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Garden
Cover-ups
Creep.
Wild.
Discouraging.
Dense.
When discussing your teenager’s prom
date, these descriptive terms can be horrifying.
But when the subject is a garden groundcover, these same expressions
typify the perfect plant: one that will happily creep
through hard to reach areas with wild
abandon, discouraging weed growth
and turning a once barren land into a dense,
lush oasis.
So,
what is a groundcover?
Any non-grass (as in lawn grass) plant that crawls, spreads, or sprawls
along the ground can be lumped into the groundcover category. It is, however,
an arbitrary distinction which may have other determining factors lumped in
for good measure.
Some horticulturists add a height feature: groundcovers grow less than
three feet tall.
There is often the additional standard of evergreen, meaning the plant
loses leaves at such a slow rate year round so as not to notice that it is
balding at all.
There are many hardy deciduous (lose their leaves in the off season)
ground huggers though, and it seems a shame to put the evergreen limitation on
them.
In fact, several advantages are inherent in groundcovers that go
dormant in the cooler months, including the fact that those who suffer from
“snake-a-phobia” can be assured there is nothing hiding under the covers.
Most books will delineate groundcovers as evergreen or deciduous
since specific circumstances might warrant a preference of one over the other.
Why
use a groundcover?
Groundcovers cloak many sins in the
landscape. After a dying tree is
cut down, grinding the stump can be a difficult and/or expensive proposition,
but seemingly the only way to replant the area.
Instead of trying to even out the site for lawn grass to be installed,
plant a groundcover to envelop the nub. It
will hide any sign the tree was ever there as the stump breaks down of its own
accord. In the case of heavy
shade or poor drainage, replanting grass over and over only to lose it again
frustrates even the most patient gardener.
A few sprigs of wood fern will often prosper and multiply in the same
spot that caused St. Augustine to turn brown and die.
The
monotony of lawn is broken easily with groundcovers too.
Layering plants of different heights and foliage textures gives a more
dramatic and dynamic landscape, complementing the architecture of any home
style.
In past years, Texans have flirted with
famine and feast when it comes to rain. But
in the lean times when we are encouraged to let our cars go, we quickly
remember the fact that water is a precious commodity.
With summer water usage at an all time high because of the influx of
population and recent drought then flood conditions (thanks to the Ninos: El
and La), many areas are resorting to -- at the very least -- voluntary outdoor
water rationing. (Up to 80
percent of summer water usage is outside the house.)
While a grass lawn greedily begs for water in droughts and develops
fungal diseases in monsoons, a healthy groundcover can save on the water bill
or keep a slope or ditch from washing down the street.
Requiring nothing but a good start and a semiannual haircut (if any at
all is needed), a dense stand of groundcover chokes out weeds and slows
moisture evaporation on a dry, windy day. Groundcovers have come to play a
huge part in xeriscape landscaping, an integral element in the pallet of all
gardeners who are attempting to be good stewards of the land.
So why are folks scared of substituting
the grass for the groundcover? Heard
horror tales of backbreaking weed pulling?
Like almost everything else in life, it pays to work smarter instead of
harder. A few initial extra steps
establishing groundcover beds will pay off in savings of hours and dollars in
the end.
1) Choose the correct plant. Pay
attention to the area where you might try a bit of groundcover.
Does it receive morning, or afternoon, or no sun?
How many leaves will be dropping onto it in the fall?
Will you need to walk in the area?
Does it drain quickly after a rain or does it hold water for several
days? All of these questions can help you decide which type of
plant would work best as your groundcover.
2)
Prepare the bed by removing
all weeds and grasses that would compete with a groundcover. Keep it cleared
while the new plants try to cover the ground.
Lay plastic over the bed and anchored with rocks during the hot of
summer to get rid of weeds and grasses. Or
use a non-selective herbicide with glyphosate and follow label directions.
Or just dig it all out and add composted material to supplement the
soil.
3)
Plant in a checkerboard
pattern at the distance recommended for that plant. You may layer a little mulch on top of the soil around the
new plant, but not too much. There
must be soil contact in order to start a new plant, which is the whole purpose
of a groundcover in the first place.
4)
Maintain the bed with
regular water (at least an inch a week), nutrition and weeding out anything
that is not the groundcover until the plants are well established, which is
usually one to two years. Some
groundcovers will take longer to establish; others will take less time. Pre-emergents
sprinkled around will keep most weed seeds from germinating.
But staying on top of the situation with a monthly weed pulling is
usually sufficient without drawing the big herbicidal guns.
There are groundcovers that bloom;
some are variegated or have terrific fall hues; others easily stand up to foot
traffic or shade or neglect: it is all a matter of matching the plant to the
site. Finding the one that fits
your niche, your pocketbook and your taste can be a weekend project that frees
up many weekends in the years to come. So
whatever problematic curves your landscape throws, there is a groundcover that
can take it and run. And run.
And run some more.
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