When planting a groundcover that will help keep weeds out of the garden, Kathy Jentz, author of Groundcover Revolution, recommends groundsel, Packera aurea. It's sometimes called Butterweed, Golden Ragwort or Senecio. "The basal foliage spreads across the ground and forms a dense groundcover," she writes.
Groundsel blooms in spring with yellow flowers on 12- to 24-in. stems. Jentz advises removing the spent flowers to keep it from self-sowing where you don't want it to grow. Groundsel is hardy in Zones 3 through 8 and prefers moist soils in shade or part sun.
Other groundcover options include Bugleweed, Ajuga reptans, a low-growing evergreen perennial that quickly spreads dense mats of foliage that choke out weeds; Stonecrop, a sedum with blue-green succulent foliage that will grow in almost any light or soil conditions; Lamium, a drought-tolerant nettle which has small snapdragon-like flowers and variegated foliage; Barrenwort, a semi-evergreen clumping perennial with tiny blooms resembling orchids inspiring nicknames Bishop’s Hat and Fairy Wings.
Photo by Kriszti Babicz on unsplash