The Encyclopedia Of Garden Flowers

THE COLORFUL GARDEN

FLOWERING GROUND COVERS

Ground covers are low-growing plants, grown en masse to eliminate lawn maintenance, help retain steep banks, suppress weeds, and create swathes of color. Many perennials, grasses, climbers, shrubs, and bulbs are suitable to use as ground covers. Densely planting an area can create the effect of a ground cover, whether the same plant is used throughout or a tapestry of species is chosen. Ground covers can be totally prostrate or can reach up to 4 ft (1.2 m) in height—any taller, and they are simply massed perennial or shrub beds. Properly chosen ground covers are often a practical alternative to lawn grass, as they don't require much maintenance and, once established are self-mulching and rarely need trimming. On steep banks, narrow strips between paths and buildings and in areas underneath trees where grass struggles, many ground covers will thrive. Best of all, there are many beautiful flowering ground covers that will serve the purpose.

When landscaping with ground-cover plants, care should be taken that the plants chosen are suitable for the site and the amount of care available. Factors to consider include the plant's cold and heat tolerance; moisture, light, drainage, and soil-quality requirements; ultimate dimensions; rate of growth; plus leaf and flower size and color. It is also worth considering whether an evergreen or deciduous ground cover is desired.

If weed suppression is the aim, then the ground cover you choose should grow quickly and create a thick mat of growth that effectively chokes out weeds. Some plants are better at this than others, but in any case, weeds should be completely removed prior to planting.

Many people overlook native ground covers, but these are well adapted to the local climate and, once established, can thrive with minimal effort on the part of the gardener. Flowering plants are also sometimes overlooked as ground covers, but except in the most difficult situations, there is no reason to stick with plain green foliage plants unless a uniform green color is sought.

Wide-spreading flowering shrubs abound, and make good ground covers by providing rapid horizontal coverage. The wide-spreading prostrate wattle Acacia pravissima 'Golden Carpet', with profuse, bright yellow, honey-scented flowers, and the creeping Ceanothus griseus 'Yankee Point', with fluffy heads of medium-blue flowers, are suitable for sheltered gardens in milder climates. These evergreen shrubs have a low spreading habit, appreciate sun, and are tolerant of drought and heat.

 

In colder areas, numerous low-flowering shrubs can be used, including bluebeard (Caiyopteris x clandonensis), covered in blue flowers in summer and reaching 2 x 2 ft (0.6 x 0.6 m), and the wide spreading Nikko slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko'), with arching stems to 2 ft (0.6 m) clothed in small pure white flowers. Low-growing heaths and heathers (Erica and Calluna species) provide swathes of purple, pink, or white blooms and their dense evergreen foliage successfully suppresses most weeds.

Many flowering perennials, planted en masse, make excellent ground covers. These include Bergenia species, lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), candytuft (Iberis species), and speedwell (Veronica species). Perennials with fibrous roots and a thick growth habit are also especially valuable for use as ground covers.

In mild areas the fibrous-rooted Agapanthus species can make fine ground covers with their strappy elegant leaves and bright showy flowers and includes several hardier species that can be grown in cooler climates. The evergreen species make especially nice ground covers. They do best in full sun and the crowns need to be protected with mulch in the winter Flowering climbers such as jasmine (Jasminum species), honeysuckle (Lonicera species), and climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) can be used to 'cover banks and bare areas of ground, providing thick foliage and flower cover.