usually grown as an ornamental. Mounding to only an inch tall at most, it spreads slowly, but as a thick, tight, bright green mat with a minty aroma. Able to withstand light foot traffic, Corsican mint is an excellent choice to fill in gaps between pavers or stepping stones. Plant 6 to 10 inches apart so plants will grow to meet for complete coverage. In beds, expect plants to grow about a foot across. In containers, the thick, rounded form spills over the edges for a dramatic effect when planted with contrasting plants such as spiky, tall grasses.

The plant’s small stature also makes it a great candidate for planting as a border between lawn edges and beds, where the mower will pass over without harm, or even around automatic sprinkler heads.

Plants can adapt to a wide range of locations, from full sun to partial shade, as long as they receive adequate moisture (the more sun, the more water is needed).

SCOTCH MOSS (Sagina subulata ‘aurea’)

Despite its name and appearance, this dainty and texturally pleasing plant is not a moss at all. Also referred to as pearlwort, this creeping perennial evergreen is golden yellow with tiny, star-shaped white flowers that cover the plant in spring. Just an inch or so tall, dense mats spread up to 12 inches wide and, like many other perennial ground cover plants, can be divided in early spring to create new plants.

With similar needs to Corsican mint, Scotch moss prefers moist, well-drained soil but will tolerate more sun and sandy soils as long as more moisture is provided. In fact, the pair work particularly well together in many applications, between stepping stones, in rock gardens or alternating at the fronts of beds.

BUGLEWEED (Ajuga)

Also a member of the mint family, this ground cover known as “bugleweed” is popular for both its small, spinach-shaped foliage and its prolific purplish-blue flowers, which appear steadily from spring through midsummer. Ajuga is short (6 to 9 inches) but spreads aggressively. An extensive root system makes it both especially helpful for erosion control and also quite hard to eradicate from unwanted areas.

Many ground cover plants share this fast-spreading characteristic — a blessing or a curse, depending on how and where you plant them.

Highly variable from one variety to the next, Ajuga can tolerate conditions from full, moist shade to dry, full sun. Forming a thick, compact rug of glossy leaves, colors can range from deep greens and almost bronze to the purplish-black of black scallop and the deep greenish-red of burgundy glow. Plant along steep slopes or with other perennials in contained areas separated by sidewalks or driveways.

GOLDEN CREEPING JENNY (Lysimachia nummularia ‘aurea’)

With rounded, striking, sunshine-yellow leaves that grow flat to the ground, golden creeping jenny adds a pop of bright color even when the cup-shaped yellow flowers aren’t in bloom. Much less aggressive than green-leaved varieties, although part-sun locations are recommended, in my experience, this golden beauty can withstand full sun and drier conditions once established. Hugging the ground at just an inch or two high, long stems reach outward, creeping out a foot or more before dropping new roots to continue sprawling.

Complementing other plants with lime-green or lighter foliage, golden creeping jenny looks particularly stunning beneath day lilies, yellow tulips and taller perennials with fuchsia blooms. Water regularly, especially during hot spells, until established. To divide, simply cut new plants from the parent after creeping stems have rooted and transplant into a new location.

DEAD NETTLE (Lamium maculatum)

Lamium, known commonly as dead nettle, is prized as one of the easiest-to-grow, tough-yet-showy perennial ground covers. This mint family member’s color and habits of different cultivars can vary widely, from the white flowers and silver foliage of white nancy to the purple flowers and frosty white leaves of ghost, or gorgeous shell pink, with pastel pink snap dragon-like flowers appearing above variegated green and white striped leaves.

Most prefer partial sun to light shade, but many will tolerate full sun with moist soil conditions, according to the National Gardening Association. It spreads vigorously but is not invasive, it says. Lamium will grow thick and lush to a fairly even height of 6 to 9 inches, no matter how far it spreads. This even, flat growth habit makes it a great choice for planting between taller, bushier perennials, or as mass plantings in larger areas, where the uniform look will lend a tidy appearance even with little or no care.

BISHOP’S WEED (Aegopodium)

“For a fast-growing ground cover in dry shade, you can’t beat variegated bishop’s weed,” according to Ellen Phillips and C. Colston Burell in Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials. They warn, however, that “left unchecked, bishops’s weed will quickly overtake less-vigorous plants.”

Bend’s Rosie Stevens agrees, having brought her mint-green and white variegated variegatum variety starts with her when she moved to Bend from Eugene. Now in her third summer here, the plants already dominate the bed beneath her large Ponderosa pine, adding a cool, bushy feel to the deeply shaded area.

According to Phillips and Burell, Steven’s variegatum is “less invasive and more ornamental” than others of the species.

Growing up to 18 inches tall, clusters of white flowers appear above 4-to-6-inch leaves. But it’s the thin, soft foliage that makes this plant so elegant, swaying in the breeze in the dappled shade beneath the canopy of a tree.

It’s the versatility of ground cover plants that attract me most to these low-growers. Some dainty and slow to spread; others aggressive and quick to cover large areas, even if harder to control. Showy colors and fancy forms, carpeting, creeping or climbing, ground cover plants exist in the underworld, hugging the soil, preventing erosion and acting as a living mulch to conserve water around the base of larger plants.

— Reporter: laurakessinger@gmail.com