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It is getting more common nowadays to include other ground covers in landscaping design. This new gardening ground cover plants have quite a few advantages over traditional lawn. In this article, we will be discussing these, as well as taking a look at the most common ground covers used in gardening.
It is a known fact that lawns need careful maintenance. They need mowing, fertilizing and deweeding. Also, not every type of lawn will do well in every location. Gardening ground covers, on the other hand, require little maintenance. Since the plants used for this purpose are small, they do not need pruning. Also, the very density of the foliage these plants generally have will rule out the possibility of weeds growing in between plants. But gardening ground covers are not only decorative; they serve other purposes as well. In the first place, they are a good option for retaining soil moisture. This is especially useful when the planting scheme includes tropical plants that need more moisture than the norm. Another common use for gardening ground cover plants is to stop erosion. Plants planted on the slopes of hills, or in any other easily-eroded place will prevent erosion caused by water or wind.
So, let’s take a look at the most common gardening ground cover plants available. Bear in mind that there are many of them, and they can be differentiated according to whether they flower or not, or whether they are grasses or creeping plants. With grasses, dwarf species of grass, like Dwarf Mondo Grass, offer an excellent alternative. They can be planted both in the sun and in partial shade. They tolerate light traffic, and come in different shades of green, which can play a great contrast with the rest of the plants in the garden.
Apart from ornamental grasses, there are evergreen plants with little to no flowers. Among these, the Blue Rug Juniper can be a great asset to any garden, covering whole areas of soil with its blue-green foliage. It can be planted in the full sun or in partial shade, will do well in places where other plants fail, such as under tall trees, and can even tolerate frost and snow. This is the most widely-used gardening ground cover.
One of the flowering plants that are used as gardening ground cover is Phlox. These plants have small, blue, pale blue, white or pink flowers that form an explosion of color when in bloom. These plants need to be in the full sun, and regularly watered in the hot summer months. Another species of flowering plant for ground cover use is Soapwort, which provides a colorful array in the summer, with its pale violet flowers. These two, however, as well as any other flowering gardening ground cover plant, will tolerate no traffic.
So, if you are tired of plain and simple lawn, you could try these alternatives. These gardening ground cover plants will provide a new eye-catching focal point and may make the task of looking after your garden easier!
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about Landscape Gardening and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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