42 Plants That Spread Easily Including Prolific Clump Forming Options
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By ROY NICOL
Roy is a Professional Gardener and Horticultural Consultant, specialising in large garden year-round maintenance and garden development. He is an RHS Master of Horticulture and uses his research in the application of no-dig methods in ornamental garden settings. Roy has been a Professional Gardener for more than six years and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Professional Gardener's Guild and Association of Professional Landscapers (Professional Gardener).
IN THIS GUIDE
- Are Plants That Spread Easily Always A Good Thing?
- Choosing Plants That Spread Easily
- Top Self-Seeding Plants
- 1) Alchemilla mollis
- 2) Alliums
- 3) Angelica
- 4) Aquilegia
- 5) Borage
- 6) Calendula
- 7) Dipsacus fullonum
- 8) Erigeron
- 9) Foxgloves
- 10) Lamiums
- 11) Marigolds
- 12) Myosotis sylvatica
- 13) Nasturtiums
- 14) Poppies
- 15) Verbena bonariensis
- 16) Yarrow
- Larger Clump-Forming Perennials That Spread Easily
- 17) Acanthus mollis
- 18) Bergenia
- 19) Bronze Fennel
- 20) Comfrey
- 21) Lupins
- 22) Penstemon
- 23) Persicaria
- 24) Phlox paniculata
- Ground Cover Perennials That Spread Easily
- 25) Aubretia
- 26) Campanula
- 27) Clovers
- 28) Lily of the Valley
- 29) Creeping Thyme
- 30) Crocosmia
- 31) Woodruff
- 32) Hardy Geraniums
- 33) Heuchera
- 34) Mentha (Mints)
- 35) Pachysandra
- 36) Sedums
- 37) Vinca minor
- Weeds Or Useful Garden Plants?
- 38) Ground Elder
- 39) Chickweed
- 40) Nettles
- 41) Cleavers
- 42) Dandelions
- Introducing Spreading Plants
- References
Self-seeders and clump-forming and ground cover perennials are all plants that spread to fill your garden easily.
The best gardens are gardens that just continue to look better and better over time. Creating that lush and abundant look can sometimes seem a challenge.
But by choosing plants and flowers that spread easily, you can create a garden that fills out and looks more established, much more quickly and with much less effort on your part.
When you choose prolific self-seeders and perennial plants which spread easily, you can fill your garden far more easily, and also at a much lower cost.
Nature will do a lot of the work for you, filling in gaps and covering bare soil in your garden.
You won’t need to buy as many plants or sow as many seeds to create your garden.
Are Plants That Spread Easily Always A Good Thing?
While some plants which spread easily can be beneficial for gardeners in the UK, it is important to recognise that some plants which spread easily can become invasive.
It is also important not to harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive, non-native species which might become a problem in your area.1Invasive Species. (n.d.). National Geographic. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/invasive-species/
Sometimes, when it comes to which plants are beneficial spreaders, and which are invasive – location is key.
Be sure to check that no harmful plants (or plants that you don’t want to spread too profusely) are included in your garden design, as allowing certain invasive, non-native species into the wild can make you liable for prosecution and responsible for damage caused.2How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading. (2014, September 23). GOV.UK. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-of-harmful-invasive-and-non-native-plants
It is important to think about the location, and not to place a plant that spreads too profusely in the wrong spot.
Choosing Plants That Spread Easily
Remember, if you want plants to thrive and to spread, make sure you choose the right plants for the right places.
Plants will not self-seed or spread to fill an area if they are not provided with the right soil for their needs, and the right environmental conditions.
Always make sure you understand the conditions in your garden before you make planting or seed sowing choices, because the plants which spread incredibly easily in one area may not do so in another.
How quickly plants will spread can not just differ from one end of the British Isles to the other – it can also differ from one garden to the next, depending on a range of microclimatic factors.
Top Self-Seeding Plants
If you are looking for plants and flowers that spread easily, the first category of plants to consider are self-seeders.
Many annual, biennial and perennial plants can be excellent self-seeders in the right conditions.
Remember, however, how successfully individual plants will self-seed will be determined by the environmental conditions in your particular garden.
Some excellent self-seeding plants are:
1) Alchemilla mollis
2) Alliums
3) Angelica
4) Aquilegia
5) Borage
6) Calendula
7) Dipsacus fullonum
8) Erigeron
9) Foxgloves
10) Lamiums
11) Marigolds
12) Myosotis sylvatica
13) Nasturtiums
14) Poppies
15) Verbena bonariensis
16) Yarrow
Some self-seeders can be good choices for inclusion in predominantly perennial, low maintenance garden beds and borders, or even be allowed to self-seed as companion plants in a polyculture vegetable garden – where flowers can often be wonderfully beneficial to bring in bees and other pollinators, and other beneficial wildlife.
Larger Clump-Forming Perennials That Spread Easily
If you want to quickly establish an impactful perennial bed or border, you will want to include plenty of clump-forming perennials.
Some clump-forming perennials that tend to spread well and easily include, but certainly are not limited to:
17) Acanthus mollis
18) Bergenia
19) Bronze Fennel
20) Comfrey
21) Lupins
22) Penstemon
23) Persicaria
24) Phlox paniculata
There are, of course, plenty of other beautiful and impactful perennials which you can use to create the perfect perennial border or another planting area in your garden with remarkably little effort on your part.
Ground Cover Perennials That Spread Easily
Perhaps the parts of your garden where plants that spread easily are required are areas where ground cover is required.
Fortunately, no matter whether you are gardening in full sun, partial shade or full shade – and no matter what other conditions you can provide, there are plenty of great ground cover plants to consider.
Here are some ground cover perennials that spread easily for you to consider – some suited to sunnier spots, and some to more shaded positions:
25) Aubretia
26) Campanula
27) Clovers
28) Lily of the Valley
29) Creeping Thyme
30) Crocosmia
31) Woodruff
32) Hardy Geraniums
33) Heuchera
34) Mentha (Mints)
35) Pachysandra
36) Sedums
37) Vinca minor
Again, of course, these are just a select few of the many different ground cover plants that you could consider for your garden.
Weeds Or Useful Garden Plants?
When we are talking about plants that spread easily, we cannot conclude without making some mention of weeds.
In an organic garden, rethinking weeds can help us understand that sometimes, weeds are just plants that thrive in our particular environment.
While they are not always the plants we want – sometimes they can be extremely useful additions to our gardens.
Some common weeds which spread very easily, but which can also be beneficial include:
38) Ground Elder
Often considered a pernicious weed, which can quickly take over, ground elder can also make excellent ground cover, and is also edible.
“I cannot over-emphasise how difficult it is to eradicate this weed due to its masses of tangled roots which propagate from tiny pieces left in the ground when attempting to weed it out,” shares Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol.
“It should not be introduced to a garden under any circumstances but if already in situ, can be harvested as indicated.”
39) Chickweed
A weed which spreads quickly by seed, but which is a very useful wild edible which can also be useful as a companion plant in your vegetable garden.
40) Nettles
The common stinging nettle is also a weed that spreads very, very easily, but it is also a delicious edible plant, with many other uses.
41) Cleavers
These sticky plants can take over an area of your garden very quickly.
But rather than eradicating them altogether, think about the fact that these are useful edible and plants.
42) Dandelions
Of course many gardeners hate dandelions to take over their lawns.
But dandelions are another flowering plant that spreads quickly which can be very useful in your garden, and also delivers a range of yields.
These are just a few examples of some common weeds which spread easily, but which may be beneficial rather than something you don’t want in your garden.
This brings home that sometimes, weeds are just plants that thrive and spread easily where you live.
Introducing Spreading Plants
Plants that spread easily can make things a lot easier and lower maintenance.
So rather than thinking of quick-spreading plants as garden ‘thugs’, it can sometimes be a good idea to give them a second look.
This helps us to recognise the many benefits that, as plants ideally suited to the environment, they can bring.
Plants that spread easily always need to be considered carefully before they are placed in a garden or allowed to thrive.
But in the right places, these prolific plants can make your gardening easier, and help you create a beautiful planting scheme, wherever you live.
