Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I planted the first 10 vincas today and had no idea if I should be removing the pine straw or leave it. I've never planted groundcovers like this before, just annuals like pansies and periwinkle that grow mostly up and not out.
Should I leave some pine straw around the plants? I'm sure no mulch would be better to encourage contact with soil but I'm also sure I will lose soil when it rains and start seeing weeds too.
If you are in the Carolinas, be aware that ground cover such as pine straw, ivy and juniper can be heaven for copperhead snakes. I think hostas might be a better choice.
If you are in the Carolinas, be aware that ground cover such as pine straw, ivy and juniper can be heaven for copperhead snakes. I think hostas might be a better choice.
I have far too much ground to cover (literally) for hostas. And the deer would decimate them. I have not encountered the copperheads although they are residents in our part of the Piedmont. I navigate our mulched areas very cautiously!
The vinca isn't going gangbusters at all. Of course they were just planted last fall but I really have to search to even find them! :^(
I'm thinking about planting azaleas here. They would enjoy the acid soil, tree shade and drainage from the hillside. Their roots would serve to stabilize the slope better than groundcovers.
What's your opinion of azaleas for our hill? If you have planted azaleas do you like evergreen or deciduous better? I have a feeling the evergreen would be easier to find in nurseries.
I have a bunch of azaleas here, wherever the branches touch the ground they root and make the shrubs wider and wider. I think they would do okay there but you'd definitely need to keep them watered the first year. Bottlebrush buckeye and Oakleaf hydrangea are other possibilities.
Forgive me if I am repeating, but if I posted, I couldn't find it.
Do you want to walk on this hill, or just look at it? What I mean is if you plant bushes, like azaleas, it will be impassible after awhile.
My first thought was liriope. It is readily available by the flat, spreads rapidly, and is indestructible. It comes either in green or variegated, with purple flower spikes or white. It is evergreen, but by early spring it looks a bit ratty, so just cut it down with the lawn mower, and new fresh growth will be good for the next year. I would plant one tuft every sq ft and here and there I would plant a Stella D'oro daylily... a short, repeat bloomer with leaves that are similar to the liriope.
Good idea on the liriope. If you can find someone that give you a big clump of it you can divide it into a bunch of plants. Sometimes people even sell it on Craigslist in the farm/garden section.
Well I had thought I wanted low ground covers so we could see the beautiful woods but I am beginning to feel that something bigger would be best for solid soil erosion prevention. Plus I have to admire a shrub like azalea that are visible all over town this time of year, and often seen beneath pines such as we have.
Whatever is planted I know it will take a long time to see it completed. And the issue of getting around large shrubs is worth thinking about. I know it will become impossible to get around once they mature. Maybe we would not need to very often.
I considered liriope but in a way thought it didn't suit a woodland setting as well as the vinca. But thank you for offering your ideas!
What about a periwinkle ground cover? Spreads fast and pretty flowers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
was that a helo-pad in one picture?!)
