Category: Groundcovers

Groundcovers are low-growing plantings that are either not mown or not grasses, that is, they are alternatives to turfgrass. For example, English ivy, Hedera helix, might be mown occasionally, but because it is not a grass would by definition be a groundcover, not turfgrass. Or blue fescue, Festuca glauca, a grass, could be planted and not mown and it would be a groundcover, not turfgrass.

Arachis glabrataThere is no sharp definition of what is “low-growing” but certainly 20 cm height or shorter is “low-growing” and 60 cm of height pushes the upper limits of “low-growing.” There are those who consider that a groundcover may be up to 120 cm high and others who will not allow a “groundcover” to be more than 30 cm high.

Despite the semantics, the intention of growing groundcovers is to have a planting that grows low enough for visibility but typically is not trafficked and does not require mowing. This is better operationally as a definition.

Advocates for groundcovers as an alternative to turf mention that turfgrass has high maintenance requirements which groundcovers do not. There is meager data on this and in some cases groundcovers are badly invaded by weeds or have other maintenance problems. The best cases for groundcovers are in situations where shade is too dense for grasses, are that are inaccessible for mowing, and where there is a desire for color or other accents in the landscape.

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groundcovers adjacent to lawn

redbird – posted 17 April 2003 07:09 I have a strip of roadside ( 35′ x 175′) separated from the back/side of my lawn by a privacy fence and an island of trees/palmettos. It...

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know nothing about grass

socaldirt – posted 20 April 2005 23:31 I have recently moved to a property in San Diego on the coast that has a plot of dirt about 13′ x 10′ and I would like...

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synthetic lawn

GMAN – posted 23 August 2001 16:03 I simply have to say that I got rid of all of my insecticide, herbacide, fertilizer, browning, watering and cutting problems when I decided to install a...

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Ornamental perennial peanut

seed – posted 09 June 2006 15:48 Last month I was surprised to see a very successful lawn of peanutgrass, or ornamental perennial peanut, in Plantation, Florida:https://turfgrass.com/pics/pics53.html The homeowner who takes care of this...

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Ground cover

KC – posted 06 June 2002 14:50 Hello,Does anyone know what kind of ground cover will grow with out additional watering etc. Also I would like to have it choke out poison oak if...