by Pat Merewether

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: March 14, 2010

Ground covers are excellent plants for filling in bare spots or replacing grass lawns that are expensive and not earth friendly. These low-growing plants thrive in full sun or deep shade, depending upon the variety.  Ground covers are a perfect choice for an area where only rocks will grow.  Some are even being used on rooftops in cities to help absorb rain runoff and filter the air.

Ground cover is very easy to grow if you give it a good start. Till up the soil and remove any grass, weeds, rocks or debris. Sprinkle the soil with about a cup of bone meal in a six-by-six foot area and rake it in. Next place your ground cover plants about eight to ten inches apart. Many nurseries or even places like Wal-Mart or Home Depot are selling little six-packs of sedum, thyme or creeping Jenny to give you a quicker start. After you've planted your ground cover, tamp it down by gently stepping on the little clumps to press the roots into the soil, but don't crush the plants. Next, water well, or better yet, plant before an anticipated rainfall. Most any variety of ground cover will take it from there. A light sprinkling of dried, composted manure in early spring and late summer will help feed it. Or you can make manure tea by soaking a pound of manure in a five-gallon bucket of water and using this tea to water the plants.

Ground covers for Full Sun:

Hot, dry, sunny areas are often a problem when it comes to perennials or annuals, but there are a number of ground covers that thrive in these areas. Sedum is one perennial that will live a long and happy life in hot sun. Blue Spruce, Dragon's Blood and Daphne Sedum, quickly fill in any dry sunny area even with poor soil. You will have an easier time starting these in loose soil sandy soil or sandy loam. If you have heavy clay soil, building a raised bed of five or six inches will help get them started. Sedum comes in yellow, red, and bluish/green foliage give you a nice selection of colors to mix or match with existing plants. They grow to a maximum of six tp eight inches tall and do a great job of crowding out weeds. They are often used for 'green roofs' where plants replace shingles. They have a very shallow root system, so require limited amounts of soil. They drink deeply during rains and help hold the soil in place during heavy downpours. For this reason they also work well on slopes. Sedum is hardy in zones 3 - 9. Once it is established you'll have more trouble keeping it under control! that growing it. It

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