Easy to Grow Invasive

Like lilyturf, some ground covers are invasive. You will have to weigh your...

Like lilyturf, some ground covers are invasive. You will have to weigh your concerns about deer control against any concerns about their invasiveness before using these plants. As with lilyturf, these ground covers are such vigorous growers that you may wish to keep them in check:

Bugleweed: Also called ajuga (Ajuga reptans), this invasive plant is not eaten by invading deer, making it useful for deer control. It bears a bluish-purple bloom. Ajuga can be grown in zones 3 to 10 and generally stays short, although when in flower, it gains a few inches. Ajuga is easy-to-grow—too easy, really. It will grow in sun or part shade, and it is not fussy about soil so long as the drainage is good. It will form a dense mat and provide you with both attractive foliage and flowers. But it will pop up all over the landscape, often in places where it is unwelcome.

Creeping myrtle or periwinkle vinca vine: Vinca minor is a perennial ground cover widely used as a grass substitute in lawn areas and effective in deer control. Grown in zones 4 to 8, creeping myrtle requires good drainage. This shade-loving, deer-resistant ground cover is often planted under large trees, where the homeowner's choice of lawn grass would quickly have given up for lack of enough sunlight. Creeping myrtle's vine grows only 3 to 6 inches off the ground, but its trailing stems with evergreen leaves spread up to 18 inches. The stems root at the nodes as they creep along the ground and spread rapidly to form an attractive ground cover. While attractive, it is invasive. Keep it in check to avoid having it spread where you do not want it to. Creeping myrtle puts out a bluish-lavender flower in spring and blooms here and there throughout summer.

Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) and deadnettle (Lamium maculatum):These plants are close relatives. Both are invasive (although yellow archangel is the worse offender), variegated, and shade-loving perennials in need of good drainage. They are useful for landscapers seeking deer control. They can be grown in zones 4 to 9 and attain a height of 1 to 2 feet with a similar spread. Yellow archangel has yellow flowers, deadnettle has purplish or white flowers, both are prized more for their leaves. The leaves of yellow archangel are a medium-green color, interrupted by splotches of silver. Deadnettle leaves have more silver in them than green. Once established, both are considered good plants for dry shade.