USING
GROUND COVERS:
Shade-
Most lawn grasses suffer in dense shade, where their difficulties
are frequently compounded by competition from tree roots for water
and nutrients. Shady garden beds or woodland gardens are also inhospitable
to many favorite flowering plants. In these situations, shade-loving
ground covers provide attractive substitutes. Common
shade-loving evergreen ground covers include vinca and pachysandra.
For a grassy look, try lily turf, which tolerates root competition.
Taller deciduous plants include a wide range of hostas and ferns;
astilbes provide strikingly colorful flower and seed heads in winter
and fall.
Others:
—English ivy— Lily-of-the-valley—Vinca—Goutweed—Creeping
Jennie—Wild ginger—Ajuga—Winter creeper—Sweet
woodruff
Slopes-
Consider ground covers for slopes steeper than 20°. There, they
check erosion by creating a network of soil-retaining roots beneath
the ground and by protecting bare soil from driving rain and wind
above ground. Slopes often pose growing conditions difficult to
remedy-poor soil, hot sun, drying winds-so take care to choose plants
adapted to your site.
Valued
ground covers for slopes include ivies, winter creeper, pachysandra,
and Asian jasmine, all of which are evergreen. Junipers and cotoneaster
are useful shrubs, as are several native varieties of kinnikinick
(also called manzanita). Various ice plants, which flower in blazing
colors, are widely used in California and mild-winter areas of the
Southwest.
Others:
—Goutweed—Verbena—Vinca—Honeysuckle—Heather—Running
bamboo—Rosemary—Daylily—Mahonia—Baccharis—Crown
vetch—Aaron's-beard
Dry
condition-
Recent water shortages in many parts of the country have made homeowners
conscious of the amount of water required to maintain residential
plantings, particularly the lawn. Drought tolerant ground covers
can help reduce water use, while adding variety to your landscape.
Plants tolerant of dry conditions are particularly valuable for
slopes, which are likely to be drier than nearby areas and more
difficult to water artificially.
Good
plants for dry sites include three-leaf sumac, lcinnilcinick, cotoneaster,
and junipers. Verbena, Lantana, and African daisies provide colorful
flowers, as do many of the low-growing sedums, whose fleshy leaves
are distinctive after the flowers have gone.
Others:
—Baccharis—Ceanothus—Blue fescue—Winter creeper—Blue
fescue—Silver spreader—Vinca—Cinquefoil—Evergreen
candytuft
Under
traffic-
Few ground covers are as durable as lawn grass, but some can stand
up to occasional or light foot traffic. Plant them as outdoor "throw
rugs," or insert them between flagstones, bricks, or other pavers
in paths and patios.
Thyme
forms a low woody mat covered with tiny, fragrant leaves. The strawberry-like
foliage of cinquefoil is perhaps a bit more durable and is covered
with numerous yellow flowers in spring and summer. Try Irish moss
between the flagstones of a path or patio. In warm-winter climates,
blue star creeper or baby's-tears suits the same purpose.
Others:—Wild
strawberry—Chamomile—Sweet alyssum—Bird's-foot trefoil—Common
thrift—Moss pink—Sweet woodruff—Himalayan fleece
flower
Eye
pleasers-
Ground covers solve landscape problems posed by shade, slopes, and
so on, but you can use them just to please the senses, too. Planted
in broad swathes, in free-form islands, or edging a walkway or drive,
ground covers add color and texture to the scene. A massed planting
of low shrubs such as prostrate juniper or tall ornamental grasses
creates an attractive undulating contrast to a nearby lawn. Large
patches of hostas or ferns provide a transition to a woodland garden.
A meadow like planting of grasses and wildflowers can brighten even
a small backyard.
Others:—Creeping
zinnia—Dusty-miller—Sun drops—Nasturtium—Astilbe—Headier—Evening
primrose—Bergenia—Gazania—Daylily—Geranium—Violet
