what can i use for ground cover

What is the cheapest ground cover landscaping?

Cheap Natural Perennial Ground Cover OptionsCreeping Periwinkle – $1.07 per plant.Walk-on-Me Thyme – $3.99 per plant.Moss Phlox – $4.59 per plant.Violets and Pansies – Seeds range from $0.95 to $2.95.Early Snow Glories – $2.40 per plant.

What is the best low-maintenance ground cover?

The Best Low-Maintenance Ground Covers for Your GardenHeuchera. 2/16. ... Honeysuckle. 3/16. ... Brass Buttons. 4/16. ... Creeping Phlox. 5/16. ... Creeping Jenny. 6/16. ... Stonecrop. 7/16. ... Vinca Minor. 8/16. ... Lamium. 9/16.More items...

What is the quickest growing ground cover?

Fast-Growing Ground Cover for ShadeSweet Woodruff. Zones 5 to 8. ... Bunchberry. Zones 2 to 7. ... Goldenstar. Zones 5 to 8. ... Trailing Periwinkle. Zones 4 to 8. ... Creeping Thyme. Zones 4 to 9. ... Yellow Alyssum. Zones 4 to 7. ... Ice Plant. Zones 5 to 10. ... Creeping Juniper. Zones 3 to 9.

What can I use to cover ground instead of grass?

Best Ground Covers as Grass AlternativesSun-loving perennials.Shade-loving perennials.Fragrant ground covers. Chamomile lawn. Creeping thyme. Corsican mint.Ornamental grass.Clover.Moss.

What is the best material to use as ground covering?

Sand has long been the ground cover of choice for play areas, most likely due to its affordable cost and ability to absorb falls.

What ground cover comes back every year?

Vinca. Commonly known as periwinkle, this popular perennial groundcover has shiny, evergreen leaves and lavender-blue flowers on trailing stems. It spreads by creeping on the ground, putting out roots as it goes. Vinca grows very quickly and can be aggressive.

What is the prettiest ground cover?

Our Favorite Flowering Ground CoversBugleweed (Ajuga reptans)Canadian anemone (Anemone canadensis)Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox)Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)Hosta (Hosta sieboldiana)Horned Violet (Viola cornuta)More items...•

What is the best time of year to plant ground cover?

Where winters are cold, plant in spring; this will give the groundcover an entire season to become established before it must face the rigors of winter. In areas with hot, dry summers and mild winters, plant in fall; the winter rains will help get the plants off to a good start.

What is the best ground cover to prevent weeds?

10 Ground Cover Plants that will Keep Weeds AwayCreeping Thyme. Using Creeping Thyme for ground cover comes with many benefits. ... Phlox Subulata. ... Moss. ... Wild Strawberry. ... Trailing Rosemary. ... Dragon's Blood Sedum. ... Creeping Jenny. ... Phlox Stolonifera.More items...•

What is the cheapest way to landscape a backyard?

Beautiful landscapes may look expensive, but an eye-popping yard can be budget-friendly, too....20 Cheap Landscaping IdeasAdd a walkway. ... Save with perennials. ... Spread some mulch. ... Plant flowers around your mailbox. ... Plant a tree sapling. ... Raise your garden bed.More items...•

What is the most durable ground cover?

18 Tough GroundcoversCreeping Phlox. ... English Ivy. ... Wild Ginger. ... Geraniums. ... Lamb's Ear. ... Roman Chamomile. ... Hardy Ice Plant. ... Miniature Brass Buttons. For heavy traffic, miniature brass buttons (Leptinella gruveri) is the plant of choice.More items...

What do people use instead of grass?

Grow a wildflower meadow. Turf mixes, like this one from Wildflower Turf, are an easy way to create a wildflower area in your garden. ... Consider ground cover plants. ... Lay pollinator-friendly sedum. ... Nurture a Chamomile lawn. ... Give moss a go. ... Go casual with gravel. ... Try bark chippings. ... Install faux grass.More items...•

What is the most durable ground cover?

18 Tough GroundcoversCreeping Phlox. ... English Ivy. ... Wild Ginger. ... Geraniums. ... Lamb's Ear. ... Roman Chamomile. ... Hardy Ice Plant. ... Miniature Brass Buttons. For heavy traffic, miniature brass buttons (Leptinella gruveri) is the plant of choice.More items...

What is a good ground cover to walk on?

Sedum. Heat- and drought-resistant, sedum groundcovers are ideal for sunny, exposed locations. These tough-as-nails plants require very little attention and are strong enough to handle foot traffic.

What is the best low maintenance ground cover Australia?

7 hardy groundcovers for Australian gardensLamb's ear. Producing velvety silver-grey leaves, Lamb's Ears are not only a beautiful ground covering, but one of the hardiest and easiest to care for. ... Native violet. ... Star jasmine. ... Bellflower. ... Blue bugle. ... Creeping boobialla. ... creeping Thyme.

What is the most drought tolerant ground cover?

9 Best Drought-Tolerant Ground CoversBearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)California fuchsia (Epilobium canum)Creeping thyme (Thymus praecox)Dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor)Hardy ice plant (Delosperma cooperi)Moss phlox (Phlox subulata)Rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum)More items...•

Low-Growing Ground Covers

Low-growing ground cover plants are often the overlooked denizens of the yard. That’s a shame because they can really add to the look of a backyard or front yard when used properly. Put ground covers to use for problem situations to set the stage for other plants in your landscape.

Add Color and Texture

While a large swatch of single-species ground cover makes a nice backdrop for showier plants, mixing species with different leaf textures and colors creates a beautiful carpet mosaic.

Partner With Other Plants

Ground cover plants make great companions for other plants. Most are lower growing than their partners, providing movement as the eye goes from one level to the next. When you include something colorful like this bright-green Scotch moss, you end up with a bold vignette that can be enjoyed up close or from a distance.

Soften Hardscaping

In addition to their short stature, many ground covers have a spreading habit that makes them well suited to planting along paths. Note how the creeping thyme — a ground cover that tolerates full sun — hides the edge of the brick path and makes it fit more naturally into the setting.

Fill in Around Trees

Grass can be hard to grow under a large shade tree, but there are plenty of shade-tolerant ground cover plants that don’t mind that situation. These grape hyacinths are temporary guests in spring, doing most of their growing before the tree is fully leafed out.

Tame Slopes

Leave the lawn mower in the garage, and let a well-behaved ground cover blanket a slope for low-maintenance visual appeal. The right ground cover can even help control erosion.

Fill the Gaps

Moss is a good, low-growing ground cover to use when space is tight. This low-maintenance ground cover is well behaved, takes occasional foot traffic and won’t outgrow its space. Other options for small spots like this: thyme or low-growing sedum.

Where to use groundcover?

Groundcovers are used most frequently for the following locations: Erosion control on steep banks or slopes. Grass is often difficult to mow on steep slopes. Shady areas under trees and shrubs. When planted under trees, groundcovers reduce mower damage to the base of the tree.

How to grow groundcovers in a garden?

It may take up to two years to establish a groundcover area. Fertilizing and watering will probably be required during this period. Apply fertilizer based on how fast you want full coverage to occur. Begin fertilizing 4 to 6 weeks after planting, then make one application in the spring, another during summer, and a third in September. If rapid coverage is desired, make a fourth application during the summer months. A complete fertilizer such as 12-4-8 or 16-4-8 or a similar analysis applied at the rate of 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet is adequate. To determine how much fertilizer to apply per bed, measure the area of the bed in square feet (length x width). Then, use this equation:

What is groundcover?

Groundcovers are low-growing plants that spread quickly to form a dense cover. They add beauty to the landscape, and they can also solve many planting problems in difficult sites. Grass is the best-known groundcover, but grass is not suited to all locations. Other groundcover plants should be used where grass is difficult to grow or maintain.

How long does it take for a groundcover to establish?

A 2-inch layer of mulch will help in the control of weeds. On slopes, coarse netting is also used to hold the slope until the groundcover is established. It may take up to two years to establish a groundcover area.

How to space plants in a garden?

Space the plants according to their size, the immediate effect desired, and their rate of growth and habit. If the individual plants are spaced too far apart, weeding can be a problem and the time required for complete coverage can be quite long. On the other extreme, planting too closely together can be a needless waste of time, money and plant materials. In addition, there will be increased competition as the plants grow into maturity. Usually, it is best to space the plants so the groundcover areas will, for the most part, be completely covered by the end of the third growing season. A staggered row-planting pattern usually will result in the quickest cover of the planting bed.

How to determine how much fertilizer to apply to a bed?

To determine how much fertilizer to apply per bed, measure the area of the bed in square feet (length x width). Then, use this equation: Area of bed divided by 1,000 square feet, divided by the percent of nitrogen in the bag, will give you the amount of fertilizer that needs to be applied to the bed.

What is a dense evergreen that spreads by underground runners?

Dense evergreen that spreads by underground runners. Effectively crowds out many weeds. The native P. procumbens has marbled leaves and fragrant flowers.

What is a Kudzu plant?

The desire to quickly cover a stubborn spot in your yard is understandable, but planting an invasive species—such as kudzu, a plant that rapidly blankets bushes and trees, smothering and killing them —is asking for trouble.

What is the best grass for a Japanese garden?

Suitable choices include golden Japanese forest grass, pachysandra and lilyturf; depending on your growing zone, dozens of others might also be good options. Most plant retailers list the light requirements necessary for optimal plant growth in the plant’s description or on its label.

What plants can be planted on slopes?

Good choices include English ivy, creeping juniper, and Japanese spurge.

What is creeping ground cover?

Creeping ground covers are favorites between flagstones and pavers to create walkways with natural flair, but many plants can’t take being stepped on. Others, fortunately, are quite resilient, including carpet bugle, rockcress, and ground ivy, so read a plant’s label or research it online.

How to keep evening primrose from spreading?

If the plants you choose spread by underground root development, which is common for many types of ground cover like evening primrose, you must create a barrier that extends below the surface to keep the roots from going where they shouldn’t. This can be accomplished by digging a narrow trench and inserting landscape edging, such as Grass Barrier 10-inch Depth Edging (available on Amazon ), to prevent ground cover roots from invading areas where they’re not wanted.

Where do succulents grow best?

6 /12. While many plants only thrive when they receive regular moisture, if you live in a dry location, such as New Mexico, southern Utah, or Nevada, you’ll get the best results with succulents.

Do all succulents have prickly leaves?

Not all succulents are prickly like cactus (the most commonly known type of succulent); other varieties feature soft, supple leaves, trailing vines, and bright, gem-colored blooms, such as purslane and royal dewflower. RELATED: 14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden.

What are ground covers?

Ground covers are low-growing plants that will quickly spread out to fill grassless spaces and prevent weeds from growing.

FAQ about ground covers

1. I want a no-mow lawn. Should I plant ground cover or a no-mow grass-like fine fescue?

If you need ground cover, we have you covered

There are so many ground cover options to choose from, it can be confusing. If you need help deciding, call a local lawn care pro to get your ground cover into the ground, growing and glowing.

What to do if you don't have time to mow?

If you don’t have the time to mow your lawn regularly, perhaps it is time to replace it with thyme (if you’ll forgive me for that atrocious sentence)! Consider transforming part of your landscape into an aromatic thyme garden.

How to restore a biodiverse zone?

If you want to restore your land to a healthy, biodiverse zone of totally native plants, however, you’ll need to take out the old and bring in the new. Some beautiful and useful plants just can’t get a foothold if grass and clover are in the way. You will need to research what local, native plants could live in your area. Websites like Grow Native can help you rediscover what your land once grew.

How to keep lawn trim in an age without lawn mowers?

In an age without lawn mowers and gasoline, the only way to keep the turf trim was by employing scores of subservient, scythe-wielding serfs (say that five times fast) to do what amounted to pretty pointless work.

What is the best ground cover for tea?

USDA Zones 4 to 9. Best ground cover to harvest as tea. Chamomile releases the scent of apple and daisies with every footfall, and if you live in zones 4 to 9, you could easily grow that beauty to cover your yard.

What is the meaning of "launde" in the English language?

It’s where we get the term “launde” which is an Old English word meaning glade or barren area . You certainly couldn’t brag about your monetary accumulations as the lords did — the animal manure was the dead giveaway — but there was probably no denying the pleasure of strolling unimpeded across a gently rolling hill.

Is chamomile a creeping plant?

Chamomile loves both full and dappled sun and requires very little mowing which results in a dense green cover dazzled with starry white blossoms. Chamaemelum nobile is a creeping variety that is lawn-suitable. A dwarf, non-flowering variety, C. nobile ‘Treneague’ will give you a fragrant, dense, evergreen mat that some say is the perfect lawn replacement.

What is monkey grass?

Also called monkey grass (though there’s a totally different family of plants that also shares the common name) and lilyturf, this easy-care perennial is a fantastic choice for borders and those awkward areas of ground between sidewalks and the road, or around trees.

Why do rubber chips smell?

One more thing to be aware of is that new rubber chips may smell a bit when the temperature rises on hot summer days. Rubber playground mulch is a good choice for parents looking for a mostly low-maintenance option that provides a softer place to fall while playing.

Why is grass the highest maintenance?

Because real grass must be mowed, weeded, fertilized and watered, it also has the highest ongoing maintenance costs.

How does exposure to the elements affect playground equipment?

Exposure to the elements can shorten the life of your playground equipment or increase the need for maintenance.

What are playground sets made of?

Most playground sets with swings, slides and other enticing features are made from plastic, metal or wood. Each of these has its pros and cons, but play sets made from any of these material options can be incorporated into your landscaping for a seamless transition from the play area to other functional areas of your yard or common area.

What is the primary concern when selecting playground equipment?

Safety is, of course, a primary concern when selecting playground equipment, choosing a ground cover option and installing the play set, but you also want to make sure that your playground area fits with the overall look of your landscaping and will add to – not take away from – the overall visual appeal of your home.

What should the area of a playground be?

The area you choose for your playground should be a flat, level surface.

Why add a playground to your backyard?

Adding a play structure or full playground to your backyard, a common area in a multi-family residential complex or a community space makes the property more family-friendly and increases the enjoyment of children who live in or visit your home, rental property or park. Safety is, of course, a primary concern when selecting playground equipment, ...

What are some good nitrogen fixer plants?

The best nitrogen-fixing cover plants are Field Pea, Crimson Clover, Cowpea, and Berseem Clover.

What is hardiness zone?

Hardiness zones are areas that take into consideration the local geography and climate which determines what kind of plants can be grown in that specific area. The good news is that with a quick google search you can find what the hardiness zone in your area is and what kind of ground cover plants can be grown in the area. So make sure to check which ground cover plants can be grown in your area before committing to one specific ground cover, ideally, you should test out a couple of them and see which ones are doing the best. If you want to know how to mulch with newspaper then check out my recent article Mulching With Newspaper ( In 6 Easy Steps ).

Do ground cover plants grow weeds?

As with all ground covers you will need to do some maintenance, most ground cover plants will start growing as weeds once they are established. If you do not have the time to stay on top of the ground cover plants so that they do not grow all over the place then you should stick to some organic mulches like grass clippings or wood chips. The good news is that some ground cover plants like clovers can be grown instead of a grass lawn.

Can you use ground cover as mulch?

There are two things on which you have to keep an eye out when it comes to ground covers, make sure that they can be grown in your area and they do not grow taller than the plants for which you are using the ground cover as mulch. If you want to know what are the best mulches for your vegetable garden then check out my recent article Best Mulch For Vegetable Garden ( Top 10 Mulches ).

Do mulches absorb nitrogen?

Organic mulches on the other hand do not have the capability to absorb nitrogen from the air and transport it to the ground, so ground cover plants are definitely the way to go instead of mulching in these areas.

Do ground cover plants need direct sunlight?

Most weed seeds need direct sunlight in order to germinate and sprout, and the ground cover plants will not allow direct sunlight to come in contact with the soil, especially once they are established.

Do groundcovers retain water?

For the most part living plants do retain more water than decaying plant matter like organic mulches. The more densely packed the groundcover is the more water it will be able to retain, this added moisture to the topsoil is not only beneficial for the plants but for the microorganisms and bugs that live in the soil. One of my favorite ground cover plants that is excellent at retaining water is the Creeping Phlox (Phlox Subulata).

Why Not Use Both?

The new ground cover gains from mulch’s moisture and weed protection. When grown, the ground cover feeds from the mulch-enriched soil. Both work together to benefit the garden.

Why do we need mulch?

Mulch is such a great finish for landscapes. It helps the soil retain moisture and makes the flowers, bushes, and trees stand out on the landscape. The eye can see each and every plant specimen.

What do ground covers do?

Once planted and established, ground covers do what their name says – cover the ground. Many grow thickly and smother weeds. They also keep the ground cool by casting shade. They draw rainwater into the soil, reducing runoff to the sewer system.

What does the back of a rake do?

With the back of a rake, make it smooth, and distribute evenly.

How long does it take for ground cover to grow?

Since it takes a couple of years for ground covers to grow and spread over the area you want covered, weeding around the ground cover will remain a chore. Some may die, leaving a hole in the area you want covered. They will need to be replaced.

What is Juli's garden?

Juli has been gardening in her yard for 21 years. She has almost run out of room for plants, shrubs and trees. Almost. Perennial geranium, Geranium sanguineum, is a ground cover surrounded by mulch.

How does rain affect plants?

It acts as a barrier between the ground and sunlight, slowing down evaporation. Rainwater is trapped in the fibers, keeping the ground underneath wet a little longer. This means more water for the plants, less watering for the homeowner.

Soil Preparation

Planting

Care

• Weed control is a must until the groundcover is fully established. A 2-inch layer of mulch will help in the control of weeds. On slopes, coarse netting is also used to hold the slope until the groundcover is established. It may take up to two years to establish a groundcover area. Fertilizing and watering will probably be required during this perio...

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Problems

Recommended Groundcovers