Weeds - ground cover plants?

[Anonymous]

We are gardening novices and now have a fairly large backyard that has two large areas where weeds love to grow (nothing planted there but two small trees which don’t take up much space. I’ve been doing some research and would like to plant some ground cover plants to help with the weeds, but should I wait until next spring at this point?
Also, would they actually help? Or what else can we do?

[Anonymous]

You can mulch those areas to prevent weed growth. You'll have to re-mulch every spring, but at least you can buy some time to fully plan your garden.

[Anonymous]

Mulch will keep other plants from coming up.

I planted a phlox ground cover and it hasn't spread as much as some people say it will. But, it's better than Weeds!

[Anonymous]

This is OP - we’ve mulched, it doesn’t seem to help. Had all the weeds pulled and then mulched again a week ago and new weeds are popping up already.

[Anonymous]

Ground cover is, long term, much better than mulch! Most mulch has zero benefit to the health of your garden. My favorite ground covers are creeping thyme, creeping oregano, phlox. I’ve had good luck with creeping Jenny but it can be aggressive in some spots. But even just planting more closely together has the same effect as adding ground cover. Once your plants fill in the gaps, there’s no place for weeds. American suburban gardens tend to have way too much mulched space and too few plants. Plant more plants!

[Anonymous]

I would plant next spring after you have a chance to do some research and planning. For now, concentrate on keeping it mulched and stay ahead of the weeds. Keep track of how much sun and moisture the area gets so you'll know what plants are likely to do well. Visit a real garden center (not Home Depot) now like Merrifield, Meadows Farms, Betty's, or Greenstreet. You'll be able to see what the suggested plants look like and get some advice. Plan what you want to do over the winter and plant in the spring. Next fall, you can plant some daffodil bulbs between your other plants. Don't feel like you have to do everything at once. Some things will do (and you will like) better than others. Gardening is very rewarding and great exercise, too!

Some plants to consider for under trees would be:
Hosta (lots of different sizes and leaf colors)
Liriope (nice for edging, get purple or white flowers in summer, some have variegated leaves)
Heuchera (delicate flowers in summer, colorful leaves)
Hellebores (evergreen, bloom in very early spring)
Vinca (low vining, evergreen, purple flowers)
Jacob's Ladder
Ferns (lots of kinds, some evergreen)
Ajuga
Lamium
Wintergreen (evergreen, gets red berries)
Creeping Jenny
Phlox
Bleeding Heart
Lily of the Valley
If you have space for a shrub, Oakleaf Hydrangea is beautiful in all seasons.
Avoid English ivy—it's considered an invasive species.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all!
This is OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all!
This is OP

FYI--the suggestions above are good but most are for shade. It was unclear from your post if the area was full sun (despite the trees), partial sun, partial shade or full shade.

[Anonymous]

OP again - it’s full sun.

[Anonymous]

How much shade is there under the trees, and what kind of trees are they? I.e., are they going to grow so that what is now full sun will eventually be part sun to part shade to shade?

For full sun to part sun, I'd go with sedges -- they look like grasses but are native and look really attractive in a flowing, sweeping kind of look when they grow in. Deer won't eat them because they have edges. ("Sedges have edges.")

I really like Pennsylvania sedge, which tolerates both dry and moist soils.

If you want something taller and less (long and clumpy) lawn-like, then you could go for a prairie grass like switch grass or little blue stem, which like full sun. These are attractive in an ornamental grass kind of way and could help provide interest by varying the height of plants (i.e. not just trees and ground cover but something in between).

[Anonymous]

You have to get rid of the weeds before planting. Pulling them doesn't help unless you get all the roots, which is hard to accomplish by pulling. Glyphosate is more effective. It has to be repeated over a period of months as new weeds come up.

[Anonymous]

How do you keep the ground cover from growing beyond the bed and into your grass? We have a small area of ground cover but it’s grown way past its little area.

[Anonymous]

I'm always hearing now to put in too much ground cover because it invites rodents. I have a ton of Vinca and Pachysandra. I was considering removing it to discourage rodents from moving in. Is this an overreaction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm always hearing now to put in too much ground cover because it invites rodents. I have a ton of Vinca and Pachysandra. I was considering removing it to discourage rodents from moving in. Is this an overreaction?

I understand why people put it in but I really dislike vinca and pachysandra. They don't really serve a purpose, aside from taking up space--they're not particularly pretty, they don't feed humans or wildlife, and they can be invasive. I would remove it and replace with prettier, low-growing ground cover or just with regular, interesting plants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm always hearing now to put in too much ground cover because it invites rodents. I have a ton of Vinca and Pachysandra. I was considering removing it to discourage rodents from moving in. Is this an overreaction?

I understand why people put it in but I really dislike vinca and pachysandra. They don't really serve a purpose, aside from taking up space--they're not particularly pretty, they don't feed humans or wildlife, and they can be invasive. I would remove it and replace with prettier, low-growing ground cover or just with regular, interesting plants.

What are some examples of prettier, low growing ground cover that could possible feed humans or wildlife? PS: This is on a hill so the main purpose of this ground cover is to prevent erosion on that hill. Thanks