How to Plant Vines & Ground Covers for Any Garden

December 19, 2025

Vine plants and Ground Covers plants look great in any style of yard. They fill in empty locations, smooth rough edges, and make scenery look more beautiful. Vines are great for fences, walls, and trellises because they grow up or trail beautifully. Ground covers cover the soil, keeping weeds down and keeping water in. Both choices help keep the soil from washing away and require less long-term yard care. If you put them properly, they will do well for many years with little care.

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This guide tells you how to choose the right plants, get the area ready, put them correctly, and keep the plants growing well. Starting out in gardening can be easy with reliable plants like periwinkles, which do well in a wide range of environments and add interest all year long.

How Do You Choose Between Vines and Ground Covers?

Which plants or ground covers to use depends on the size and style of your yard. Vines are great if you want protection, shade, or something that grows up and down. They can grow up or out, and they do well on fences, trellises, and arbours. A lot of plants that grow vines also have flowers, which add colour and scent to the yard at different times of the year.

Ground covers, on the other hand, lie flat on the ground and cover it. You can put them in empty locations, cover slopes, or grow them under trees. If you use ground cover garden plants, you won't have to mow or mulch as much, and they will help stop weeds and soil loss. Light, soil moisture, and how quickly you want coverage are all factors to consider when choosing the best plant for ground cover.

Vine plants are better if you want structure and height. Ground covers are best if you want to cover all of the soil with little work. Some farmers even mix the two to make tiered gardening. The Wisteria Tree is a beautiful plant that grows quickly and makes a big impact in the landscape.

What Is the Correct Way to Plant Vines and Ground Covers?

When you plant vines and ground covers the right way, they get strong roots and spread out evenly across your yard. Careful preparation of the soil, spacing and early care are very important for long-term success. When planted properly, both vines and ground covers become low-maintenance plants that improve the garden's appearance and keep the soil healthy.

Set up the area for planting.
Remove weeds, rocks and other debris from the soil. It is important for ground cover garden plants that the ground is loose so that the roots can spread out easily.
Check for sun and water flow.
Check to see how much sun the area gets and make sure there are no pools of water. Good ventilation keeps roots from rotting and helps plants grow healthily.
Make the right-sized hole.
The hole should be the same depth as the root ball and twice as big. This lets the roots grow without any stress.
Put the plant in the right place.
Place the plant so that the soil is level with the top of the root ball. Do not plant too deeply.
How to properly space plants
For fast-growing types of vining plants, make sure there is enough space between plants so they can spread.
After planting, water well.
Deep watering helps the roots settle down and lessens the stress of transplanting.
Put down some light mulch.
Mulch helps the soil retain moisture and prevents weeds from growing.

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Best Locations for Vines and Ground Covers

Vine plants do best next to walls, fences, trellises and pergolas, where they can easily climb and spread out without getting in the way of other plants. Ground Covers plants do well under trees, along paths and on hills, where they keep the soil healthy and stop weeds from growing. Running Cedar is an excellent plant for wild or shady yard areas because it grows quickly and adds colour all year.

Wooden fences and trellises
These locations are great for vines because they provide natural support for climbing and rising without choking out other plants.
Garden walls and pergolas
When grown next to walls or pergolas, vines provide shade and visual interest while making good use of vertical space.
Under trees and large shrubs
Ground Covers plants do best in shady areas under trees, where they protect the earth and stop weeds from growing.
Slopes and uneven terrain
Ground covers planted on pitches help control decay while holding soil in place during heavy rain.
Along paths and borders
Ground Covers plants and vines plants both soften sharp edges and make it easy to move from one yard area to another.
Natural or woodland garden areas
Spreading plants, like Running Cedar, do best in open areas where they can grow without much care.

Step by Step Guide to Plant Vines and Ground Covers

Pick out the right plants for your garden
Choose plants depending on how much sun, shade and soil they need. While many plants that grow vines do better in shade, some vine-growing plants prefer full sun.
Choose the best place to put
Choose locations with bare ground that ground covers can cover and plants can climb and spread easily. Based on light and room, this helps select the best plant for ground cover.
Make sure that the soil is ready
Get rid of weeds, break up compacted soil and improve drainage to help roots grow in a healthy way.
Make sure the space is right
Place plants based on how big they will get. Various types of vining plants need space to grow without touching other plants.
Drill wide planting holes
To make it easy for roots to grow, holes should be twice as big as the root ball.
Carefully place plants
To maintain plants from rotting and to allow them to grow strong, place each one at ground level.
Fill in and pack down the soil.
Gently press the earth around the roots to remove any air pockets.
Use a lot of water after planting
Deep watering helps ground plants and bushes grow quickly.
Early on, guide and train vines
So that the growth stays neat, point the plants toward trellises or walls.
Regularly check on growth
Watch how the disease is spreading to make sure it spreads evenly and grows healthily.

Conclusion

When planted correctly, vines and ground covers make gardens look better, require less care and last longer. These plants do well in any landscape as long as the soil is prepared, spaced out and placed correctly. Tennessee Wholesale Nursery offers trusted choices like Hairy Buttercup, Wisteria Tree, Periwinkle Plants, Running Cedar and European Ginger.