Achieving fantastic ornamental effects is not the only benefit of growing ornamental ground cover plants. Dense plantings are a kind of protective umbrella that effectively protects the soil against drying out, washing away and weeding. Moreover, wilted leaves and shoots are processed into fertilizer and fertilize the soil. It is worth remembering all this when preparing a spring arrangement of a decorative garden.
Cover for special tasks
Covering plants meet all the criteria for species intended for cultivation in areas that are difficult to access and difficult to develop due to unfavorable development conditions.Ground cover plants grow where the cultivation of roses or many magnificent perennials is doomed to failure. It is enough to change positions in the shade or on steep, sunny slopes. Ground covers are not a homogeneous group of plants. These include both short perennials and woody plants (trees and shrubs), and even climbers, such as ivy. Some ground cover, mainly the low ones, including varieties and species of irgi, have lost some popularity due to the mass occurrence, e.g. in public parks, squares and city flower beds. Ultimately, despite their impressive durability, they are not that popular.
There are many interesting ground cover species among perennials. Many of them are not suitable for cultivation in parks, but they are perfect for garden cultivation. When planning planting, we advise you to combine several different species within one site (bearing in mind, of course, that they must have similar requirements as to the conditions of development).Although some ground cover looks good only in carpet plantings, however, due to the limited space in small gardens, this form of planting may exceptionally be abandoned.
Best species for colored cover
For cover plantings, select species that are selected, suited to the local soil conditions and insolation. Otherwise, bald patches will form in the substrate, providing a gateway for the weeds to spread quickly. Dense carpets create, among others periwinkle, epimedium, arugula, comfrey, root geranium, hoof-plant and ivy. In shady places, ferns also provide great cover. The cultivation of cover crops, unfortunately, drowns out the development of weaker perennials from the immediate surroundings. Therefore, the above-mentioned ground cover should be grown in places where there are no other forms of planting. Bulb species look good among ground cover plants, especially evergreen plants.
Secrets of cultivation
Before planting, the soil must be loosened, digging it with deep sticks, and cleaned of weeds, especially couch grass and ground elder. We must carry out weeding very carefully, because after planting, cleaning the soil will be very difficult, often even impossible. Finally, the substrate should be enriched with a large dose of compost. Most ground cover species should be planted in late summer. At this time of the year, weeds develop less well, but the weather conditions are still good enough that groundcover plants take root before winter. Thanks to this, they will spread quickly in spring. Planting density remains an open question. The distance at which the plants are to be planted depends on their size, growth strength and… the size of our wallet. There is no doubt that each purchased plant increases the cost of a considerable investment. Therefore, it is worth using species spreading through stolons to cover the ground.To fill empty spaces between newly planted plants, you should sprinkle cortex bedding (pine bark) as it suppresses the growth of weeds and protects the plants from frost.
Covering plants are often planted between trees, in places where grass does not want to grow. Remember that large trees drain the area. As a result, young seedlings have difficult adaptation conditions and must be intensively watered and fed for several years. Only this way will they take on the entire surface of the ground.
To save material or hide cavities, we can fill part of the path with ground cover plants. The ground under the pavement is usually compacted, so before planting it should be well loosened, then improved with fresh soil for flowers and mixed with a few handfuls of expanded clay. We sow, for example, sedum sprouts into the prepared soil. Of course, other plants can also be used in the arrangement, e.g. hive and thyme. If the path is laid on hardened ground, the ground must first be broken up and thoroughly loosened.
