Gardening 101: Ground Covers for Every Landscape
Maybe you’re tired of trying to grow grass in a spot where grass just won’t grow. A good ground cover should blanket the designated area quickly without being invasive.
Some ground covers can be easily managed if they get out of hand, such as Cranesbill, which pulls out very easily if it starts creeping into areas where it’s unwanted. Last, ground covers don’t have to be low to the ground. There are hundreds if not thousands of ground covers.
A drift of pink Sedum spectabile ‘Meteor’ in a dry garden in Australia.
Photograph via Lambley Nursery, from A Garden You Water Four Times a Year.
If you have full sun…
You can grow grass fairly easily. However if you want to leave the mower in the garage and have more time for anything but yard work, here are a few suggestions. It can tolerate some shade and does well in poor soil and dry conditions.
It’s perfect for areas near stone walls because it tolerates heat well.
Photograph by Randi Hausken via Flickr, from Gardening 101: Sweet Woodruff.
If you have shade or part shade…
Here are some unusual options for your shady spots. Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a sweet little plant with whorls of leaves and tiny white flowers and smells of fresh hay when crushed. Its leaves and flowers make it clear that it is in the same family as its taller tree cousins.
It can be happy in full shade and in full sun with enough moisture.
Photograph courtesy of Sunset, from Landscape Ideas: 10 Problem-Solving Plants.
Vinca minor.
If you have slopes and hillsides…