These Companion Plants Will Pair Perfectly With Your Barrenwort Ground Cover

Barrenwort (Epimedium) is a group of perennial plants that thrive in the shade or dappled light in zones 5 through 8. These herbaceous, semi-evergreen plants make great ground covers because they only grow to heights of 8 to 10 inches while reaching widths of a little over a foot. In fact, this is a particularly easy-to-grow ground cover for unsightly tree roots. The tree provides necessary shade while the barrenwort fills the area with beautiful, delicate flowers in shades of purple, orange, pink, red, white, or yellow in the spring. If you already have barrenwort in your yard or are thinking about planting it and are looking for companion plants, bleeding hearts, coral bells, daffodils, tulips, and glade ferns pair nicely with this choice. This ground cover plant also grows well with hostas.

Companion planting is done for a few different reasons. It can help in deterring pests and attracting beneficial bugs, regulating light, boosting soil health and fertility, and keeping weeds at bay. You might want to choose plants that complement each other aesthetically, but it's always important to choose companions that have the same growing requirements.. For example, hostas, like barrenwort, love the shade and rich, slightly acidic soil that drains well. Hosta leaves come in varying shades of green, gold, and blue. Some even have green leaves with white edging or are cream-colored with dark edging. These shades look lovely alongside barrenwort's bright green leaves and delicate flowers. Glade ferns also work well, as they require similar soil and drainage, and their glossy green fronds can supply additional shade to the barrenwort.

Several flowers make beautiful companions for your barrenwort ground cover. Bulbs like daffodils and tulips produce flowers that only stay for a short time but add a gorgeous pop of color to anyone's landscape. Not only does barrenwort make a lovely backdrop for these wondrous flowers, but when they're finished blooming, the ground cover can hide the decaying leaves to keep the area looking tidy. Other flowers that receive an aesthetic boost from barrenwort plants blooming near the ground are bleeding hearts and coral bells.

Bleeding hearts thrive in partial shade, require similar soil requirements, and grow a little bit taller than barrenwort – between 9 inches and 1 1/2 feet. The heart-shaped deep pink blooms open in the summer, replacing the barrenwort's tender blossoms for continuous color. Plus, these plants are resistant to slugs, possibly repelling them from your barrenwort. Similarly, coral bells bloom in the spring and summer, producing greenish-purple flowers shaped like little bells that grow on relatively leafless stems. These bright blooms will bring pollinators that will also enjoy your barrenwort flowers, and the green foliage near the ground turns gold, purple, and red in the fall, which pairs well with the ground cover's leaves that also change hues in autumn.