GROUND COVERS

The good thing about ground covers is that they cover the ground. The bad thing about ground covers is that they cover the ground. Ground covers can be real thugs, climbing over barriers, working their way outside their boundaries into places I don't want them to go. Most ground covers are very attractive...perfect examples of "looks can be deceiving".

Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever purchased a ground cover. They have been shared by well meaning friends. I'm sure I was very appreciative (at first). Okay, I might be a little negative right now, I spent a couple of hours today digging out an eight by ten plot of Lamium (dead nettle). Guess what, one of my neighbors has volunteered to take all the Lamium I dig out. I did warn him. This Lamium has very pretty variegated leaves and is especially pretty when it blooms in early spring.

My favorite ground cover, however, is Sweet Woodruff with it's dainty white spring flowers. It's perfect for filling shady spots but it's easy to pull out if I want to plant something else in it's place. Also, it's an herb. It was used in days of old to make a spring tonic. Lily of the Valley is another shade loving ground cover. It's in bloom right now and the flowers smell wonderful. Sun loving Sedum is about to bloom. Purple leaf Ajuga will bloom soon with a flower that is a beautiful shade of purple. Vinca has been blooming off and on since April. Hmm, maybe it's the flowers that make me tolerant of all those thuggish ground covers.