Winter Ground Covers and Vines

Using vines and ground covers in the landscape help gardeners add three-dimensional interest to their gardens. It can be difficult for plant lovers to find flowering vines and ground covers that will hold interest through cold winter months, but these perennials have winter interest.

Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) – Zones 7-10. Caroline Jessamine is also called False Jasmine. This evergreen vine can be grown up a trellis arch, fence or other structure and will provide year-round foliage to the landscape. The yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers begin to appear in late winter and blooms continue through mid-spring. Carolina jessamine will grow in part shade, but the flowering is better when grown in full sun gardens. A native vine, this perennial is easy to grow with few pests and diseases to worry about.

When gardeners grow Carolina jessamine as a ground cover, the evergreen will grow about 3′ tall by intertwining the runners around itself. When grown as a climbing vine it can reach 10 feet or longer. The ideal soil conditions for false jasmine are moderate moisture and rich, fertile soil so gardeners should add a layer of mulch around the base of the plant.

Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) – Zones 6-10. Winter jasmine is a deciduous vine that look similar to Carolina jessamine with bright yellow, non-fragrant flowers each spring. The twining stems are attractive in the winter, even though the foliage drops off. Winter jasmine grows well in full sun to part shade, but will tolerate colder temperatures and poor soil conditions better than the false jasmine.

If gardeners grow winter jasmine as a ground cover, it will actually turn into a mounding shrub before the runner stems grow along the ground, rooting themselves where they touch the soil. In garden landscapes where winter jasmine is grown as a vine, the plants can reach up to 15 feet. Japanese beetles are the only real pests of this native Chinese vine.

Stonecrop Sedums (Sedum rupestre) – Zones 5-8. Stonecrop sedums are succulent perennial plants that make excellent ground covers, growing only 4 to 6 inches tall. This evergreen perennial forms a thick, low-growing mat that will help choke out weeds in a mixed border area. Sedums also perform well in poor soil as long as it is well-drained. Summer flowers are not as showy as in some other sedum varieties, but in the cold winter temperatures, the foliage turn bright colors. The species S. rupestre is usually a reddish color, while named varieties like ‘Angelina’ might turn yellow-orange or other autumn colors. The fall foliage lasts all winter, making stonecrop sedum a great choice for winter containers, raised beds, rock gardens and other four-season landscapes.