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Why Groundcover is the New Grass

Many people are low on time, money, and water these days, but that shouldn’t prevent them from having gorgeous landscaping. The upkeep a regular grass lawn requires can be exhausting, but there are alternate groundcovers that can make your landscape look manicured, beautiful, and interesting – all with little to no maintenance. 

The Impact of a “Green” Turf Lawn

Having a green, healthy lawn is a source of pride for many homeowners. However, considering the pesticides, herbicides, and gallons of water that go into keeping the green grass green, it isn’t very green. In the United States, landscape irrigation consumes nearly 9 billion gallons of water per day. Inefficient systems that dump water onto the curb or street waste as much as half of this water. 

Herbicides and pesticides aren’t healthy for the environment, and neither are the emissions a gas-powered lawnmower gives off. Choosing an alternate type of groundcover not only saves you time and money but also helps your home be more eco-friendly. If more people opted away from typical turf lawns, it would help America regain control over the current water crisis.

Many groundcovers and innovative grasses require little to no watering or mowing, keeping the Earth a little greener. Reduce your reliance on expensive irrigation systems, leave the pesticides behind, and enjoy an impressive lawn without the need for grass. Some of the most beautiful landscapes opt for no grass at all – instead using colorful flowers, creeping perennials, or patchwork techniques to cover the ground.

Finding the right groundcover for your home’s landscaping requires knowing all your options and choosing the one that best fits your yard’s aesthetic. Groundcover can be drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, sun-and-shade friendly, durable under foot traffic, and work as a barrier. The goals you want your landscaping to meet will help you decide which groundcover plant is best for you.

Spreading and Creeping Groundcovers

Most popular groundcovers are of the spreading or creeping variety, covering large areas of landscape quickly and easily. Many groundcovers can creep up fences, creating barriers between you and your neighbors. Others are ideal for filling in gaps in a walkway or in places where grass won’t grow. English ivy gives your home a rustic, lush look with bountiful green leaves. This popular vine is ideal for shady areas and can cover walls or fences.

Vinca is a coarser option that prefers partial sun. It spreads quickly, has blue flowers in late spring, and is relatively drought-tolerant. Ground-hugging creepers like creeping raspberry are tough and can survive foot traffic. Golden creeping Jenny is a beautiful alternative to green groundcover, but thrives best in moist environments. Blue star creeper can grow in full sun or partial shade, is tough and easy to grow, and has tiny, delicate, sky-blue flowers.

Drought-Tolerant Plants

Many groundcover plants need minimal watering and can withstand periods of draught or high sun – while retaining their vibrant colors. Grass lawns turn brown if they aren’t the right temperature or don’t get enough water, but many alternatives to grass can stay green without the need for an irrigation system.

There are drought-tolerant groundcovers for sun, shade, or both. Creeping varieties of thyme can withstand full sun or shade, well-drained soil, and moderate foot traffic. Thyme is aromatic, and it can cover the ground with tiny, fragrant leaves and flowers. Some forms of creeping thyme grow less than three inches high, resembling a lush moss that’s perfect in between stone walkways or in rock gardens. Other forms are taller and resemble green or silver carpets.

For dry, shady areas, there are many groundcovers that have flowers, such as creeping myrtle, creeping mahonia, and sweet woodruff. For sunny areas, drought-tolerant groundcovers include rockrose, snow in summer, moss phlox, and winecups. They all have colorful blooms that appear throughout the year.

Evergreen Groundcover

A main reason homeowners choose groundcover plants instead of typical turf lawns is to enjoy year-round color without having to use complicated and expensive irrigation systems. Most groundcover plants are evergreen, including brass buttons, Mondo grass, lamb’s ears, variegated liriope, and Asian jasmine. Brass buttons come in shades of bronze, purple, gray, and black. They have yellow-green blooms in spring and summer and maintain a feathery, textured look year-round.

 

Floral Groundcover

If you’re looking to add a bit of color to your lawn, one landscaping technique is to build a manmade incline and cover it in florals. Floral groundcover comes in almost any shade you can imagine. Low-growing flowers are popular for homeowners who want to add variety to green landscaping without the extra maintenance.

Verbena “homestead purple” is a vibrant purple shade that blooms from spring to frost. It can cover a bank and is heat- and drought-tolerant. Pink Chablis is great in mixed sun and shade, with elegant pink blooms and lots of greenery. For groundcover that draws attention, opt for shrubs such as Japanese Picta, a groundcover plant full of bright yellow blooms during multiple seasons. This plant also gives your lawn a bit of height, with branches that reach the ground. Colorful groundcover roses are a classic, beautiful choice for a spring garden.

Groundcover Patchwork

If you can’t decide on just one groundcover plant, a patchwork-style design is the perfect compromise. This landscaping technique uses different types of groundcover in geometric blocks to achieve a look similar to fields from up in the air. Groundcover patchwork uses silver, gold, and shades of green groundcover, divided by boxwood hedges. Patchwork doesn’t require extensive watering or upkeep, and it looks stunning and unique.

Whether you want your landscape to be reminiscent of an English garden or a lush, green getaway, groundcover plants are a viable, Earth-friendly, and low-maintenance solution. Spend your summer enjoying your gorgeous landscaping instead of pulling weeds and struggling to keep grass alive. As more and more homeowners turn away from typical turf lawns, groundcover is quickly becoming the new grass.

 

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Turf Care Treatment Plans – Weed Control & Fertilization

Precision Landscape Management’s Turf Care service program provides superior weed control throughout the year. To keep weeds at bay, we use a mix of pre- & post-emergent weed control throughout the year. Your lawn can be green and weed-free with Precision Landscape Management’s 7 round treatment plan. However, a good tree surgeon can help speed up the process.

In addition to our standard Turf Care, we offer disease/insect control treatments for both turf & plants. 

It would be nice if plants received all the nutritional benefits they needed from the soil beneath them but this is seldom the case. Accordingly, most all plants can benefit from fertilizer as it enables them to reach their full potential in health, beauty, and bounty. Proper fertilization is not an art; it’s a science. There’s a lot to understand to fertilize correctly. 

Fertilizer Basics: Understanding the Numbers

All fertilizers are labeled with a guaranteed analysis. Three numbers are prominently displayed on the bag. The first is the percentage of nitrogen by weight; the second is the percentage of phosphate and the third is the percentage of potassium. The only way to absolutely know what your soil needs is to have it tested to determine the level of these nutrients in the soil of your lawn. Most soils are generally rich in phosphate and so the second number on the bag should be lower than the other two, usually 0% to 3% (having said that, you may indeed have a phosphate deficient lawn that needs a lot more). As a general rule, the first number should be 1.5 to 3 times the third number. So you may be looking for analysis such as 20-0-11 or a 29-3-12. You should avoid products like 13-13-13 or even the most common recommendation of 16-4 8 unless you have soil test results that recommend that much phosphate. In some states, it is illegal to apply phosphate fertilizer without a soil test recommendation, so in these cases, the middle number should be 0. Confused yet? While this information is helpful, it also likely reinforces the importance of “getting it right” as your landscape relies heavily on the foundation of soil health.

The Complexities of Nitrogen

Take a close look at the ingredients statement on a bag of fertilizer. It lists the sources of nitrogen nutrients the product contains. Words like nitrate, ammonium, and urea indicate rapidly available nutrients that will create quick greening and growth. Sources such as sulfur or polymer-coated urea, methylene urea, urea-formaldehyde, and organics are slow-release sources that last longer and green more slowly but are less likely to damage grass if over-applied. The ingredient statement will also list the percentage of nitrogen that is slow release and the percentage that is rapidly available. If you are not experienced applying fertilizer you should purchase a product with 30% or more of the nitrogen in slow-release forms, since you are less likely to burn your lawn if you make a mistake. Experienced professionals have a wider variety of options available to them as they are trained in the best product application for the job at hand.

 

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Creating Outdoor Living Spaces With Hardscaping

hardscaping is a great way to create functional and beautiful outdoor living areas. Our clients enjoy outdoor patio areas, grilling areas, firepits, walkways and entertaining areas. Hardscaping is an investment that shows great return in the value of your home and can be enjoyed worry-free for years to come.

Custom stonework and masonry from Precision Landscape Management adds natural beauty to your landscape and outdoor living settings. We offer a wide variety of natural stone selections and brick pavers, giving your landscape a breathtakingly original edge.

If you enjoy the outdoors and want a beautiful place to enjoy and entertain guests at your home, check out our Hardscaping page for more info.

Use Seasonal Colors To Enhance Your Landscape

Using a seasonal color plan will dramatically enhance your landscape. Traditionally more commercial properties use seasonal colors, but more and more residential homes are seeing the benefits of adding color to their landscapes.

Seasonal color plans give you great flexibility to add colors and styles. You can use existing flower beds, pots, or other designated areas. We have a huge array of flowers and colors to choose from. For more information and to view the colors available, be sure to visit or Seasonal Color Plans page.