Chapter 13: Ground Covers

Ground covers represent a versatile category of plants that function as both practical solutions and aesthetic design elements in garden spaces. This chapter examines how low-growing spreading plants protect soil from erosion, suppress weed growth, retain soil moisture, and unify disparate garden areas through visual continuity. Drawing from natural ecosystems where creeping vegetation naturally colonizes forest floors, meadow edges, and mountain slopes, the discussion establishes a framework for intentionally selecting and deploying ground covers in gardens. The chapter explains common vegetative spreading mechanisms including rhizomes, stolons, and trailing stems, helping gardeners understand how these plants establish themselves and expand across spaces. Critical to successful ground cover gardening is matching plant selection to specific site conditions and design intentions. For shady environments, suitable options include sweet woodruff, epimedium, wild ginger, lamium, pachysandra, and ajuga, while sunny locations benefit from creeping thyme, lilyturf, moss verbena, and ornamental grasses. Dry sites require drought-tolerant species such as bearberry, thyme, sedum, and snow-in-summer, whereas moist areas support violets, mint, sweet fern, and partridge berry. The chapter provides detailed guidance on soil preparation requiring eight to twelve inches of depth, strategic mulching to manage weeds and prevent frost damage, and appropriate spacing calculations based on anticipated growth rates. Propagation techniques including division, layering, and stem cuttings enable gardeners to expand plantings economically. Design applications extend beyond functional erosion control and weed suppression to include edging effects, softening of hardscape features, and textural contrast or harmony with companion plantings. The chapter emphasizes responsible plant selection by cautioning against highly invasive species such as goutweed, ivy, and fleeceflower that can become ecological liabilities. Year-round visual interest, from evergreen foliage to seasonal blooms, enhances the value of ground covers in low-maintenance landscape schemes that reduce mowing requirements while improving soil health and aesthetic cohesion.