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Pretty Plants That Double As Weed Control In
The Garden
By EZEKIEL MAINA
Hardy Geranium
Besides discouraging those unwelcome weeds in your garden, hardy geranium blooms with funnel-shaped flowers that splash your garden in shades of purple and lavender.
For best results, pick a sunny or partially shadowy spot with well-drained soils in USDA zones 4 through 8, and keep it flowering till spring and late summer with some deadheading.
Candytuft
This annual forms a dense mat that covers the soil, thwarting weed growth, and its blossoms come in white, pink, and red, sprinkling your garden with a romantic vibe.
A magnet for pollinators, it brings your garden to life. Grow it by sowing seeds in well-drained, alkaline soil in its goldilock zones 6 through 9 under total and partial sun.
Blue Mistflower
A multi-stemmed perennial, blue mistflower steps up as a colonizing groundcover and pulls in the looks and local bees with its blue-purple blooms.
To grow it, toss some seeds directly into the soil in fall, or play around with cuttings in late spring. The plant needs full sun and well-drained soil in zones 6 to 9.
Lavender
With spikes of purple to pink flowers, lavender forms a backdrop of dense gray-green foliage that grows in tight batches, discouraging the growth of ground-level weeds.
Plus, its fragrance adds extra zest to your yard. Give it sun and slightly alkaline soil in USDA zones 5 through 9, and it'll repay you with beauty while keeping weeds at bay.
Green-And-Gold
Green-and-gold is a ground-covering perennial with lush, semi-evergreen foliage that keeps your garden looking full and lively and attracts several pollinators.
The seeds of its star-like, yellow flowers are also a snack for birds. Green-and-gold prefers shade with well-draining, slightly acidic soil in zones 5 through 9.