ground cover plants
Ground Cover Plants
Ground cover plants add beauty, along with a finishing touch, to a landscape garden, and also prevent soil erosion. This article states the advantages and disadvantages of these floras.
- They help to reduce the germination of weeds, as they coat the entire floor like a carpet. It is easy to maintain the landscape, as they prevent the ingress of the weeds.
- These floras reduce soil erosion and water loss and are ideal for steep slopes, because they conserve soil.
- It is an insulating layer for the soil. Since it keeps the soil cool in the summer, and warm during the winter months.
- They help to build the humus level in the soil, by acting as living mulch. A few varieties are a good companion for bulbs (e.g. lily) and other floras. These floras are also habitats for beneficial insects.
- Many of them are herbs which are used as medicines for home remedies. There are also a few, "food" cover plants, such as spinach.
- Such floras are practical for areas where growing turf grass is not possible.
- Drought-tolerant ground covers can be planted near the sidewalks and steep slopes, where it is not possible to irrigate or water them regularly.
- Slugs, snakes, snails and pests, make these floras their habitats. For instance, if the area is popular with slugs, it is not advisable to grow them.
- They compete for water and fertilizer with other plants.
- You should choose them carefully for your garden. The reason is, if the ground cover is very vigorous in growth, it can over-run the vegetation that you want to grow.
- It is a fact that they are weed suppressors, however, till these floras establish themselves, you have to keep the landscape free from weeds.