11 replies to this topic

[old coot]

not sure if anyone can help but i'm looking for some type of a ground cover plant ..would have to be ok in sun and shade..i'm done pushing a mower on a rather steep bank and need something that would grow fairly fast and take over all the grass etc on the bank , i'm in Pennsylvania so would have to tolerate the winter thanks for any help

[John Arsenault]

How about some Bar Harbor Juniper, grows great on banks only gets about 6 inches high and is an evergreen. This stuff loves slopes. 

[John Arsenault]

https://www.uaex.edu...or-juniper.aspx

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=AcXHPjZ91_4

 

 

A link on top of what it looks like summer and winter , and the link below is a video of a guy explaining the plant. 

[TAHOE]

I have a ground cover plant called  "ajuga". It has green leaves that turn purple and a flower shoot about 6" that has little blue flowers. It definitely needs a border containment though, it can get invasive very quickly in lawns or areas you do not want. Grows pretty much anywhere in shade or sun. 

[Cat385B]

What's your hardiness zone #?

Desert bluebells are cheap and make a nice color contrast.

Edited by Cat385B, September 01, 2017 - 08:20 AM.

[lrhredjb]

Lots of roadsides use a plant called crown vetch. A plant I have that does well is pachasyndria also called Japanese spurge. Then there is blue rug juniper and honeysuckle. Hope this helps

[chieffan]

I would go with Crown Vetch and Rye Grass as a cover crop.  Will take about a year for the Vetch to really fill in good.  As with any seeding for small areas, put on about twice what is recommended to get it established quicker.  Most of the farmer in the Midwest are planting Rye as a cover crop right after the main crop is harvested. Saves a lot of soil erosion from wind and water. Govt. pay them X amount per acre to plant it but nothing to kill it out next spring for the main crop.

[jimmy G]

Myrtle in the shade and ivy in the sun, both are runners, both are cold hardy and both will pull down any and all competing plants, there is a scourge in the South called Kudzu that would fit your order but if you got it to establish in your cooler climate you'd say by to your shade, neighbors would be gunning for you and you'd probably sell your house in the end to get away from it lol, just thinking the envasefness of your cover choices

Edited by jimmy G, September 01, 2017 - 10:59 PM.

[tractorskipper]

Being in PA you should be familiar with crown vetch.  Stay away from it, as it is very invasive.  It will show up every where on your property.  My neighbor planted some on a bank on the property line some years ago & I have been fighting it ever since.  It will not tolerate mowing however.  PA DOT stopped using it years ago because it could not be controlled.

[4tom]

I would avoid the ivy, especially around buildings because it is very hardy and very invasive. If there is any opening it will grow thru, then expand and destroy. It is not vulnerable to round up if you change your mind.

[TAHOE]

 there is a scourge in the South called Kudzu that would fit your order but if you got it to establish in your cooler climate you'd say by to your shade, neighbors would be gunning for you and you'd probably sell your house in the end to get away from it lol, just thinking the envasefness of your cover choices

 

 

That stuff is of the devil, was brought over from somewhere in Asia, S. Korea, Vietnam, somewhere like that. truly an invasive species.

[Bolens800uk]

Geranium macrorrhizum I heartily recommend. Great ground cover and thrives in most situations