Fast-Growing Plants That Help Fill Gaps in Southeast Gardens

Fill gaps southeast. A brief context to set expectations.

Fill gaps southeast: Quick notes

Discover fast-growing plants for the Southeast, selected by regional expert Jay Sifford. From juniper to tiarella, these versatile plants thrive in shady spots and help fill garden gaps quickly, making them dependable background players for Southeast landscapes.

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‘All Gold’ shore juniper

Photo courtesy of millettephotomedia.com

Name: Juniperus conferta ‘All Gold’

• Zones: 6–9
• Size: 1 foot tall and 8 feet wide
• Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average, well-drained soil
• Native range: Japan and Sakhalin Island, Russia

I’ve had a love affair with this juniper since I first saw it 20 years ago. What’s not to love? ‘All Gold’ isn’t as prickly as many junipers. It sports chartreuse foliage with reddish stems, and it is one of the few junipers that performs well in light shade. Some afternoon shade may be appropriate in the Deep South, but give it full sun in cooler climates for brighter chartreuse foliage. In partial shade, it will produce Granny Smith apple–colored growth. During winter, the foliage bronzes a bit, providing seasonal interest.

Give this plant well-drained conditions; soggy soil is its nemesis. In late autumn, clear any fallen leaves trapped inside the branches to prevent decaying organic matter from causing dieback over winter.

Read More: Designing with Chartreuse in Southeast Gardens

Ostrich fern

Name: Matteuccia struthiopteris

• Zones: 3–7
• Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide
• Conditions: Partial to full shade; medium to wet soil
• Native range: Eastern Asia, Europe, and northern and eastern North America

I’m known at local nurseries as Mr. Fern, so saying that this is arguably my favorite fern speaks volumes. Its spectacular vegetative fronds emerge in early spring as a harbinger of warmer weather. They resemble ostrich plumes, hence the name. The fronds, called “fiddleheads” when young, are often sautéed with butter as a culinary delight, but I cannot bear to cut them for consumption.

In mid- to late spring, the broad plumes unfurl from the center of the plant and persist through winter. I’ve grown this plant in both wet and average to dry soil. In the latter scenario, it grew only 1 foot tall and wide. In wet to soggy soil it will tolerate a little sun and will quickly realize its full potential to spread over a sizeable area.

‘Running Tapestry’ tiarella

Photo courtesy of millettephotomedia.com

Name: Tiarella cordifolia ‘Running Tapestry’

• Zones: 4–8
• Size: 10 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide
• Conditions: Partial to full shade; consistently moist soil
• Native range: Eastern North America

This variety of a North American native is exceptional in every way. It sports lovely heart-shaped foliage with dark purple veining. In spring, it sends up inflorescences covered in small star-shaped white flowers. While the straight species can be slow to fill in, ‘Running Tapestry’ puts out stolons that quickly but politely colonize. It looks particularly good when planted on a moist, shady slope where the stolons can work their way over boulders, like tiny mountain climbers. Related to heucheras (Heuchera spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9), which can be deer candy, tiarellas seem to be fairly deer- and rabbit-resistant. They are generally evergreen, although the foliage may bronze a bit in cold weather.

‘Streib’s Findling’ cotoneaster

Photo by Jennifer Benner

Name: Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Streib’s Findling’

• Zones: 6–8
• Size: ½ foot tall and 8 feet wide
• Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average, well-drained soil
• Native range: Central and southern China

I’ve always had a dislike for cotoneasters, except for this one, which you’ll find in my garden. It’s a workhorse of a ground cover that hugs the earth and climbs over rock masses, keeping the lowest of profiles. Its habit is tight, with roundish evergreen foliage. Small white flowers emerge in spring, followed by red berries, which the birds seem to enjoy, in late fall and winter.

‘Streib’s Findling’ is considered deer- and rabbit-resistant. It is great on a slope and versatile enough to be sought after by bonsai enthusiasts. When using it as a ground cover, space plants 4 feet apart, and watch them fill in within a couple of years.

Regional expert: Jay Sifford is an award-winning garden designer residing in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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