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A native ground cover is any of spreading and low growing plants that grow naturally in the region you live in. Evolution has taken the guess work out of what plants will grow with only the moisture provided by Mother Nature in your area. Plants that supply native ground cover often require little if any pruning, shearing or cutting. With the drastic increase in water bills and a more realistic vision of what a yard should look like given the topography many people are exploring the idea of natural ground cover alternatives to the traditional grass lawn. There are a variety of resources to access when considering what native ground cover to use.
For starters look around at the plants that are growing wild in uncultivated areas in your vicinity. What you see may be considered weeds by some simply by virtue of their growing without human assistance. The characteristics of those plants will tell you what is needed for them to survive. Long tap roots and the ability to store moisture in leaves are common characteristics of native ground covers in arid environments while tolerance to soggy soil is important in others. Keep in mind that all native plants that have been grown in a nursery will need watered regularly until they have become established and acclimatized to living in the ground. Once past that initial time period plants that supply native ground cover require very little routine care.
The most commonly seen ground cover is grass. It is a native ground cover for the British Iles which has been adopted by landscapers worldwide. Grass can tolerate heavy usage but requires a great deal of water to be the deep green carpet desired. In areas that do not receive a lot of foot traffic there are many plants that are by far less labor intensive to maintain but still offer a neat appearance. With the high cost of water in many areas today planting ground cover can be a wise economic move also.
In recent years more nurseries have begun offering native ground cover options and that is making it easier for the gardener to naturalize their yards. But the most helpful resource available to the most people is the County Extension Office. Often there is a telephone number expressly for plant information manned by Master Gardeners. The information supplied by those folks is likely to be the best you can acquire for your local area. Other resources include the library, the internet, and nurserymen.
A few native ground covers that do well in all zones are Carpet Bugle, Snow-In-Summer, Indian Mock Strawberry, Ground Ivy, Creeping Lily Turf, Germander and Thyme. Using a native ground cover is one of the ways you can reduce the time and money outlays for a nice lawn and garden. Lawn substitutes are the newest buzz in the gardening world as water shortages as well as severely reduced finances becomes more common place. Even those with no financial challenges are looking in to the colorful and varied options natural ground covers offer.
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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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