There surely must be a horticultural corollary to the well-known maxim, generally attributed to Winston Churchill, that “a woman’s skirt should be long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting.”
And it has to do with “ground covers,” those low-growing, fast-spreading plants that (one hopes) form an attractive carpet, especially in weed-prone areas; perhaps even tough enough to walk on, and–in exceptionally fine circumstances–releasing a lovely herby, spicy, or floral fragrance with each tread; sometimes featuring tiny, almost Alpine-like, flowers among the greenery; and always reminding me of an old-fashioned English rockery garden.
If I were to describe the perfect ground cover it would be in terms that it “should be fast-spreading enough to quickly form a mat and choke out the weeds, but retiring enough that it doesn’t completely take over and strangle my flowers.”
Not all that long ago, in a year riddled with mistakes, one of them was to invest in a ground cover so aggressive that I’m still paying the price–if not in pecuniary terms, then certainly in those of labor. As they say, “gardening requires a lot of water; most of it in the form of perspiration.” And I’ve sweated out quite a bit since 2018.
But I always try to take the long view, and Lysimachia Nummularia’s days here are numbered. LOL.
I see Wikipedia lists its “conservation status” as “Least Concern.” I wonder why. Bring on the Chinese mattresses! With any luck, there’s a predator already on its way.
So now (demonstrating how much smarter I am than I was three years ago), and before I begin 2021’s gardening endeavors in earnest, I’d like to ask the gardeners of Ricochet for advice.
What do you think is the best ground cover? What are its pluses and minuses? Why do you like it? And would you plant it again? Inquiring minds want to know. And so, for the record, do I.
Crossposted from Ricochet member feed, April 19, 2021
