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Plants That Hide Ugly Garden Problems
Many garden problems are easier to solve with plants than with hardscaping. Whether you're trying to hide fading bulb foliage, soften a retaining wall, cover bare soil, or make a foundation planting feel more intentional, the right plants can help disguise problem areas while adding beauty at the same time.
Often the most successful gardens aren't the ones without challenges—they're the ones where those challenges have been thoughtfully incorporated into the design.
Simple Ways Plants Can Improve a Garden
Some of the most effective garden solutions aren't expensive projects—they're plants. The following ideas use layering, ground covers, and strategic plant placement to help gardens feel fuller, softer, and more intentional.
Not Sure What To Plant In Problem Areas?
Many of the most frustrating garden issues—bare soil, fading bulb foliage, exposed foundations, retaining walls, and empty spaces beneath shrubs—can often be improved with the right plant combinations.
A custom garden plan takes the guesswork out of choosing plants that work together. Instead of solving one problem at a time, you'll receive recommendations designed to create a garden that feels fuller, more cohesive, and easier to maintain over time.
Plants That Hide Dying Bulb Foliage
Bulbs bring joy with their early spring displays. Then their foliage often becomes unattractive as summer approaches. After blooming, spring bulbs begin directing energy back into the bulb to prepare for next year's flowers. During this time, the foliage should be left in place until it naturally yellows and dies back.
This can leave gardens looking messy. The solution is to surround bulbs with perennials and ground covers that begin filling in as bulb foliage starts fading. As these plants expand, they help disguise yellowing leaves. The result is a garden that remains attractive throughout the season.
Plants To Consider
Full Sun
Strawberries
Daylilies
Hardy Geranium
Catmint
Salvia
Coreopsis
Lavender
Blanket Flower
Creeping Thyme
Part Shade/Shade
Hostas
Coral Bells
Astilbe
Foam Flower
Brunnera
Japanese Forest Grass
Unique Pairings
Daffodils + strawberries
Tulips + hardy geranium
Alliums + catmint
Daffodils + salvia
Tulips + creeping thyme
Crocus + strawberries
How To Use Them
Plant bulbs among perennials and ground covers that emerge slightly later in spring. As bulb foliage begins to yellow, surrounding plants naturally expand and hide the leaves while still allowing the bulbs to store energy for next year's blooms.
Strawberries are particularly useful because their low-growing foliage quickly spreads around daffodils and tulips, helping disguise fading leaves while providing an edible harvest. Daylilies are another classic pairing because their arching foliage expands just as spring bulbs begin declining.
Plants That Soften Retaining Walls
Retaining walls often create harsh lines in the landscape that can feel disconnected from the surrounding garden. Cascading and mounding plants help soften these edges by spilling naturally over the wall, creating a smoother transition between hardscape and planting areas.
Retaining walls can also serve as useful barriers for vigorous plants that tend to spread aggressively, such as mint, raspberries, or certain ground covers.
Plants To Consider
Full Sun
Strawberries
Daylilies
Hardy Geranium
Catmint
Salvia
Coreopsis
Lavender
Blanket Flower
Creeping Thyme
Part Shade/Shade
Hostas
Coral Bells
Astilbe
Foam Flower
Brunnera
Japanese Forest Grass
Unique Pairings
Daffodils + strawberries
Tulips + hardy geranium
Alliums + catmint
Daffodils + salvia
Tulips + creeping thyme
Crocus + strawberries
How To Use Them
Plant bulbs among perennials and ground covers that emerge slightly later in spring. As bulb foliage begins to yellow, surrounding plants naturally expand and hide the leaves while still allowing the bulbs to store energy for next year's blooms.
Strawberries are particularly useful because their low-growing foliage quickly spreads around daffodils and tulips, helping disguise fading leaves while providing an edible harvest. Daylilies are another classic pairing because their arching foliage expands just as spring bulbs begin declining.
Plants That Hide Foundations
Large blank foundations can make homes feel disconnected from the surrounding landscape. While shrubs are often used to soften these areas, a combination of shrubs, perennials, and ground covers typically creates a more natural and visually appealing transition between the home and garden.
Layered plantings can help disguise exposed foundations, add seasonal interest, and make the landscape feel more intentional throughout the year.
Plants To Consider
Sunny Foundations
Spirea
Dwarf Boxwood
Salvia
Catmint
Coreopsis
Lavender
Daylilies
Creeping Thyme
Hardy Geranium
Coneflower
Shade Foundations
Hydrangea
Hosta
Coral Bells
Astilbe
Brunnera
Japanese Forest Grass
Foam Flower
Sweet Woodruff
Ferns
Epimedium
How To Use Them
When planting near a foundation, it is important to consider the mature size of each plant rather than its size at purchase. Large shrubs and trees should be placed far enough from the house to allow for future growth, proper airflow, and access for maintenance.
Avoid planting aggressive spreaders or oversized shrubs directly against the foundation where they may eventually block windows, trap moisture, or require constant pruning. Instead, use a layered approach by placing appropriately sized shrubs toward the back of the bed, mid-sized perennials in front of them, and ground covers along the edge. This creates a softer transition from the house to the landscape while helping the garden remain attractive and manageable as plants mature.
Plants That Cover Bare Soil
Large areas of exposed ground can make gardens feel unfinished, especially in newer landscapes where shrubs and perennials have not yet reached their mature size. Bare soil can also encourage weed growth, increase moisture loss, and create visual gaps between larger plants.
Ground covers help connect planting layers, soften transitions, and create a more cohesive garden while reducing the amount of maintenance required over time.
Plants To Consider
Sunny Areas
Creeping Thyme
Hardy Geranium
Creeping Phlox
Ice Plant
Sedum
Creeping Jenny
Dianthus
Strawberries
Hens & Chicks
Shade Areas
Sweet Woodruff
Foam Flower
Woodland Phlox
Bugleweed
Epimedium
Lamium
Wild Ginger
Viola
How To Use Them
Ground covers work best when repeated throughout a planting bed rather than confined to a single area. Plant them around shrubs, between perennials, along pathways, and near bed edges to help tie the entire garden together. While many ground covers spread over time, it is important to allow adequate space for larger plants to mature. Avoid planting aggressive spreaders directly on top of young perennials that will eventually need room to grow.
In newly planted gardens, ground covers can provide an attractive solution while waiting for shrubs and perennials to fill in. As the garden matures, they help suppress weeds, shade the soil, retain moisture, and reduce the amount of exposed mulch visible throughout the landscape.
Plants That Soften Pathways
Hard pathway edges can sometimes make a garden feel rigid or disconnected from the surrounding landscape. Adding low-growing plants along walkways helps blur the line between hardscape and planting beds, creating a softer, more natural appearance.
Pathway plantings can also add fragrance, seasonal color, texture, and pollinator support while making the garden feel more welcoming and established.
Plants To Consider
Sunny Pathways
Creeping Thyme
Dianthus
Blanketflower
Coreposis
Alyssum
Lavender
Catmint
Creeping Phlox
Strawberries
Ice Plant
Sedum
Shade Pathways
Violas
Coral Bells
Butterfly Scaboios
Violas
Sweet Woodruff
Foam Flower
Lamium
Woodland Phlox
Bugleweed
Wild Ginger
Epimedium
How To Use Them
Plant pathway flowers and ground covers in drifts rather than single rows. Allow some plants to gently spill toward the walkway while maintaining enough space for comfortable foot traffic. Fragrant plants such as lavender and creeping thyme are particularly effective along paths because they release their scent when brushed against. Repeating the same plant throughout multiple sections of a pathway helps create rhythm and cohesion while making the garden feel larger and more intentional.
Plants That Fill Gaps Beneath Shrubs
As shrubs mature, they often create bare spaces beneath their branches where mulch becomes visible and few plants thrive. These areas can make otherwise attractive planting beds feel unfinished.
Fortunately, many ground covers and shade-tolerant perennials are well suited to growing beneath established shrubs, helping create a fuller, more layered garden while reducing exposed soil and weed growth.
Plants To Consider
Sunny Shrub Borders
Dwarf Fountain Grass
Coral Bells
Russian Sage
Salvia
Yarrow
Gaura
Blue Fescue
Penstemon
Shade Shrub Borders
Epimedium
Bigroot Geranium
Allegheny Spurge
Solomon’s Seal
Carex (Shade Sedge)
Hellebores
Barren Strawberry
Coral Bells
Christmas Fern
Golden Ragwort
How To Use Them
Plants growing beneath shrubs must often compete for water and nutrients while tolerating varying amounts of shade. Choose species that are well adapted to these conditions and repeat them beneath multiple shrubs throughout the landscape to create a more cohesive appearance.
Ground covers can help hide exposed mulch while larger foliage plants such as hostas, ferns, and Brunnera add texture and visual weight. Layering several plant heights together often creates the most natural look and helps shrub borders feel integrated into the rest of the garden rather than isolated planting islands.
Why These Problems Often Have The Same Solution
Many garden eyesores happen when only one planting layer exists. Ground covers, mid-sized perennials, shrubs, and vertical elements work together to hide transitions, reduce bare spaces, and create gardens that feel fuller throughout the season.
Layering plants is often the simplest way to solve multiple garden problems at once.
Want Help Solving Problem Areas In Your Garden?
A custom garden plan can help identify underused spaces, improve garden flow, and recommend plants that work together to create a more cohesive landscape.
What's Included
Personalized plant recommendations
Layered planting combinations
Ground cover and shrub pairing ideas
Seasonal interest planning
Layout suggestions for your space