Choosing the right ground cover to plant around fruit trees can make a big difference in the health of your garden. Ground covers not only help with weed control but can also improve soil quality, retain moisture, and provide a natural aesthetic that complements your fruit trees. The best choices often depend on your climate, soil type, and what you’re hoping to achieve in your garden. Some ground covers are great for suppressing weeds, while others attract beneficial insects or even help with soil enrichment.
When selecting ground covers, it’s important to consider how they’ll interact with your trees. Some will thrive in the partial shade beneath fruit trees, while others prefer more sun. The goal is to find plants that work with your fruit trees, enhancing the overall health of the garden and preventing competition for resources. In this guide, we’ll go over 22 great ground cover options that can help you create a balanced and thriving environment around your fruit trees.
White Clover
White clover is a fantastic ground cover for fruit trees due to its nitrogen-fixing ability. This means it can naturally enrich the soil, leading to healthier fruit trees. The small, white blossoms not only add charm but also attract pollinators, aiding in fruit production.
White clover is low-growing and spreads quickly, covering bare soil effectively. It requires minimal maintenance and can tolerate various soil conditions. Regular trimming encourages denser growth, making it an ideal choice for orchard settings.
Consider planting white clover to enhance your garden’s biodiversity and support your fruit trees.
Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme is a low-maintenance ground cover that thrives around fruit trees. Its aromatic leaves release a pleasant scent when brushed, making it delightful to have in your garden. This hardy plant withstands foot traffic, making it perfect for pathways too.
With its tiny purple or pink flowers, creeping thyme attracts beneficial insects. Its dense mat formation helps suppress weeds, reducing competition for nutrients and water.
For a fragrant and functional ground cover, creeping thyme is an excellent choice, offering both beauty and practicality beneath your fruit trees.
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is cherished for its lovely fragrance and prolific blooming. This ground cover produces clusters of tiny white, pink, or purple flowers, creating a picturesque scene under fruit trees. Its fast-growing nature allows it to quickly cover the ground.
Besides its beauty, sweet alyssum attracts beneficial insects, promoting pollination and pest control. It thrives in various soil types and requires little care, making it ideal for busy gardeners.
Incorporate sweet alyssum beneath your fruit trees to enjoy its charm and the added benefits to your garden ecosystem.
Strawberry
Strawberry plants make an excellent ground cover choice for fruit trees. They offer the dual benefits of covering the ground and providing a delicious harvest. The lush green leaves and red berries create a visually appealing contrast in your garden.
Strawberries are relatively easy to grow and help conserve soil moisture, benefiting the fruit trees they surround. They also attract pollinators and beneficial insects.
For a practical and tasty ground cover option, consider planting strawberry plants beneath your fruit trees. Enjoy the blend of aesthetics and produce they provide.
Chamomile
Chamomile is not just a herb for teas but also a charming ground cover for fruit trees. Its daisy-like white flowers and feathery foliage add a cottage garden feel to your landscape. Known for its calming properties, chamomile also attracts beneficial insects.
This plant is drought-tolerant and requires minimal maintenance, making it suitable for busy gardeners. Chamomile can enhance the soil by releasing nutrients as it decomposes.
Plant chamomile under your fruit trees to enjoy its beauty and the health benefits it brings to your garden ecosystem.
Dwarf Mondo Grass
Dwarf mondo grass is an attractive ground cover option featuring dense, dark green foliage. Its grass-like appearance adds texture and a lush look to areas under fruit trees. This slow-growing plant forms a compact mat, reducing the need for frequent maintenance.
Dwarf mondo grass is tolerant of shade, making it perfect for spaces under tree canopies. It requires little water once established, contributing to its low-maintenance nature.
Consider dwarf mondo grass for a tidy, evergreen ground cover that complements the natural beauty of your fruit trees.
Mint
Mint is a versatile ground cover known for its vigorous growth and refreshing aroma. Its spreading nature makes it excellent for quickly covering soil around fruit trees. However, its aggressive growth needs to be managed to prevent it overtaking other plants.
The aromatic leaves of mint can deter pests and attract beneficial insects, supporting the health of your garden. Regular harvesting can keep its growth in check and provide you with fresh mint for culinary uses.
Plant mint under fruit trees for a fragrant and functional ground cover that can enhance your garden’s ecosystem.
Oregano
Oregano is a hardy ground cover, perfect for areas around fruit trees. Its small, aromatic leaves provide excellent coverage, reducing weed growth and soil erosion. Oregano thrives in well-drained soil and can handle dry conditions well.
The plant is not only useful as a culinary herb but also attracts pollinators with its small flowers. Regular harvesting encourages bushy growth and ensures a continuous supply of fresh oregano leaves.
For a culinary addition to your garden that benefits your fruit trees, consider planting oregano as a fragrant and functional ground cover.
Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny, also known as Lysimachia nummularia, is a vigorous ground cover with trailing lime-green leaves. Its cascading habit creates a lush look under fruit trees, especially in shaded or partially shaded areas.
This plant is prized for its ability to spread quickly, covering bare spots effectively. It thrives in moist conditions but can tolerate some drought once established. The bright foliage can add vibrant color to your garden.
Use creeping Jenny to achieve a lively and attractive ground cover that complements the beauty of your fruit trees.
Vinca Minor
Vinca minor, or periwinkle, is a classic choice for ground cover around fruit trees. Its glossy leaves and charming periwinkle blue flowers create a lovely visual contrast in shaded areas.
Vinca minor is tough and adaptable, thriving in various soil types and conditions. It forms a dense mat that suppresses weeds and reduces soil erosion. Despite its resilience, it requires minimal maintenance once established.
For a timeless and effective ground cover, consider vinca minor for its beauty and practicality under your fruit trees.
Lamb’s Ear
Lamb’s ear is known for its soft, fuzzy leaves that add a unique texture to any garden. This ground cover is excellent for creating a silvery carpet under fruit trees, providing contrast to lush green foliage.
Lamb’s ear is drought-tolerant and thrives in well-drained soil, making it a low-maintenance option. It forms a dense mat that effectively suppresses weeds.
Incorporating lamb’s ear can add a touch of whimsy to your garden while supporting the health of your fruit trees with its resilient nature.
Ajuga
Ajuga, or bugleweed, is a striking ground cover known for its deep purple foliage and spikes of blue flowers. It thrives in partial shade, making it perfect for areas beneath fruit trees.
This plant spreads quickly, forming dense mats that suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. Ajuga’s eye-catching colors add visual interest to your garden throughout the year.
Consider ajuga for a colorful and resilient ground cover that enhances the beauty of your fruit trees and contributes to a healthy garden ecosystem.
Sedum
Sedum, also known as stonecrop, is a succulent ground cover ideal for dry areas around fruit trees. Its fleshy leaves store water, enabling it to thrive in challenging conditions.
Sedum’s star-shaped yellow flowers attract pollinators, supporting the fruiting process of your trees. It requires minimal maintenance and is perfect for rock gardens or sunny spots.
For a drought-tolerant and visually appealing ground cover, sedum is an excellent choice to complement your fruit trees and enhance your garden’s resilience.
Hosta
Hosta plants are renowned for their large, decorative leaves, making them a popular choice for shaded areas under fruit trees. Their lush foliage adds texture and color, creating a serene woodland garden feel.
Although primarily grown for their leaves, hostas also produce lovely flowers on tall stalks. These plants are low-maintenance and can thrive in a variety of soil conditions.
To add a touch of elegance and lush greenery around your fruit trees, consider planting hostas as a functional and aesthetic ground cover.
Wild Ginger
Wild ginger, with its heart-shaped leaves, is a charming ground cover that thrives in the shade beneath fruit trees. This plant forms a dense mat, preventing weed growth and conserving soil moisture.
Wild ginger’s subtle brown flowers add intrigue, though they often remain hidden under the foliage. It is low-maintenance and can adapt to various soil conditions.
For a shade-loving ground cover that offers both beauty and practicality, wild ginger is a superb choice to enhance the environment around your fruit trees.
Ferns
Ferns are ideal for creating a lush, natural ground cover in shaded areas under fruit trees. Their delicate, arching fronds add a touch of elegance and a woodland vibe to your garden.
Ferns thrive in moist, well-drained soil and can tolerate a range of light conditions. They require little maintenance once established, making them perfect for busy gardeners.
For a timeless and graceful addition to your garden, consider using ferns as a ground cover to complement the beauty and tranquility of your fruit trees.
Lavender
Lavender is a beloved ground cover known for its aromatic flowers and soothing scent. Its purple flower spikes create a stunning visual contrast under fruit trees, especially in sunny spots.
Beyond its beauty, lavender attracts pollinators, which can enhance fruit production. It thrives in well-drained soil and requires minimal watering once established.
For a fragrant and visually appealing ground cover that supports your garden’s ecosystem, consider planting lavender beneath your fruit trees, bringing both beauty and function to your landscape.
Yarrow
Yarrow is a hardy ground cover known for its feathery leaves and flat-topped clusters of yellow flowers. This plant is drought-tolerant and thrives in sunny areas around fruit trees.
Yarrow’s flowers attract pollinators, supporting the fruiting process. It is a low-maintenance option that can adapt to various soil conditions, making it ideal for diverse gardens.
For a resilient and beneficial ground cover that complements your fruit trees, consider yarrow. Its vibrant blooms and hardiness make it a valuable addition to your gardening efforts.
Bee Balm
Bee balm is a vibrant ground cover that attracts bees and butterflies with its bright red flowers. Its striking appearance adds visual interest and supports pollination around fruit trees.
This plant thrives in well-drained soil and sunny locations. Bee balm can spread quickly, forming dense clumps that suppress weeds and retain soil moisture.
For a colorful and functional ground cover, bee balm is an excellent choice to enhance your garden’s biodiversity while beautifying the space beneath your fruit trees.
Dianthus
Dianthus, also known as pinks, is a charming ground cover with frilly pink and white flowers. This plant thrives in sunny areas around fruit trees, adding a vibrant pop of color.
Dianthus is low-maintenance and can adapt to various soil types. Its flowers attract pollinators, enhancing the fruiting process. Regular deadheading promotes continuous blooming throughout the season.
For a delightful and easy-care ground cover, dianthus is a great choice to bring both beauty and practicality to your garden, enriching the space beneath your fruit trees.
Blue Star Creeper
Blue star creeper is a dainty ground cover with tiny blue flowers that create a carpet-like effect under fruit trees. Its compact growth habit is perfect for filling in empty spaces.
This plant thrives in a variety of light conditions, from full sun to partial shade. It requires minimal maintenance and can handle moderate foot traffic, making it suitable for pathways.
For a subtle yet charming ground cover, blue star creeper is an excellent choice to complement your fruit trees, adding both beauty and practicality to your garden.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed, also known as ajuga, is a robust ground cover with deep green leaves and striking blue flower spikes. It thrives in shaded areas, making it ideal for planting under fruit trees.
This plant forms a dense mat, effectively suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture. Bugleweed’s flowers attract bees and butterflies, supporting pollination.
For a resilient and attractive ground cover option, bugleweed can enhance the beauty and health of your garden, providing a lush environment for your fruit trees.