Pulaski County Home and Garden
Gardening by Beth Phelps
Ground Covers
Often overlooked and never the star of the landscape, ground covers are used
to provide large areas of calming green and uniform texture that allow the
colorful stars of the landscape to shine.
Grass is the most commonly used ground cover and it has a place in the
landscape. However, the trend is for limited lawn areas and, let's face it, in
lots of situations grass does not thrive. Many homeowners are in a constant
battle trying to keep grass growing in shady spots. When in too much shade,
grass thins making the area a battleground between homeowner and weeds. This
battle can be avoided by using ground covers adapted to thrive in the shade.
Ground covers to consider planting in shaded areas are:
Periwinkle or vinca, which comes in two leaf sizes: Vinca major or
V. minor. Both will cover lots of ground and both have purple, violet or
white flowers depending on variety. However, Vinca minor is more
desirable as it roots along the stem where it touches the ground and is hardier.
Ajuga or bugleweed is a low, 3 to 5 inches, compact plant that flowers
purple, white or pink. You choose the color with your variety choice.
Helleborus or Lenten Rose is a taller ground cover, 12 to18 inches, with
leaves shaped like the palm of your hand. Helleborus blooms in late winter when
the rest of the landscape is at rest.
Ivy is often the first plant that comes to mind as a shade tolerant ground
cover. However, ivy may not be the best choice. It grows slowly, taking awhile
to establish in a large area. Ivy also has disease problems that can cause the
foliage to thin and even die out in patches.
Then there is my favorite, liriope or monkey grass. You can't beat it for a
low maintenance, drought tolerant ground cover that will thrive anywhere. Don't
turn up your nose - used in a mass planting liriope is very effective from a
design standpoint. The trick is to pick the right variety for your situation.
There are several species of plants that are commonly called liriope or monkey
grass ranging from the two inch tall dark green dwarf mondo grass, Ophiopogon
japonicus ‘Nana'to Liriope muscari ‘Big Blue' which will top out at
15 inches. You can choose from the yellow and green variegated leaves of the
L. muscari ‘Variegata' to the black foliage of Ophiopogon planiscapus
‘Arabicus'. A word to the wise -- understand how the variety you choose grows.
Liriope spicata spreads rapidly over a large area while Liriope
muscari clumps. Liriope muscari is much easier to control in the
landscape. In most situations it pays to avoid L. spicata.
Moss creeps into many gardens on its own. For years Arkansas gardeners have
been trying to kill moss but now it is a trendy ground cover. Moss is trending
because it works, especially as a velvety bright green ground cover in the deep
shade and compacted soil around tree roots. Moss is wonderful in these areas but
does not work in areas that get much sun as weeds will become a problem.
Don't limit the use of ground covers to shady areas. Ground covers should
also be used in sunny areas of the landscape.
Carpet or low growing shrub roses are very popular. As is true of roses they
need lots of sun and more maintenance than many other plants. The carpet of
flowers makes them worth the extra effort, particularly in highly visible areas.
Remember, roses are not evergreen so there is nothing but stems to look at in
the winter months.
Junipers do well in those hot, dry sunny spots. There are lots of varieties
with foliage ranging from blue green of ‘Blue Rug' to purplish bronze winter
foliage of ‘Youngstown'. If you grow junipers be on the look out for spider
mites during the summer. Spider mites are easily controlled, if detected early,
with Kelthane, Sun Spray, insecticidal soap and other labeled products.
Bath's Pink, Dianthus gratianopolitanus, with its mounding silver
foliage makes a great low growing ground cover year round. And, for a few weeks
in the spring the light pink, clove scented flowers are a delight.
Strawberries make an interesting ground cover for those who want to snack as
well as cover the ground.
As a general rule, plants used as ground covers are evergreen because they
are used to provide structure and need to be present year around. However, there
are some plants that make great ground covers even if they disappear for the
winter months. Daylilies, especially Stella D'Oro with its golden flowers all
summer, work great for sunny areas. Hostas provide bold and interesting foliage
in the shade from spring through fall.
Ground covers do not have to be low growing. Shrubs planted in a mass serve
the design needs of uniform color and texture that is calming to the eye. Dwarf
yaupon holly, dwarf nandina, cotoneaster and azaleas are effective when planted
in mass.
Every landscape design benefits from the use of ground covers. They provide a
calm, uniform area of color and texture to act as a backdrop for the busier,
more colorful areas of the garden. The trick is to select the right plant for
your landscape conditions. Choose wisely and you'll end up with areas that are
low maintenance and trouble free.
This articles was Originally Published in
Active Years
Magazine
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