Shady locations are a bit of a challenge when it comes to making them floriferous. Usually it is rather green plants that thrive in such places. But not the hydrangea bush, which also adorns shaded areas with its blooms. However, if this grows in height, the area around it looks quite bare. But you can change that by planting the shrub under. We list the best ground covers that can thrive beautifully under hydrangeas.
Under what conditions do the planting partners have to grow?
Under the hydrangea bushes, conditions are a little tougher. On the one hand there is the shade, which can be quite dense depending on the location and orientation as well as other tall plants in the area (most hydrangea species like partial shade, but also tolerate shady places). In addition, the flowering shrub does not tolerate lime very well and prefers a slightly acidic soil.
Which plants go well with hydrangeas?
- Plants that tolerate shade and partial shade.
- Those that tolerate slightly acidic soils.
- Varieties that prefer lime-poor soils.
Which ground covers to plant under hydrangeas?
So now we come to suitable, ground-covering plants that are suitable for underplanting the shrub. Plant the following groundcovers under hydrangeas to enhance your garden with beautiful foliage colors and blooms.
Ground cover with yellow flowers
Let’s start with some bright yellow accents amid dark leaf green. Plant these yellow groundcovers under hydrangeas:
Golderdbeere (Waldsteinia geoides)
The golden strawberry proves to be very robust and undemanding with its subtle yellow flowers, which delight the eye like small accents in the lush foliage. The 15 to 30 cm high plant prefers partial shade, so it is an advantage if some sunlight gets under the hydrangeas for the ground cover. She also really likes the acidic soil. Flowering occurs in April or May and attracts insects. They are therefore particularly bee-friendly plants.
sock flower (Epimedium)
The sock flower, also known as the elf flower, likes the same location. It grows as tall as the golden strawberry mentioned above and, in addition to flower colors such as yellow, white, orange, red, pink, and purple, also impresses with changing leaf colors. The perfect ground cover for shade and partial shade!
Other yellow flowering varieties:
- Carpet St. John’s Wort (Hypericum)
- First (Primrose)
- pigeon nettle (Lamium)
- Red dwarf barberry (also in orange and red)
- Lerchensport (Corydalis)
Ground cover flowers in lilac, pink and violet
Purple and pink transform the area below the hydrangea bushes into romantic spots. For example, plant these ground covers under hydrangeas:
Bergen (Bergen)
Bergenia score not only with their pink flowers (also in purple or white), but also with the foliage, which changes color in autumn. the plant is bee friendly and can easily be propagated by division to soon cover larger areas. It grows 25 to 40 cm high.
Plant the blue cushion (Aubrieta).
The name is somewhat misleading, because the ground cover does not actually flower in blue, but rather in a strong violet, but also in red, pink or white. The undemanding plant thrives in both sandy and heavy, loamy soil and only grows to a height of 8 to 15 cm. You can expect the flowers, which the bees also like very much, in April or May. If the fast-growing groundcover is planted under hydrangeas, it will soon cover the area like a carpet and create a wonderful contrast with its dense blooms.
Other varieties in these colors:
- elf flower (Epimedium)
- Large periwinkle (Vinca major)
- Small periwinkle (Vinca minor)
- Funkie (Hosta)
- carpet knotweed (Akin to bistorta)
- Kriechender Gunsel (Ajuga Reptans)
- Soapwort (soapwort)
- Storchschnabel (Geranium)
- pigeon nettle (Lamium)
Ground cover under hydrangeas – bring the popular and rare blue into the garden
Blue flowers are a rarity and are therefore highly valued. What luck that there are actually species that you can plant under hydrangeas.
memorial (Omphalodes verna)
Sky blue blooms (or white) will carpet the hydrangea bush when you plant the memorial underneath. The ground cover plant is hardy even without protection, but the above-ground parts die off in autumn. The flowering phase is in spring.
Lerchensporn (Corydalis)
If you like this flower, you can plant it not only as a ground cover under hydrangeas, but also in the form of tendrils or perennials up to one meter high. The only disadvantage of the short varieties is that the above-ground parts of the plant die off after flowering in May or June and the area you have planted becomes bare again until the next season. It is therefore better to plant them together with other ground covers. Otherwise, the foliage is also very nice to look at and the flowers smell pleasant.
Or how about:
- lungwort (Pulmonary)
- First (Primrose)
- Storchschnabel (Geranium)
White flowering varieties for shade and partial shade
If you prefer white varieties, it is best to choose from the following specimens:
- memorial (Omphalodes verna)
- lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)
- carpet knotweed (Akin to bistorta)
- Large periwinkle (Vinca major)
- Small periwinkle (Vinca minor)
- Soapwort (soapwort)
- Storchschnabel (Geranium)
- Kriechender Gunsel (Ajuga Reptans)
- lungwort (Pulmonary)
- First (Primrose)
- pigeon nettle (Lamium)