Re: [SG] Low Maintenance Gardening

I'll second Betty's groundcover.  I have several borders - older ones, to
be sure, as this does not happen overnight - where the ground is entirely
covered all year with plants of various sorts, many of whom have seeded in
from the originals planted there.  The only weeding I need to do in them is
to remove blasted walnut seedlings, kindly planted for me by squirrels, and
the occasional wild grape vine that manages to get in there.  I go over
these borders twice a year - once for spring clean up to get rid of dead
stalks and leaves left where they fell in fall and once in mid summer to
take care of the aforementioned intruders.

Until groundcovers can knit together, mulch is the answer.

Groundcovers can be anything that covers ground, BTW, they aren't only
limited to things like sweet woodruff and pachysandra, but can be shrubs or
plants like euphorbia or hardy begonia who will seed or otherwise spread -
hellebores can do this, too; anything with a good leaf canopy that shades
the ground will discourage weeds from growing.

I couldn't handle my garden at all without those faithful groundcovering
guys!

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
current article:Hardy Euphorbias - Part 2
http://suite101.com/welcome.cfm/222
All garden topics welcome page:
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/3425#top5

----------
> From: Betty Barrows, Kinderhook, NY <Betbarr@AOL.COM>
> Date: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 6:00 PM
>
>
> I use lots of groundcover - pachysandra, sweet woodruff, epimedium - and
lots
> of mulch.
> I think grass paths are so attractive but a few years ago they
disappeared
> from my garden - I used permeable cloth topped with a few inches of mulch
-
> so I no longer have to do all that edging that makes the garden look
> well-cared-for.  Geraniums and
> calimentha, veronica Georgia Blue - all those low things can spill over
the
> edges and it's
> easy and attractive.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index