How to Choose the right Ground Cover
Ground covers such as ivy, and scores of other more colorful plants, are as useful and decorative as grass, and sometimes more so, in many areas around the home. In the broadest sense, the term “ground cover” applies to any vegetation that blankets the soil, from moss to pine forest. In horticulture, however, it means low-growing plants in close proximity, used to adorn areas that otherwise would have only grass, or would remain bare. The description “low-growing” is relative and does not mean that the plants rise no taller than mown grass: often it is a matter of scale rather than of measurement. For an average-size home a low-growing cover might be anything up to 12 inches high; for a small one it would probably not exceed 3 inches. On the other hand, Santa Cruz fire thorn (pyracantha), which attains 3 feet in height, or tamarisk juniper, which may grow 2 feet tall, might well qualify as a low-growing ground cover on a large estate. In any event, there are no rigid rules, and overall appearance as well as actual size might make a particular ground cover seem perfectly suitable on an open, rolling terrain and wholly out of place in a confined area.
Apart from height, ground covers vary in other ways. Some are shrubs like rosemary, some are vines like ivy. There are evergreen ground covers such as bearberry, deciduous ground covers such as dwarf forsythia and ground covers that are herbaceous perennials—non woody plants such as lily of the valley that die back to the ground in late fall and reappear the following spring. Their foliage may range in color from the dark green of sweet fern through the blue green of dwarf holly grape to the gray green of Silver Mound Artemisia, and in shape from smooth edged to serrate. Among them all, there is no one perfect ground cover. Each of them does an outstanding job under the conditions for which it is best suited and each of them also deserves to be appreciated for its beauty as well as its utility.
Ground covers frequently make a greater contribution to the overall design of the landscape than grass can; if they are chosen with this in mind, the opportunities for enriching your home grounds with beauty and interest are endless. Whatever effect you want to achieve, there are ground covers to help you achieve it. In choosing a ground cover, consider first the effect it will produce; then, among the plants that will achieve the effect, select the one whose horticultural requirements are best suited to the conditions on the site.
Ground covers have another advantage over grass: they are useful plants for trying situations. There are ground covers that will grow in wetter places or drier places than grass will tolerate. Many of them—those that are native to the forest floor—actually prefer dense shade to sunlight, and over the years have acquired the ability to compete successfully with the roots of trees for the available supply of nutrients and moisture. Wherever soil erosion is a problem, ground covers are a natural ally. Not only do their roots stabilize the soil, but their thick foliage breaks the force of lashing rains and channels it into gentle dripping onto the ground beneath. Ground covers also provide living mulch for rhododendrons, azaleas and clematis—in fact, for any plant that does best under cool soil conditions.
Ground covers can lighten the burden of lawn maintenance on steep slopes and rocky terrain, where mowing is hard and sometimes dangerous—and where a lot of hand clipping is generally required. But those gardeners who choose ground covers over grass in the expectation of avoiding maintenance are in for a surprise. Ground covers need to be groomed too. It is true that they need to be groomed less frequently than grass needs to be mowed: the standards for ground covers are different. The sight of a billowing surface of Sprenger asparagus is pleasing, while a billowing stand of uncut bluegrass is not. Nevertheless, ground covers need care, and most of the work must be done by hand. Unlike grass, which heals quickly when stepped on, most ground covers do not.
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By Tree Scarborough, April 23, 2011 @ 8:36 pm
I’d not put moss roses inside a rose garden since the roses need to be water 2-3 occasions weekly. deep watering encourages an in-depth root system . If roses do not get enough water they’ll drop leaves, grow more compact leaves or stop blooming.