English ivy

Bergenia cordifolia (often treated by botanists as a synonym within B. crassifolia) is a tough, evergreen perennial native to the Altai Mountains, southern Siberia and Mongolia, grown for its bold, heart-shaped leathery leaves that flush red-bronze through winter and its deep pink flower spikes in early-to-mid spring. It is one of the most tolerant groundcovers in cultivation - enduring deep shade, poor soil, drought, and hard continental cold (commonly rated to USDA Zone 3 in US horticulture; RHS rates it H7, hardy below -4°F). The honest catch is its shallowly creeping rhizomes: in mild, moist climates they can colonise well beyond the intended planting, and the large, persistent leaves trap fallen debris and are notoriously attractive to slugs and vine weevils.

Liriope muscari is an evergreen, grass-like perennial native to the shady forest understories of China, Japan, and Korea, where it grows at elevations of 330 to 4,600 feet. In gardens it forms dense, weed-suppressing clumps of arching dark-green foliage topped by spikes of lilac-purple flowers in late summer, followed by ornamental black berries - earning it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is drought-tolerant and remarkably adaptable, but the honest catch is its behaviour outside its native range: in parts of the eastern United States it is a documented invasive species, spreading by rhizomes and self-seeding into natural areas, and it provides minimal wildlife value compared with native groundcover alternatives.

Mondo grass is a stoloniferous, evergreen perennial in the Asparagaceae (not a true grass despite its grass-like leaves), native to China, Japan, India, Nepal, and Vietnam, grown as a fine-textured, low groundcover that forms a dense, weed-suppressing turf of dark green foliage. It tolerates deep shade and dry spells once established, making it popular for difficult spots under trees and along pathways. The honest catch is its aggressive spread by underground stolons - in warm zones (8-10) it readily colonises beyond its intended boundary and needs hard edging - and its attractive metallic-blue berries contain steroidal saponins that are mildly toxic if eaten.

A vigorous tropical climbing and trailing vine grown almost everywhere as an easy-care houseplant, prized for glossy, heart-shaped leaves marbled and streaked with golden-yellow variegation. In the tropics it scrambles up tree trunks by aerial roots and can climb 13 to 40 feet, with juvenile leaves enlarging dramatically as it ascends; indoors, kept in a pot or trailing from a shelf, it stays only inches tall and a few feet long. It tolerates low light and infrequent watering better than almost any other foliage plant, which is why it is a beginner favorite. Native to the Society Islands of French Polynesia and now naturalized across the tropics, it is hardy outdoors only in frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10b-12b) and is an aggressive invasive weed where it escapes. All parts are toxic if chewed or eaten.

Cotton lavender is a compact, mound-forming evergreen shrub native to the western and central Mediterranean, valued for its intensely silver-grey, aromatic feathery foliage and bright yellow button flowers in summer. In the garden it excels as a low edging, silver accent, or knot-garden structural element and tolerates drought and poor soils with ease once established. The honest catch is its short life in heavy or wet ground: without sharp drainage and a hard annual clip it becomes woody, open-centred, and collapses within three to five years, making site selection the single most important decision before planting.

Creeping cotoneaster is a deciduous spreading shrub native to the mountains of central and southwestern China, Nepal, and Taiwan, prized for its distinctive flat herringbone branching, tiny pink-white summer flowers, and masses of vivid red autumn berries that sustain birds through winter. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and tolerates poor, dry soils on banks and walls where little else will perform. The honest catch is twofold: the berries are mildly toxic to humans and pets (cyanogenic seeds, GI-irritant flesh), and the plant self-seeds freely enough that it is naturalising widely in the UK and Ireland and is considered potentially invasive - a real concern before planting near wild margins or hedgerows.