Ground Cover - Geoff Hawkins
10th April 2024
What do we mean by ground cover?
Why do we require ground cover?
There are three types of ‘groundcover’
1. Mulch
2. Synthetic Fabrics
3. Plants
- Weeds, seedlings and ‘wildflowers’ will germinate freely: to reduce these gentle hoeing is advised but not vigorously to avoid disturbing the soil.
- Only hoe in spaces where seedlings of weeds are present otherwise soil disturbance will cause seedlings to germinate
- MEMO: don’t let a seed see a ‘sun day’ and hoe regularly.
To improve soil health add in organic matter and grow green manure
For cultivated areas apply mulches
Grass and moss are ground covers but they require unsustainable upkeep (mowing = petrol)
Perennial wildflower meadows are effective ground cover but require high maintenance
MULCH
1. One effective way to mulch and suppress the presence of weeds is to layer down cardboard topped with mulch. This can be an effective weed suppressant and is faster than rotivating but the perennial weeds will still grow back at some point in time.
2. Organic bio mulching film can be used and world effectively until it starts to decompose
3. There is a product called weedguard which acts as a surface level weed suppressant but it doesn’t improve the soil structure or health
4. Gravels can be an effective and attractive weed suppressant coming in a range of options . They also retain moisture and be used as an effective growing medium whilst offering multiple aesthetics - they are not a soil additive .
5. Wool fleece and Shoddies could be used - pattern the wool to make for an attractive mulch
6. Bark Chips can be aesthetically effective and suppress weeds tool, it's a more recent and innovative concept. To place bark chips around a trees roots can support he tree growth
7. Grass clippings could be applied around annuals, fruits and vegetables
8. Leaf Mould is an option (collect Autumn, bag, store for about 12 months) or alternatively leave leaves where they land on soil as a natural and time economic mulch
What do Ground Cover plants need to do?
They need to be:
1. Low maintenance
2. Quick growing
3. Dense
Ground Cover Plants List:
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS:
- Sedum spectabile
- Perennial Geraniums
- Heucherella
- Heuchera
- Tiarella
- Hakonechloa
Woodland Examples of Ground Cover:
- Epimedium
- Hosta
- Bulbs planted en masse
- Hellebore
- Ajuga Reptans
- Summer flowering Dicentra
- Brunnera macrophylla
- Dianthus
- Phlox subulata
- Origanum
Smaller ground cover plants can work well if planted en masse:
- Saxifrage
- Golden creeping Jenny
- Vincas (major and minor) - the variegated offer a good contrast
- Violas - these will grow everywhere!
- Mind Your Own Business - this will spread into lawns and can be considered a thug so plant bounded
Other plants:
- Ferns can be effective once their canopy is established
- Hellebores are great ground cover for Spring
- Campanula - low growing ‘waterfalls’: remove the old material after flowering to allow for regrowing next year.
- Trifolium repens
- Bergenia
- Buglossoides - this can be invasive
Early Spring flowerings:
- Epimedium
- Myositis
- Centaurea
- Persicaria bistorta
Other Perennials:
- Aubretia
- Fragaria
- Pulmonaria
- Gaultheria
- Hemerocallis
- Phlomis
- Primula Vulgaris
- Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
- Melissa officianlais
- Galium odorata
- Alpine gypsophila
- Helianthemum
- Houttuynia cordata
- Alchemilla erythropoda
- Nepeta racemosa
- Stachys
- Symphytum
- Veronica
- Thymus
- Sielen maritima
- Lysimachia punctata
- Erigeron
- Anthemis tinctoria
- Pachysandra
- Convolvulus
- Cyclamen
- Hedera
- Colchiums
- Crocus
SHRUBS
- Abelia
- Santolina chamaecyparissus
- Acer Palmatum
- Berberis
- Junipers
- Sarcococca
- Cotoneaster horizontalis
- Cornus
- Daphne x herderonsii
- Hebe
- Euonymus
- Viburnum
- Hedera
- Carex
- Deschampia
- Ophiopogon
Consider combinations of plantings together
Think outside of the box in terms of plants such as, poach egg plant - Limnanthes douglasii, Sempervirens
For the vegetable garden consider lettuces and Phacelia tanacetifolia (this is an effective green manure and pollinator friendly)