Ground Cover Plants to Protect Your Lawn

The particular purpose of ground cover plants to is to provide those areas of your lawn which are naturally never walked upon with some degree of decoration and also protection from the elements. Ground cover plants come in a variety of different blooms, colours and also levels of hardiness which is always beneficial given the somewhat erratic nature of the Great British weather system.

Ground cover plants also provide excellent assistance when it comes to lawn care, protecting those areas of lawn which may need protecting such as border edges and also corners of the garden where there may be little human traffic but where animal traffic such as family pets may be more prevalent.

So what are the best kind of ground cover plants to have in your garden? Well this very much depends on you and also on the area in which you live in. Also a very common factor in providing your lawn with ground cover is – as we have already touched upon – the weather.

What Type of Ground Cover Plant Should I Go For?

There are, as we have already mentioned, a plethora of different ground cover plants to choose from. Again this is very much down to the gardener or lawn keeper as to what they chose but here are a selection that you can choose from:

  • Hardy Perennials
  • Evergreens
  • Shrubs
  • Climber
  • Rock Garden Plant

Within these groups there are many different variety of plant to choose from and we have selected some of the most common.

Hosta

Hosta are one of the best ground cover plants for providing lawn care when it comes to lawns and gardens which are governed by partial shading. With spiky foliage of white or sometimes purple flowers which bloom in the summer months Hostas can grow in height up to around 24 inches.

Cotula

A very low growing plant with quite thick fern-like foliage Cotula traditionally flowers in the spring months producing small yellow flowers and which can cope with shading underneath trees which allow some light through. Normally these ground plants provide thick covering for your lawn they grow to no more than an inch in height.

Geranium

Probably the most popular ground cover plant available – and also kept in other varieties as an indoor plant – the geranium has a wiry stemmed base and produces small yellow flowers. One of the greatest advantages of growing geraniums is that they can be propagated from cuttings or seeds alike and when fully grown reach their peak at 24 inches in height.

Growing Ground Cover Plants

Although ground cover plants provide excellent assistance when it comes to providing lawn cover they are sometimes very labour intensive especially when it comes to cutting and keeping them in check. Many of these plants are specific in their growing patterns and will not intrude upon the ground of any other plant around them but some can become rampant and stray into the territory of other plants.

For this reason it is sometimes necessary to cut them back – or prune them – to maximise their growth potential but to also stop them from over powering other plants in and around their immediate area.

To begin with most of these plants are propagated in trays perhaps in a greenhouse or in a sheltered area before being moved out into the lawn area where they do provide excellent ground cover.

Further Advice

If you require further advice on how best to provide your lawn with adequate ground cover it is best to speak to someone at your local nursery or garden centre. In addition some allotment owners enlist the help of such plants to help provide their crops with ground cover and also as a means of keeping away unwanted pests.

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