Generally speaking ground covers spread, run, sprawl, or colonize by reseeding. Some will grow only in full shade, some thrive in the full sun, and even others survive quite well no matter where you plant them. Some adapt quite well to dry conditions but others like moist soils that are rich in humus. Most ground covers have shallow root systems which mean they are suitable for planting between Rhododendrons or any other broad leaf evergreen because they do not like their roots to be disturbed by cultivation. Because ground covers have these qualities it makes them quite useful for controlling erosion and weeds. Ground covers are available in a wide variety of sizes, textures, and colors that add beauty to a garden. You need to select your plants carefully, so they are suited to your climate, availability of water, soil pH, exposure to light, and the hardiness of the plant. Once it has become established, little maintenance is needed other than a yearly feeding with an all purpose fertilizer.
Ground covers are usually planted in the same way as any other perennials or shrubs. Normally, in colder climate areas, they should be planted in spring or early summer so they become established before winter sets in. The first step of preparation is to rid the soil of all debris and weeds. Cultivate the soil first, and then mix in some organic matter, such as peat moss, compost, or manure, to the top eight inches of soil. Normally, you should plant ground cover about a foot apart, but if your budget is tight or you want a quick cover, plant farther apart or closer together. Your ground cover needs to be watered regularly for the first year to be sure they will survive and get them established. A thick layer of mulch can be added to help control weeds and conserve moisture. Sometimes it may require more than a year or more for ground cover to become established and start to spread, depending on the plant and the conditions. Once established, they need only a minimum of watering and care.
Using ivy ground cover in parts of the garden can be a nice touch. It is pretty simple to care for, and will spread with very little effort. Ivy can be either prostrate, meaning it will spread on the ground horizontally and fill in a space, or it can be climbing, meaning it will climb homes, trees, trellises or whatever gets in its way. Ivy may be simple to grow and easy to care for but it can also be very high maintenance in order to keep it under control. English ivy vines were very popular ground cover plants at one time but because it is so invasive, hard to control and fast growing most people today do not like to use it.
The Wandering Jew is a trailing perennial that is generally grown for its beautiful foliage and is usually grown as a houseplant can also be grown outdoors in full sun or partial shade in a moist, fertile soil. The fleshy green leaves of this
evergreen ground cover have two silvery stripes and a purple underside; if it is grown in full sun their leaves will generally remain green without the stripes. Creeping Charlie is another very popular houseplant that can be grown outdoors. This ivy has a green to purplish leaf and will spread very quickly but also must be watched or it will grow out of control.
Most of the ground cover vines
are good to plant in areas where they will not invade other parts of the garden. We have a three and one half foot high hill along a walkway on the side of our house that we have three trees and several bushes planted. We decided to trim back some of the bushes and removed two of them. We had a potted container with Creeping Charlie just sitting on the hill and now that it is getting more sun we removed the container and left the Charlie; we now have beautiful
ground cover vines beginning to fill in the bare spots on the hill.
