Few ground covers look as beautiful as the creeping phlox in spring, when it produces an explosion of fragrant star-shaped, pastel-colored flowers. It matures to a maximum height of just 6 inches, so many gardeners choose to plant creeping phlox on a slope or along the top of a retaining wall to appreciate its beauty from several angles. Do you need an evergreen carpet that is easy to plant where no grass dares to grow? Although its lush leaves are not drought tolerant, sedum has the ability to root and thrive even in the driest, most rocky environments, earning it the well-known name of stone cultivation. The secret? These fleshy, bluish-green leaves help to retain the little water it receives.
Delicate lavender flowers and tangled evergreen leaves make this purple floor cover incredibly popular as a low-maintenance ground cover for shade. Also known as periwinkle, vinca minor spreads wherever it is planted and will even climb trellises or fences if trained. Even in the most unforgiving conditions, lamium prevails. This vine plant, also known as dead nettle, can tolerate cold, heat and drought, and is resistant to deer.
There are more than 40 species of lamium, but the best are those that bloom with perennial plants such as Pink Chablis. The low-maintenance plant thrives all year round and rewards you with delicate flowers in spring and summer. The soft and fragrant creeping thyme seems to meet all the requirements for a gardener, and more. Low ground cover (doesn't grow more than 4 inches tall) can withstand being stepped on and trampled, making it a smart choice for planting between pavers or for replacing grass entirely.
Originally from Africa, the purple ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) became popular as a cold-resistant groundcover in the United States in the 1990s. Although it favors dry climates, this ground cover can survive in the warmer end of some humid regions. It is a spreader that behaves well and is not invasive. If it grows above its kilos, cut it off or transplant a branch.
Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. As an Amazon associate, I earn money with qualifying purchases. For many homeowners, a backyard is a place where they can relax and enjoy. But a bare expanse full of dirt and weeds isn't what most people have in mind when they think about spending time outdoors.
Unfortunately, you may have to deal with this at certain times of the year. But is there a cheap way to cover the dirt in your backyard? There are a lot of affordable ways to cover the dirt in your backyard. You can cover it with ground cover, green it with grass or with mulch made of wood and crushed concrete, among other things. Your choice will vary depending on the look you're looking for.
But if you don't want to spend too much, it's best to cover the soil with mulch or crushed concrete. However, deciding which method to choose is easier said than done. With so many options to choose from, narrowing your options down to one can be a challenge. In this blog post, we'll share with you some of the most affordable ways to cover the dirt in your backyard and help you make an informed decision about which one is right for your needs.
Most people choose to cover their garden soil with grass because it looks good and is relatively easy to maintain, as long as you have a green thumb. It's also relatively cheap compared to other options. However, this method requires a bit of effort. To begin with, you'll need to plan the installation of the seed or grass at the best time for it to take root, that is, in spring or early autumn with colder temperatures.
You'll also want to add compost to the soil before laying the grass. You can buy compost or make your own with the following ingredients, although making your own takes 2 to 6 months. Place the compost in the soil and water it sufficiently. Then, rake the soil until it's smooth and level, then spread the grass seeds all over the yard.
Keep watering the seeds until they sprout, making sure to keep the soil moist but not soaked. This should take between 7 and 14 days. If you are going to lay grass, apply the same steps above, but after laying the grass, you'll need to press the grass down to make sure it comes into contact with dirt and help the roots take hold. It's also crucial to choose the right grass species for your garden.
Some species tend to be invasive and may end up causing more harm than good. So, research which grass species will be the best for your garden. If for some reason you have grass in your backyard, but now you want to know what type of outdoor floor the lawn should lay, we have an article for that too. Recycled bricks or crushed concrete are an excellent alternative to planting grass and what we choose in our own backyard.
You'll end up spending less in the long run on the lawn, since there are no maintenance costs. Also, when using recycled materials, keep those items out of landfills. Plus, there's no need to worry about constant watering or putting chemicals in your garden. If you use crushed concrete as gravel, make sure the dirt is level and firm.
You can install weed control fabric to help control weeds before spreading gravel. Spreading gravel is much more difficult than spreading mulch because of its greater weight. If you use recycled bricks, such as paving stones, follow the steps below. You can also add color to the space you've created by adding decorative stones or pavers around the perimeter of your new recycled brick patio.
If you want to cover your dirt yard with some vegetation, but grass isn't an option, you can do so by planting a groundcover. Low-climbing plants are ideal for covering the ground and creating an instant garden. The great thing about using ground cover is that it's fairly easy to find a neighbor who is willing to share some cuttings with you and share tips on how to care for them. However, if you are willing to spend some money on the process, you should buy already established plants, since they will require less time and effort to grow, unlike seeds, which take months to reach their full potential.
In addition, keep in mind that not all ground covers are suitable for covering large areas. Therefore, you should research the species before making any purchase. If you're not sure what your future garden project will look like, you should consider using mulch. It is low cost and also provides several benefits, such as weed control, soil erosion suppression and moisture conservation.
We use mulch in our front side yard to cover the dirt where we parked our car. Our friends felled a cherry tree, covered it with mulch and ate more. All it took was the time to pick it up and spread it around our yard. The added benefit was that the organic materials released in the soil helped the tree look much healthier 6 months later.
The most common type of mulch used in homes is bark chips, as they are aesthetically pleasing and easy to install. And the best part about this method is that some tree trimming companies will gladly give you the leftover chips to use in your project. Our second attempt to mulch was the leftover tree pruning in our city around power lines. It was free, but it definitely didn't look as good as the bark chips we currently have in our yard, which are shown in the image above.
You don't have to live with a dirty yard because you're short of money. As you can see, you can achieve a beautiful look with little or no investment. Whether you choose to use wood chips or stone, you can't go wrong. However, be sure to research the method you've selected to ensure that you're not doing more harm than good to your floor.
If your garden is prone to flooding, make sure you know how to dry a damp patio before applying any of the ideas above. The mondo dwarf herb provides a kind of natural carpet under this bench. With dense dark green leaves, the drought-resistant, evergreen mondo dwarf herb grows only 2 to 4 inches tall, both in the sun and in the shade. Pachysandra flanks an irregular bluestone path that leads to an Asian-style gate with pergola.
The shade-loving evergreen tree never needs to be cut. Difficult to reach zone 4, it grows up to 10 inches tall and blooms with white or pink spikes in spring. Also known as bugle herb, ajuga is a matte groundcover that grows only 6 inches tall in shades of purple, green and pink. In early summer, send spikes of blue, lavender, or pink flowers.
A creeping, perennial Jenny is a bright chartreuse-colored vine plant that prefers full sun, but tolerates partial shade (and becomes greener). Resistant to zone 3, likes medium to humid soil. It is also considered invasive in some regions of the country. Pork and bean sedum (Sedum x rubrotinctum) contrasts with silvery-gray Echeveria rosettes.
This tough succulent offers tons of varieties and is extremely drought resistant. A perennial plant, it's easy to grow in full sun. Enjoy the fresh scent of thyme under your feet in your garden. This evergreen groundcover offers fragrant foliage and pink or white flowers in spring or summer.
Sweet dander is an easy option to grow when you need groundcover for shade. It will even add a pleasant fragrance to your garden, either because of the leaves (which smell like fresh hay when cut or crushed) and because of the small white flowers that appear in spring. Brass buttons, an evergreen groundcover in warmer areas, offer fine-textured fern-like foliage and yellowish button-shaped flowers. In addition, it can tolerate a bit of foot traffic, making it a good choice between steps, as long as it receives constant humidity.
Also known as dead nettle, lamium is a reliable and easy-to-care groundcover for shade. Most types flower during the summer and produce clusters of pink, purple, or white flowers. Even when not in bloom, the lamium has striking green foliage with silver markings that illuminate shady corners. This low-maintenance perennial is a beautiful alternative to a struggling lawn.
Also called Creeping Jenny, golden grass is a fast-growing groundcover that forms layers of small chartreuse-colored leaves along thin, sprawling stems. The coloration will look brighter in full sun, but it also grows well in partial shade. For bare areas under large trees, sunny slopes and other difficult places, a vegetation cover offers an easy solution for adding color. I'll be honest in saying that I'm not familiar with arid and dry regional plants, but I bet a local garden center, not Home Depot or Lowes, would be very knowledgeable about groundcovers that grow well in your area.
While this super spreader is an excellent ground cover to prevent weeds, if you want your vinca minor to adapt well to other plantations, you'll need to cut it regularly. However, sweet dander may be a good option to cover the ground for dry shade, such as in areas under large trees. Creeping thyme (also known as the mother of thyme or wild thyme) is a creeping perennial with a woody stem that is a favorite plant to use as a low-maintenance ground cover and serves as a filler between garden steps. You can plant this drought-tolerant, low-maintenance ground cover on the edge of a rock garden or other space and forget more or less about it (except for occasional watering) during the summer.
If you're looking for low-maintenance vegetation cover, sweet dander (Galium odoratum) is a good choice, but only under certain conditions. Nepeta x faassenii is one of those species that offers good soil cover, since it has the capacity to displace weeds. Grass grasses are by far the most popular ground cover plant in residential landscapes, but some places aren't really suitable for grass growth (such as arid desert patios) and some people simply prefer a more diverse or unique grass landscape. I now need to plant a groundcover to beautify the area and help with erosion, since there is a slight slope at the site.
When selecting a ground cover for shaded areas, be sure to choose shade-tolerant plants that thrive naturally with minimal sunlight. These aquatic plants are perfect for the rock garden, covering the ground in zones 4 to 9 for the toughest yellow meadow zinnia and 6 to 10 for desert zinnia with its beautiful white flowers. The interrupted fern, like the bunchberry and the liver, is a native of North America that can serve as a ground cover that requires little maintenance to provide shade. The following low-growing perennial groundcovers work well in a variety of situations, without requiring much care.
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