Groundcovers That Work for You - Not the Other Way Around
But if you like the idea of low- maintenance landscaping and need a few ideas, then read on. I have had an aversion to mowers (and other gas-powered tools) for as long as I’ve been gardening. And the appearance and feel of a rock garden just isn’t soft enough, obviously. So I’ve introduced into my landscape several low-growing, walk on-able groundcovers that never need mowing and are delightful in both look and feel. See what you think:
Torenia
Tor
enia is a volunteer weed that I’ve learned to, if not love, then at least live with. I once had a vision of a grassy area and attempted to plant zoysia, a slow growing grass that only rarely needs to be mowed, perhaps never if you have chickens pecking away at the seed heads. But torenia took over in my “lawn” area and holds space wonderfully and, with its little bluish-purple flowers, is rather charming. Keep in mind that it’s a weed in most people’s minds. And I suspect it wouldn’t take heavy traffic all that well.
Unknown Groundcover
This little beauty couldn’t be identified by my local nurseryman/keeper of knowledge. He offered that its growth habit looked a bit like Corsican mint. My Corsican mint died out without a fight ages ago but this little creeper perseveres. I’ve got it planted in my perennial garden as the perennial peanut is just a little too aggressive for certain perennials. To spread it around, I just take little runners and tuck them into the soil with my finger. Weed and weed and weed and eventually they grow together and it will appear that you have Astroturf under your perennials.
Perennial Peanuts
Perennial P
eanuts have proven to be my favorite groundcover, requiring very little to no maintenance once established. The chickens love to eat the blossoms off and the goats will nibble on the vegetation a little. What is most desirable of all is that, unlike grass, if you lay down on your bed of peanuts, they don’t irritate your skin like grass does.
Establish an area with perennial peanuts by smothering with a weed cloth or scraping off all existing plants. Take 12-18 in. cuttings from mother plants. You can just pop them in a little hole by winding the cutting around your finger, punching a hole with a pick and leaving about 3-4 inches out at the top. Tamp in with your foot and let it grow. I put them in a checkerboard fashion about every foot.
They will take some maintenance while establishing so pull up the weeds that appear back on your exposed soil (or cinder it that’s what you have). In a year’s time or so, and if you’ve done your homework, you’ll never need to mow or weed that patch again. If the area gets infested with googobs of weeds while they’re establishing, instead of tediously weeding you can weight down some of that woven black plastic weed mat over all those weed
s and in a few week’s time, all but the peanuts die off. Peek under the weed mat on occasion and check the results. I’ve had success with this and it made my weed cloth a worthwhile investment (I bought a 300’ by 12” roll).. Peanuts are especially useful on slopes where no one in their right mind would want to mow. This groundcover is very drought resistant once established but make sure to plant during rainy weather so the cuttings are watered in. (If you can’t find cuttings, perennial peanut seeds can be found, too. I purchased some at the Garden Exchange in Hilo several years ago.)
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- Published in Home Improvement and Maintenance
