While exploring my files for some information on ground covers, I came across a very good article written by Margot Moloney-Best in a gardening newsletter entitled, "The Curious Gardener." In the article, entitled "Ground Covers-Plants, Grass or Weeds?," Moloney-Best discusses the various attributes of a good ground cover. She writes that ground covers can really live up to their name by:

Covering a slope (which may be too steep for mowing or weeding)

Hiding a bare spot (where not much else will grow)

Keeping the soil cool

Providing a home for worms and other beneficial soil life

Defining a pathway

Covering the roots of a tree

Preventing erosion

Cutting down on yard maintenance (better known as work)

Simply looking well kept and beautiful

Maloney-Best says that there are many kinds of ground covers from which to choose, ranging in height from two inches to several feet. Most are evergreen in mild climates, and the deciduous kind have beautiful fall foliage and sometimes berries which attract birds.

Ground covers shouldn't be thought of as lawn replacements, because they cannot take the wear and tear of a lawn. They can be walked upon occasionally, but won't stand up to heavy foot traffic. Well-placed, ground covers can unite a landscape. They can be thought of as living mulch, and perennial ones at that.

Flats of ground covers can be purchased at nurseries if you have a large area to cover, or else just purchase a few six packs of plants for smaller areas. Many gardeners who have ground covers would be willing to share some cuttings. For quicker rooting, cuttings can be dipped in a rooting hormone before planting. Most ground covers root readily and will cover an area fairly quickly.

Molony-Best recommends marking the ground to keep the plants fairly well spaced when covering a large area. The plants can then be individually mulched to get them off to a good start. An easier way to plant a large area is to cover the ground with an organic mulch, then plant directly through the mulch. The plants cover the mulch as they spread, and the mulch decomposes to enrich the soil. As with all plants, ground covers need regular watering to become established.

In her article, the author make the following comments about some ground cover species and their growing habits:

Some of the fragrant ground covers--especially when stepped on--are woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus), which has gray, woolly leaves, and mother of thyme or creeping thyme (Thymus praecox articles), which has dark green leaves. Both are only two to three inches high. Being closer to the ground, they will take a little more foot traffic and are excellent choices to place among stones in foot paths. Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) is another low growing mat of light grayish white leaves, with white flowers in early summer. English ivy (Hedra helix) is an old favorite, rooting as it spreads, and looking neater than the more invasive Algerian ivy.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor) is a fast spreading evergreen plant with dark shiny leaves and light blue flowers in spring and summer. It is a bit less invasive than its relative, Vinca major. Vinca minor is very hardy, and will grow under trees that are notorious for not allowing anything else to grow under them.

Epimediums and hostas are interesting ground covers due to their height--usually up to one foot--and their flowers and foliage. Epimedium, a member of the Berberidaceae family, has various colored leaves from spring through fall. Hostas send up beautiful flower stalks in the summer which range in height from six inches to five feet! While they are famous for their heart shaped leaves, they will go dormant in fall. Planting them among other ground covers that are evergreen with leaf textures creates a unique landscape.