Its early in the morning, several hours before I usually get up, and I can't quite sleep because I ate too much junk food last night. So I'm tossing and turning and trying to get back to sleep and all I can think about is what ground cover to use in my native Japanese garden.
We can all agree that ground covers are a good thing. A good ground cover is low maintenance, looks great, and reduces the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. An ideal ground cover has several important properties:
- It's less than a foot in height. Or if its being grown under trees or large shrubs, maybe two feet high is OK. Much more than this, and it stops being a backdrop for your other plants and becomes a feature in its own right.
- Its easy to propagate and fills in areas quickly. You usually need a lot of it, and its a lot cheaper to buy a few plants and propagate them.
- It blocks weed effectively. The main purpose of a ground cover is to take up bare earth that would otherwise serve as a magnet for weed seeds.
- Its not too aggressive and gets along with your other plants. Ah, there's the rub. Almost anything that's going to fill in an area quickly and block weeds is also going to crowd out more delicate plants. What we really want is something that will not compete too aggressively with existing plants but block new ones from becoming established.
Juniper (various species). It's evergreen, looks great, is easy to control with occasional pruning, and does a great job of blocking weeds. Unfortunately, juniper spreads fairly slowly (about 6 inches per year for me) and can't be easily propagated, so its relatively expensive. Works great for sunny areas if you are willing to wait. Some species are native to the US.
Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox) - Its evergreen, looks great, and can be propagated (but not as easily as some other plants). Requires full sun. It hasn't been as robust as some other plants I've had. This is likely because my Arlington VA soil is too much clay, or because I didn't shear it after flowering as recommended here. I don't remember, exactly the conditions, but I recall it dying back several years after I got it. Still, I'm trying it again this year. Also, its a US native plant, though probably not to this area.
Hedera helix (English Ivy) - An invasive foreigner. I pull it out when ever I see it, regardless of how attractive the leaves might be. On the Virginia Invasive Alien Plants list.
Vinca minor (Periwinkle) - Evergreen and looks good, easily propagated, and spreads quickly. Too quickly, in many cases. It can work with some tougher perennials and shrubs, but will quickly overwhelm mode delicate plants. It grows in light to heavy shade, but is a little easier to control in shadier conditions. I also have some variegated Vinca major, but I don't like the way it looks so I'll be pulling it out. In fact, I plan on replacing the Vinca minor as well when I find an alternative. Both are on the Virginia Invasive Alien Plants list.
Lysimachia nummularia (creeping jenny) - I found this creeping jenny growing in a shady spot in my yard. It looked attractive enough that I moved some to another area where I could use some low ground cover to go with some lilies -of-the-valley. Now the lilies-of-the-valley are struggling to survive under a dense covering of the creeping jenny. Functionally, its similar to Vinca minor - fast spreading (though not quite as fast), easily propagated, and will overwhelm other plants. On the Virginia Invasive Alien Plants list, so I'll be pulling it out this year.
Sedum ternatum (Mountain Stonecrop) - Looks nice, but I really haven't had a chance to see how it performs. A US native, its supposed to do well in sun and light shade.
Mystery Plant - This showed up in my yard, and I'm guessing its some sort of sedum. It is very easy to propagate and spreads at a stately rate, seems to get along with established plants, and its even evergreen. Grows in full sun.
Aster ericoides 'Schneegitter' - Looks decent when in leaf (its deciduous), and great when its in bloom. It has been pretty effective at weed control. I haven't tried propagating it much, but is should be easy enough to divide. Doesn't spread all that fast. Grows in full sun.
Laptinella squalida (brass buttons) - A very low, moss-like plant that's supposed to be good between stepping stones. It does a pretty decent job of blocking weeds, and looks very nice. It spreads fairly slowly (3-4 inches per year), but its easy enough to propagate by division. Grows in full sun.
Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold) - My first attempt to divide this was a bit touch and go, but it seems to have established itself now. It doesn't really spread that quickly (a few inches a year), and its not evergreen, but it is native to the area. The jury is still out on how well it does against weeds. Requires full sun.
Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger) - Mine haven't really spread that much, but it looks pretty nice and its a native plant. Grows in part shade.
