Landscape Designs using Ground Covers

Landscape Hints :: Articles

Beautify and Reduce Maintenance in Your Landscape Using Ground Covers

In a well balanced landscape there are often areas not suited for grass, flowers or shrubs. In these cases the best solution is often a ground cover that will beautify, as well as keep the weeds down with little effort on your part. Here are some plants you may want to consider.

Grass is a wonderful solution to many landscaping problems, however in many cases a ground cover other than grass is desirable. Foundation plantings, banks and shady places often require something other than grass. Good covers are hardy and dependable, easy to care for, inexpensive and compete well against weeds. Usually the choice of ground cover will depend heavily on the characteristics of the area that needs covering.

Ground Covers for Different Types of Areas

For banks, open sunny areas, or areas where a large, high cover is desirable, wild trailing rose with its white blossom is very popular. Wild rose makes a thick mat of foliage 2 feet off the ground. Also in sunny places, various forms of juniper work well (e.g., creeping juniper, which is long, low and spreading; Waukegan juniper, blue-gray except in winter, when it is purple, and Sargent juniper, a dense green type) form a mat 8 to 20 feet high. All are attractive either pruned or in a natural state.

For areas in deep or light shade, there are evergreen vines such as the Baltic ivy and Pachysandra, Periwinkle with its blue-and-white spring flowers, and Plumbago which has brilliant blue flowers in the fall. English ivy is good for the shady north side of buildings. For soil that is too sandy for shrubs there is Scotch broom, which bears yellow blooms. Other covers include Hay-Scented Fern, Sandwort, Lily of the Valley, Maiden Pink, Winter-Creeper Thyme and Phlox