Using Groundcover Plants in Your Garden

Groundcover plants work well to reduce weeds or to replace grass in areas where you cannot grow a lawn. Groundcover plants are usually perennials and will spread on their own to fill in an area over time. Be careful not to choose very aggressive plants for groundcover because you do not want them to overgrow your existing plants or roam too far out of their designated area. Here are a few tips for effectively using groundcover in your garden.

Why use groundcover plants?

The most common use for groundcover is to block weeds from growing in a specific area. The idea is that the groundcover plants will take over the area and prevent weeds from sprouting. Groundcover can also be used to hold moisture in the soil so the area requires less water. Using plant life for this purpose is not quite as effective as mulch, but groundcover is generally more visually pleasing than covering an entire area in hardwood mulch.

Groundcover plants instead of grass

If you have areas in your garden where you simply cannot grow a decent lawn, groundcover can be a good alternative. This works very well under large trees, where the shade and tree roots make it difficult for grass to thrive. You can simply plant a groundcover species around the tree and it will spread out over the years to fill in the gaps around the roots.

Mix groundcover plants with other perennials

Groundcover can be used as an accent to a bed of other perennial plants. Choose a type of groundcover that will not spread too quickly if you are placing it in a small, confined area like a planter or container garden. You are looking for a bit of color and complementary plant life, not an overwhelming presence.

Groundcover plants on top of walls or planters

Groundcover does not have to only cover the soil. You can also use many groundcover plants on top of planters or retaining walls. This is an interesting way to blend the structural elements right into the vegetation of the garden. Using flowering groundcover plants lets you add splashes of color and brightens up the overall appearance of your yard.

Planting groundcover