Published in Total Landscape Care
September 2012
New ways of thinking about ground covers
Groundcovers work when you need to cover lots of square footage, such as in a corporate landscape where large naturalized areas are becoming increasingly common. In addition, in some parts of the country, such as in California, municipalities are offering homeowners incentives to replace turf with native plantings and drought-tolerant groundcovers.
Aesthetically, groundcovers serve as a vital design element. “They pull together a planting plan by creating a common theme that anchors the layout,” says J’Nell Bryson, a landscape architect in Charlotte, North Carolina. “For example, a single type of groundcover can unify many different kinds of shrubs for a more cohesive appearance.”
