What Is Ground Cover Landscaping?

You want every inch of your space to be beautiful, but some areas present challenges to lawn maintenance. The rich beauty of a lush lawn can become a headache when it requires mowing around tricky areas, and it takes time and energy to get that grass to grow in the first place. Fortunately, ground cover landscaping can help, cutting down on lawn maintenance while highlighting the impact of more dramatic features.

Ground cover landscaping uses natural or synthetic materials and low-lying, creeping plants to fill designated areas. These plants, simply called groundcovers, are easy to maintain and remain under one foot high, making them ideal for filling thin spots and adding visual interest while making your life easier.

Ground Cover Landscaping’s Many Benefits

In addition to staying short and manageable, many groundcover plants require little attention. Since they grow by creeping, they gradually expand on their own, and they easily cover banks and slopes that would be tricky to mow. Groundcovers also make excellent garden paths. Robust and resistant to foot traffic, plants such as Irish Moss and Sedum can complement your garden by adding visual appeal and serving as an inviting footpath or border.

As if easier lawn maintenance wasn’t tempting enough, groundcover plants can improve the health of a yard. These low-lying plants hug the earth with their creeping roots, preventing weed growth, resisting erosion and conserving moisture. With responsible water use high on the radar here in northwest Indiana, that makes ground cover landscaping good for more than just your lawn.

With their wide array of colors and textures, you can find one of these versatile plants for nearly any aesthetic. When you incorporate ground cover materials as well, you can create a yard that is beautiful, low-maintenance and truly unique.

Plants and Materials for Ground Cover Landscaping

Though there are many types of groundcovers, a few of the more popular plants include Sedum, Pachysandra and Creeping Phlox:

• A hardy succulent, Sedum is known for its low water consumption and many color options. With a little weeding to help it get started, you can enjoy this evergreen groundcover all year.
• Pachysandra is remarkably tolerant of shade and never needs cutting. You can look forward to its spiky white or pink blooms.
• One of the most beautiful cover plants, Creeping Phlox becomes a carpet of maintenance-free pastel blossoms every spring.

In addition to plants, you can use materials such as stone, natural mulch or recycled rubber strips to cut down on your lawn maintenance and enhance the look of your yard. With a strategic combination of groundcover plants and materials, you can have a lawn with easy drainage, low water consumption and fantastic curb appeal, all with minimal time and effort.

Put Ground Cover to Work With Ricci’s Landscape Management

With over 20 years of experience, the experts at RLM specialize in turning lawns into works of art. Serving the entire northwest Indiana area, including Chesterton, Crown Point, Valparaiso and Munster, our certified technicians are passionate about bringing customers’ landscaping dreams to life.

When you’re ready to find a ground cover landscaping solution that fits your home or business, contact RLM and get the job done right.