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Why Having a Ground Cover is Important in Gardening
In gardening and landscaping, ground covers provide protection from erosion and drought. In addition, the covers also help improve the aesthetic appeal of the entire garden or landscape. These covers conceal the bare soil and help expand the green surface area of gardens (or add some purple, white and pink to the landscape because of the flowering ground cover plants).
Characteristics of ground cover plants
These plants undergo more side and lateral growth which makes them spread throughout an area instead of occupying more vertical space. As they grow outwards, they take more and more space and grow around the existing plants and trees.
Because they occupy space and also consume water and nutrients, ground cover plants seem to compete with other plants, trees, shrubs and grasses in the area. We have to note though that they will only cover the ground and not the other plants. These low-lying species have limited vertical growth which means they won’t block the sunlight from reaching most other plants and shrubs.
Aside from our gardens and landscapes, forests and other natural ecosystems also benefit from ground cover plants. Apart from protecting the topsoil from drought and erosion, these plants also add to the plants’ diversity in a certain area. They also contribute to nutrient recycling and synthesis because more plants are now present to do the work (and also the “idle space” is now being put to good use).
A few notes and considerations
Given all the benefits of having ground cover plants, we still have to be careful on which of these should be included in our gardens. For example, we have to avoid planting kudzu because of its rapid spread and growth. It’s an extremely invasive species which can grow at a rate of about 30 cm per day. In a few weeks or months, it’s possible for them to invade an entire garden and make it unsightly.
As a result, we have to choose non-invasive plant and grass species. Here at Able Nursery, you will have dozens to choose from. You can choose one that has purple/burgundy foliage or something with a rich green colour. Surely you can find one that best matches your garden and your preferences.