Gardening Articles

There are many ways of trying to control weeds. We can remove them by hoeing them out you can try to prevent them to grow by putting down mulches.

If you want to say good bye to the weeds you have a simple alternative: a living mulch -  ground cover plants.
There are a wide variety of ground cover plants that suite every space, from full sun to the deepest shadow.

After a long winter, sometimes is hard to plant outside in early spring, and you might have to wait until mid or late spring. If you want to plant ground cover plants is better to think now, in early autumn, to do it, because if spring will come to late next year, you will lose precious time in front of the weeds, that are growing and establish faster than your plants.

Plant now ground cover plants like Omphalodes verna, Epimedium, Ajuga or Bistorta affinis if you want to win your battle with the weeds for the next year. Before the winter to come, those plants will already have been established and they will have an early start next spring.

It is not recommended to add mulch between ground cover plants because many of those plants species develop rhizomes or stolons or spread offsets that establish more faster if the soil is not mulched. This way plants propagate faster and cover the ground and so no weed will survive.

All ground cover plants require maintenance, some more than others. Lawns also are considered ground covers, but may require more moisture, sunlight, fertilizer and maintenance than other ground cover choices.
Evergreen ground covers require less care than all the others. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance to keep them attractive.

Usually, you will plant your ground covers about 20-30 cm apart, but if you need a quick cover up you can plant them closer together. Water your ground covers regularly for the first year to ensure their survival, and to help them become established.