Groundcovers - Flat and Taller

I spend a lot of time digging out perfectly good lawn. I enjoy having some lawn, but unfortunately I don't want everything to be lawn and some of it is on a such a slope that it is impossible to mow without mowing over your foot or flipping the mower over. In those cases I start digging and think about what to install after the fact. I have come up with some favorites that provide useful and interesting covers for the dirt. Things I do NOT have to mow. This photo shows part of the front of the house - a part that was only lawn when we moved in almost a year ago. It shows my favorite plants for hard to deal with places.

The flat ground cover was a plant I originally bought to cascade out of some drain hole free planters on the wall. The spot is full sun. It looked alright but kind of ratty so I just threw it on the ground and to my surprise it took off and looked fabulous! Now I rip out handfuls and bury them all over as I excavate more and more lawn. I water maybe the first few days and them let them go! They flower like crazy and spread like rock stars (that didn't come out right)...

In the top photo you may notice some ferns. I have come to love these ferns. I planted 3 on each side originally and have now dug out all of these. They love full, hot sun and they spread like fern factories with runners that crawl along the surface making more. This sloped hillside is going to be all ferns so I don't have to deal with it. There is another fern (with curly fronds) that is better in partial to full shade. Ferns are soothing to look at and provide great coverage!

In the top photo is the "firecracker plant." I don't know what the real name is and it won't help you find it anyway. This plant gets about 2 feet tall, flowers continuously, attracts humming birds and spreads when the flower-laden tips touch the ground. It is drought resistant and wonderful! I put some here, in a shady area, and it isn't blooming as much as I'd like so I will relocate it to sun. This stuff I found on the property and have been moving it around. It sends our crawling runners and is a nice green. No flowers yet and I don't expect they will be impressive but it is a different height and texture for a different look on the sloped property. Gingers are always good if you want a clump of blooming spreading stuff. There are gingers many different heights. I have some I swiped from the jungle that are a few inches tall and I have 8 to 10 foot tall torch gingers. They hold the soil, put up with neglect and spread easily.

This doesn't look like much yet but I had some at the other house. The plant looks kind of ratty up close but there is a perfect place for everything and in front of the boring cement wall in front of my house is the spot for this one. It will completely fill up the soil from the wall to the road and will have purple flowers all the time. You can mow it, use the trimmer or hand cut it if it starts looking bad. You can drive on it and it pops back up. Perfect for this spot! I will post another photo when it fills in. Also it doesn't require watering...how perfect is that? I have seen it in full sun and part shade. Then there is mani. Not the edible peanut, but the yellowing flowering ground cover that is great for dry places mani. It spreads like mad once it gets going (which takes time). You can mow it, use the trimmer, walk on it and it is great. It may dry out during the dry season but will pop to life with a little rain. Great for slopes.

Last there is my absolute new favorite - Lantana. I know. I know. I poo-pooed it for a long time too. I have 8 different kinds of butterflies in the yard and orange and yellow flowers all the time. I like the smell of the foliage when you brush against it. It isn't flat but you can keep it bushy and low with a little pruning. I haven't figured out how to successfully propagate it but hey, you can't have everything! So there you have it - solutions for slopes. Why fight these rotten areas when there are cool things to plant? If you don't like what you do you can always pull them out and put them somewhere else!