Type of Plant: Perennial that’s native to the Eastern North America, hardy in zones 3 to 8
Why I Love This Plant: This is a groundcover plant, one of the best weed-smothering, drought tolerant plants for shade. It’s a support plant for butterflies, and a low-maintenance perennial as long as it’s planted where it can self-seed and spread. This is a great plant for shady slopes because it tolerates dry soil so well, and because weeds don’t stand a chance where this plant is established.
A Word to the Wise: This is not a perennial for a mixed flower garden, because it’s so vigorous. And if you welcome it in one part of your yard, you should be on the lookout for it elsewhere and pull it out if you don’t want it spreading. But since it’s a native plant, it’s a good problem solver for the right area.
Early in the season this plant has fresh, green foliage and black stems. It requires no care from the time it comes up in the springtime. In a tended landscape you could mow or string-trim it down in early winter or in the spring, but in a wild area or on a steep slope you can let it take care of itself.
The white flowers appear on this native groundcover in late summer or early fall. I have this plant growing under native holly trees that shed prickly leaves in the late-spring. Because the Eurybia grows so thick it hides the leaves and because it grows well I don’t have to get into that area for any tending.
One of the points of groundcovers is that they fill areas so you don’t have to mulch for weed control. Every year that this plant spread I had to do less mulching, and finally I didn’t need to mulch at all.
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