In the spring time one ground cover really stands out due to its prolific flowering. Creeping phlox or Phlox stolonifera really punches out the color for a couple weeks in spring then fades into a nice lush and green carpet of foliage. You can use it on slopes, around mailboxes or as a low growing front border plant. It has many options. As many other ground covers are, this one is easy to propagate. I took a small cutting last summer from a plant at my in-law's house. I popped it in some dirt and kept it watered through the Drought of '07. When fall came and the rains returned I forgot about it. I left it sitting in its little pot in the front garden area. 
Last week I rediscovered this wayward cutting to find lots of green growth and a good deal of budding. I didn't take a picture of it last year but it was an unbranched cutting that was approximately 3-4 inches long. I don't remember if I used rooting hormone or not, and I don't think it's necessary, but it may speed things up a little.
In the photo above you can see the sprig and its progress. Once I took the phlox out of its pot to transplant it I found that the root system went all the way to the bottom of the pot. In the picture below you can see all its flower buds. Not bad for a little sprig!
Labels: ground cover, perennial, plant propagation