Ground covers are the perfect companions for A/C units. Not only do they add beauty to your landscape and help keep the area around the unit slightly cooler, they also help extend the life of the unit by keeping down dust and debris. Xeriscape ground covers, which require very little water, offer added benefits by reducing the amount of water and care needed for maintenance, and also reduce the amount of corrosion on the unit that could be caused by water-loving plants.
Full Sun
Most ground covers fare best in full sun since they are intended to cover difficult places, such as rocky slopes and places out of reach of sprinklers. If the area around your A/C unit is sunny most of the day, choose plants that thrive in full sun. Ideal full sun ground covers for around an A/C unit include Silver Nailwort, Creeping Basket of Gold, Creeping Speedwell, Cascade Purple Rock Cress, White Flowered Soapwort and Greek Yarrow. Any of the many varieties of Creeping Thyme, or several mixed together, are also ideal, such as Doone Valley Lemon, Minus, Ohme Gardens, Pink Chintz and Wooly Thyme.
Partial Sun
If the area around your A/C unit is sunny part of the day and shady the remainder, look for ground covers that thrive in partial sun. Although many of the ground covers that grow well in full sun will survive in partial sun, those adapted to partial sun will grow faster and stronger. Ideal ground covers for partially sunny areas near A/C units include Blut Iceplant, Green Mat Penstemon, Hardy Yellow Ice Plant, Partridge Feather, Snow-in-Summer, Variegated Bishop's Weed and Yellow Rock Rose.
Shade
Many A/C units are located in deep shade, which makes sense from a practical standpoint but makes finding an appropriate ground cover difficult. Most ground covers that need full or partial sun will not grow well in shady areas since they need at least six hours or more of sun each day. If you want to grow ground cover in a shady area, it is important to choose plants that thrive in all-day shade. The list of shade-loving, low-water-use ground covers is short, but includes some real beauties, such as Ornamental Comfrey, Hardy Plumbago, Miniature Mat Daisy and Variegated Dead Nettle. Nearly all varieties of Vinca, also known as Periwinkle, will also grow well in shade, but should be used with caution since they can spread vigorously, are difficult to remove and have a vining habit which means you may need to spend time trimming the plant away from the A/C unit.
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