Ground cover refers to those plants that cover the ground with a solid carpet. They are used to decorate the garden territory, park areas, personal plots. They come in different species and varieties. Read about some of them in the article.
Types of soil protectors
A huge number of species and varieties of various plants grow in nature. One is enough for one year to go through the whole life cycle, for the other two, and for the third several. These plants for decorating the territory are:
- Annuals.
- Biennial.
- Perennial.
To decorate the garden, plants that do not need annual planting are more often used. This is especially true for large areas. In one place, they can grow for several years, and only when they begin to lose their decorative qualities, other cultures are planted in their place.
Annual groundcover
These include stunted plants that completely cover the soil. Their shoots take root very quickly, at the same pace and grow. Sandy, rocky soils and shaded areas are suitable for them. Annuals are used to make up various patterns and mosaics. Their advantage is that every year the flowerbed can be given a new image. These colors are:
- Graceful begonias - grow well in the shade of tall plants. For their landing, the most suitable month is May.
- Petunia - ampel cultivars are chosen to decorate the garden. Only one bush is able to cover a plot of 1.5 m 2 .
- Cornflower - flowering continues throughout the summer period.
- Dwarf asters - late flowering varieties begin in late summer. This plant withstands frosts of up to 7 ° C below zero.
Biennial soil protectors
They differ in that their full life cycle is carried out in two years. After flowering, decorativeness is lost. In hot weather, shoots begin to stretch and seeds ripen. In autumn, when the temperature drops, they can bloom repeatedly, but not so intensely. Their appearance becomes untidy. They have abundant self-seeding, but they do not retain decorative varietal qualities. Representatives of this species are:
- Daisies - lighting does not play any role for this flower. The plant is perennial, but it is grown as a biennial. Reproduction is possible both by seeds and by dividing the bush.
- Viola - this plant has many varieties and hybrids. Shrubby undersized forms are used when you need to create a carpet stain in landscape design. The value of this flower is its ability to grow in sunny and shaded areas.
Perennials
So called plants that grow for a long time in one place and do not need an annual transplant. Many undersized ground cover plants-perennials retain decorativeness for a long time: with the onset of spring and before the end of autumn. They are ideal for decorating any territory: garden, park, garden, as they are very beautiful and do not require much care. Depending on preferences, everyone can choose plants with decorative leaves, abundant flowering, bright colors, chiseled petals and other characteristics. Groundcover plants play a practical role:
- With the growth of their roots are intertwined, forming a kind of coating under the top layer of the earth, which serves as a protection of the soil from drying out, frost and overheating.
- Thanks to the numerous roots, the soil structure is preserved.
- Dead parts of plants during decomposition are fertilizers.
- Weeds do not sprout through the ground cover plants that form a thick carpet.
Sun-loving perennials
There are a lot of plants. Some perfectly develop, grow and bloom only in the presence of a sufficient amount of sunlight, while for others such conditions are fatal. When choosing plants, you should focus not only on your preferences regarding the attractiveness of appearance, but also on other characteristics. It is necessary to know the composition of the soil on the site, as well as the location of the flower garden. When everything is taken into account, you can choose plants from those that are suitable for your garden. If the site throughout the daylight does not fall under the shade, you need to choose sun-loving plants. The names of ground cover plants are presented below in the article.
Styloid phlox
This plant is a beautiful groundcover. It is often used to decorate the territory. As soon as spring comes, on the branches with leaf-needles there are many small flowers of different shades: blue, pink, white. If some area in the flower garden needs to be highlighted with a plain spot, plants of the same variety are planted.
Phlox grows rapidly. It’s enough to buy a few plants to have a lot after a year. You can grow as many phloxes from cuttings as you need to get the desired plot. These groundcover plants are used to frame garden paths, flower beds. They look harmoniously in rockeries, they are decorated with mixborders.
Stalk
This perennial is a representative of ground cover flowering plants. His shoots are creeping. Silvery inflorescences are formed on them, reaching a height of 10-15 cm. With the onset of May, small white flowers bloom. This groundcover is unpretentious and winter-hardy. The stinglet grows very quickly, forming a beautiful carpet.
Ducheneea
Refers to groundcover plants with creeping shoots that take root easily, with the result that perennial grows rapidly. Duchenaea outwardly resembles wild strawberries. Her leaves are triple, small berries are red, but they can not be eaten. Prefers light places. The composition of the soil does not matter. It grows rapidly, while it can exhibit aggressive qualities.
Creeping thyme
This is an amazing plant: during the season it can bloom repeatedly if pruned after each period. Many summer residents use aromatic grass as a seasoning for meat, fish dishes and mushrooms. In addition, the plant is used as a healing agent. They are treated for colds, hypertension.
Shady Perennials
Not always the entire garden is lit by the sun. Some part of it remains in the shade. But do not worry, the area will not be empty, since there are many flowers that grow perfectly in the shade. Such ground cover plants for the garden are presented below in the article.
Hoof
The plant got its name because of the shape of leaflets that look like hooves. They have a dark green color, their surface is glossy. This perennial is the most suitable plant for decorating garden areas that are not exposed to the sun. It grows well, does not require special attention to itself, except for regular watering. This plant is even one very beautiful.
Periwinkle
It is a favorite creeping plant among flower growers, winters with leaves. After a cold period, chiseled flowers appear on a neat rug of dark green color. The plant is unpretentious, but grows better on loamy soils with moderate moisture. From the periwinkle, good borders are obtained, they are bordered by flower beds. The plant is used as turf for tree trunks. If the shoots go beyond the intended territory, it is easy to cope with them: it is enough to chop off with a shovel.
Alpine hill
This landscape design element is designed to decorate the garden throughout the year. A rock garden is not a simple flowerbed with flowers. It is a permanent facility on which ornamental plants grow all year. Building such beauty is not easy.
Flowers for the Alpine slide are of great importance. It is necessary to choose those that in size, shape and color of the petals will fit into the overall design plan. In addition, plants with different flowering periods are recommended for planting. But the main criterion for selecting flowers for an alpine hill is their vitality, frost resistance and low maintenance requirements. It is necessary to take into account the growing conditions. If they turn out to be unfavorable, the plants will die, and the rock garden will have to be restored.
Groundcover flowers
They are characterized by unpretentious care, low height, and most importantly - lush flowering, so they are used to design alpine slides. The following groundcover flowers are the most popular:
- Iberis - this plant has many varieties, some of them reach a height of only 10 cm. Flowering begins in late spring or summer. It is plentiful and very beautiful: snow-white curtains completely cover the plant.
- Edelweiss - these mountain flowers are perennials, they can not be transplanted to another place for 20 years. They are famous for the fact that they have been repeatedly sung in literary works. Under natural conditions, grow on rocky soils poor in nutrients. Decorating an alpine hill with such a plant is considered the pride of designers and gardeners. Popularity is added to the flower by the fact that the plant is listed in the Red Book. Edelweiss loves the sun and no shading, because in nature the places of their growth are the tops of the mountains.
- Sempervivum, or stone rose - the plant resembles a rosette consisting of leaves, the sizes, shape and color of which are different, depending on the variety. Usually, different specimens are chosen for rock gardens: burgundy, green, silver. These plants are unpretentious, able to grow in any conditions, even in the most inconvenient places, for example, in cracks formed by stones.
- Armeria seaside - flowers as if specially created by nature for rock garden. They are not afraid of frost and drought, they bloom for a long time.
- Carnations - naturally grow on the mountains, are considered the most popular plants for rock gardens. Their flowering continues throughout the summer, bright buds also smell good.
Saxifrage: Planting and Care
This plant is a groundcover, is a low bushes. Its shoots are covered with small flowers (1.5-2 cm in diameter) of various shades. Despite the decorative qualities that characterize the saxifrage, planting and care are not difficult, as it seems to many gardeners, especially beginners.
It takes root on the soil with an average degree of fertility. The optimal conditions for growing is a mixture of peat, humus, clay, coarse sand and gravel. It does not tolerate stagnation of water, so drained soil is needed for growth.
The best place for landing will be rocky slopes, as well as crevices in stones. Needs watering during a drought. Propagated, like most soil protectors, by seeds, seedlings and cuttings. It is used on artificially constructed slides and rocks, in rock gardens.
Cat foot
The scientific name for this plant is antennaria. It has become popular due to its unpretentiousness in care and endurance. The cat’s paw plant resembles a flower pillow; it does not crumple, even if you stamp on it. It got its name due to the shape of the buds. After flowering, they look like the paws of a cat. Flowers do not differ in beauty, but can compete with the most sophisticated lawns, as they have the ability not to lose attractiveness during the entire flowering period.
The cat's paw plant in nature can be found in pine trees, on wastelands, forest edges, meadows and along the banks of water bodies. The flowers have pink, white hues. Thanks to creeping shoots, antennaria form a thick carpet. After flowering, which occurs in the last month of spring and lasts through July, fruits are formed with a smooth surface and seeds. This plant is unpretentious, it is planted where other representatives of the flora do not grow: on sand, stones, in crevices between the plates. Cat's feet are used to create rock gardens, rockeries, mixborders. They are suitable for decoration borders.
Growing and caring for landowners
Often, for the breeding of plants, ready-made seedlings are bought, but it can be grown independently. In addition to this method, plants reproduce by seed, and bush forms by dividing the rhizome. Groundcover grow in any climatic conditions, they are undemanding to care. Their value is not only in decorative qualities. Thanks to these plants, the soil is not washed away, weeds do not appear.
The care is simple. In the process of growth, they get rid of faded buds and water the plants in a timely manner. Before the onset of winter, abundant hydration is carried out, and varieties that poorly respond to low temperatures are covered. For this, you can use dry leaves or branches of needles. The soil between the rows is mulched.
Plants are planted in a land cleared of debris, for which holes are excavated with a depth of 20-25 cm. If planting is carried out in order to obtain a flower bed from ground cover plants, then seedlings are planted in rows with a small distance between them. When plants are planted by the track, it is important to be careful so that they do not go beyond the defined territory. Two to three weeks after planting, they are watered daily. Subsequently, the moistening of crops is reduced to once a week.