Ground Covers

UGA Extension contacts:
Svoboda Pennisi

Ground covers have many practical uses. Some can be used to control erosion when planted on slopes or banks. Others are effective lawn substitutes in areas that are too shady to support the growth of grasses or areas that are difficult to mow. Densely growing ground covers also effectively control weeds by blocking light from reaching the ground. Some ground covers can be used as attractive accents in areas too narrow to accommodate shrubs. One of the most common reasons for using ground covers is to reduce costly and
time-consuming maintenance, such as mowing, edging, trimming and mulching.

Ground covers are spreading, low-growing plants used in landscapes to cover an area of ground. They may be woody plants, like junipers, or herbaceous perennial plants, like sedum or daylilies. Generally, ground cover plants are evergreen and spread by horizontal stems, stolons (above-ground stems that root along their nodes) or rhizomes (below-ground creeping stems that spread outward). For the purposes of this publication, plants that spread by seed or are taller than 3 feet in height are not considered ground covers.

Junipers planted on a bank.

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

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