Groundcovers in Your Texas Landscape

Spreading Rapidly in Popularity, Groundcovers Cover a Gamut of Gardening Issues

Groundcovers are a great solution to a variety of gardening problems. Fortunately, there are numerous groundcovers available.

By definition, groundcovers are plants that cover the ground and spread fairly quickly. They are perennials, coming back year after year. In addition, they can be:

• One inch to a few feet in height.
• Woody or herbaceous.
• Clumping or running.
• Evergreen or deciduous.

Benefits of Groundcovers

Groundcovers have numerous benefits, ranging from the practical to the aesthetic. They:

• Provide dense soil cover.
• Retard weed growth.
• Prevent soil erosion.
• Solve landscape problems.
• Unify landscape components.

Best Places for Groundcovers

Almost every landscape has room for groundcovers. They are perfect for areas where you want to:

• Eliminate part of the lawn.
• Dress up a fairly plain area.
• Create a unique look.
• Add color or texture.
• Soften walkways, steps or driveways.
• Create a traffic barrier or hedge.
• Provide transition between the lawn and taller plants.

Preparing the Soil

As with any long-term plant, soil preparation is important to the groundcover’s successful growth.

• Don’t try to take on too big an area at once.
• Design the space that you want to convert to groundcover.
• Start with only a portion of that design to remove existing lawn and start your new groundcover.
• Keep that portion free of weed and grass growth.
• Let your groundcovers get well established before moving to another section of your garden.
• Spray a “Roundup” type of product to kill unwanted grass and weeds.
• Apply a 3” layer of Expanded Shale if you have heavy clay soil. Till it in as deeply as possible.
• Rake, smooth and remove any debris.
• Plant your groundcovers in a staggered pattern.
• Consider raised beds for areas under large trees.

Additional Tips

• Select groundcovers based on their ability to add year-round beauty to the landscape.
• Try groundcovers when grass either won’t grow or is too difficult to maintain.
• Allow at least one to two growing seasons for the area to become completely established.
• Once your groundcover is well established, weeding and mowing can stop.
• Texas gardening experts at any Calloway’s or Cornelius Nursery garden center can help you select groundcovers for your specific landscape situation.

Download a printable pdf file of this information

For more information, visit any Calloway’s or Cornelius Nursery garden center to get expert advice from a Texas Certified Nursery Professional.