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In Colorado's front range, we use a lot of water to keep our lawns green in our dry climate. However, this can be harmful to an ecosystem by decreasing biodiversity and creating excessive chemical / biological runoff.

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The ideal ground covering is different depending on where you live. Choosing a plant adapted to your climate can help it grow well, and choosing a native plant is important to the health of the surrounding ecosystem. In Colorado, plants such as pussytoes, wooly yarrow, the ice plant, and many more grow well without being cut or watered.

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by J.E. Klett and C.R. Wilson* (6/20)
Revised by L. Langelo**

Quick Facts...

Plants that are low-growing (generally less than 24 inches) and spread easily are suitable ground cover plants.

Suitable places for xeric ground covers include dry slopes, landscape medians, parking strips, traffic islands and street rights-of-way.

Consider ground covers on hot, dry, south and west exposures as well as for dense, dry shade.

Improve soils before planting ground covers.

Ideally, a ground cover should grow dense enough or be mulched to inhibit weeds

Ground cover plants are appealing for their variety of ornamental features that add interest to landscapes. They provide a variety of textures and colors, help to reduce soil erosion and can function as a transition between landscape spaces. They offer alternatives to turfgrasses in some situations.

A ground cover should spread by itself. Species that produce rhizomes or stolons or that spread by offsets or tip layering are good choices for ground covers. Ideally, they will develop rapidly into a dense cover. Some grow so fast they can become invasive.

Ground covers also can enhance the beauty of shrub borders and break up the monotony of mulched areas. Xeric ground cover plants may be the answer for difficult landscape areas that are difficult to mow or water, require extra maintenance or are less suitable for turfgrass such as:

landscaped medians, parking strips, traffic islands and rights-of-way along streets;

steep slopes that are impractical in lawns or a mowing hazard;

hot, dry areas on south and west exposures;

deeply shaded areas beneath trees or shrubs, along north sides of walls and fences, between buildings and in front of low windows.

Soils and Exposure

The key to successful ground cover establishment is good soil preparation. Some ground covers spread by offshoots or runners and are more apt to fill in quickly where the soil has good aeration and drainage. Improve soils with good quality organic matter before planting. Incorporate 3 to 5 cubic yards of compost or other organic soil amendment into 1000 square feet of area.

Pay attention to exposure. Tables 1 and 2 indicate ground cover plants for sun or shade as well as bloom characteristics and useful comments.

Weed Control and Maintenance

Prior to planting ground covers, make sure that existing weeds are hoed, pulled or killed with an herbicide. Perennial weeds can be especially troublesome later if not eliminated prior to planting. Glyphosate herbicide controls many weeds if applied a few weeks prior to planting. This herbicide does not leave a harmful soil residue, allowing planting in treated areas 10 to 14 days after spraying. Follow label directions when using

Weeds can be discouraged by using weed barrier fabrics, anchoring with U-shaped wire pins. Plant through slits cut into the barrier. Apply mulch on top of the fabric. Avoid the use of solid sheet plastic as a weed barrier.

All ground covers require maintenance, some more than others. Ground covers that develop flowers and fruit often require more maintenance than evergreen ground covers

Table 1: Xeric ground cover plants for full sun

2-4

Salmon-pink

Spring to fall

Vigorous, compact habit, Plant Select®

E. umbellatum v. aureum 'Psdowns' Kannah Creek buckwheat

6-12

Yellow

Summer

Foliage turns reddish in winter, Plant Select®

Nepeta Psfike PP#18,904
Little Trudy® catmint

8-10

Lavender

Spring to fall

Silvery foliage, low compact habit

Thymus praecox
'Pseudolanuginosus'
Woolly thyme

1-2

Pink

Spring to early summer

Woolly-gray foliage turns purplish in winter, sparse flowers

Verbena bipinnatifida
Valley lavender ®
plains verben

3-6

Purple

Summer

Flowers held above plant with deeply cut leaves, Plant Select®

Zauschneria garrettii
Orange Carpet ®
California fuchsia

4-8

Orange

Late summer

Tubular flowers, cascades over walls, attracts hummingbirds, Plant Select®

Table 2: Xeric ground cover plants for part shade to shade
¹J.E. Klett, Colorado State University Extension landscape horticulturist and professor, department of horticulture and landscape architecture; and C.R. Wilson, Extension horticulture agent, Denver County. Revised from original fact sheet authored by J.R. Feucht, retired. 3/96. **L. Langelo, Horticulture Coordinator, Sedgwick County. Revised 6/20. Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.
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Xeriscaping: Ground Cover Plants - 7.230 - Extension

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Ground cover plants are good alternatives to turfgrasses in some locations. They provide a variety of textures and color, help reduce soil erosion, and can serve as a transition between turf areas and shrub or flower borders. Consider ground cover plants for areas where watering and mowing are difficult, that require extra maintenance, or that are unsuitable for grass due to exposure.

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In Colorado, HOAs cannot prevent you from removing all sod from your lawn. With that being said, the grass lawn is an American staple. Developers typically build most single-family houses with already laid grass lawns, and most people wouldn't even consider changing them. Creating a large enough cultural shift would take a serious "grass-roots" movement. Switching a yard from sod to a more sustainable ground cover does have to be expensive. All it takes is a few shoves and some seeds.

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Making this change will necessarily require a group to manually change the contents of people's yards and people's interest in making the switch. The most effective way to meet these two needs would be a Non-profit. This organization could advertise and hire workers, without charging excessively to make a profit. We could be donation-based or charge a fee for the labor. Alternatively, finding volunteers to do this could be far more affordable.

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Producing posters, internet ads, and other forms of local advertisement would help bring peoples attention towards the issue. If contacted, we would drive to the persons lawn, rip it out, and plant a native ground cover that is right for the location.