Let’s start with a pop quiz: Which of the following is a “ground cover”?

1. Pachysandra
2. Rhododendron shrubs
3. White Pines
4. All of the above

If you chose “4. All of the above”, you would be right. Although we usually think of ground covers as being close to the soil (Pachysandra and Liriope, for example), anything that covers or shades the ground serves the same function: the prevention of weed germination by keeping sunlight from reaching the soil. Essentially, any plant that shades the ground–no matter its height–is a ground cover. This idea is especially evident in a dense forest where the tight tree canopy prevents sunlight from penetrating, thus limiting the growth of understory plants and weeds.

Understanding this concept enables a greater selection of garden plants than you might have thought possible. Although it will take a while for shrubs or trees to grow large or close enough to cover the ground beneath them, given time they will eventually shade the soil below. When this happens, you won’t have to weed as often and you will benefit visually from the interest of varying plant species, heights, and textures.

For help planning and planting a garden with layered ground covers (see client garden below), give us a call (717-653-1273)! We’d love to help add garden interest to your garden while reducing weed removal over time.

Contributed by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& beneficiary of a multistoried ground cover garden)

“I have loved the feel of the grass under my feet, and the sound of the running streams by my side. The hum of the wind in the tree-tops has always been good music to me, and the face of the fields has often comforted me . . . .”

~ John Burroughs (American naturalist and writer; 1837 – 1921)

Regardless of today’s weather or the to-do list you are rushing to finish, take a moment to step outside, catch your breath, be inspired, and breathe a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the beauty and wonder all around you! And if your immediate surroundings are less than inspiring, pick up your phone and give us a call (717-653-1273). We thrive on bringing all-season beauty and joy to our clients’ properties!

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& daily recipient of garden inspiration)

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”

~ John Burroughs (American naturalist and writer; 1837 – 1921)

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& ever enthralled by autumn’s glory!)

because I have Japanese Maples in my garden! You can too . . . .

Give us a call: 717-653-1273. We’re always delighted to spread the joy!

“For me the autumn has never been a sad season. The dead leaves and the increasingly shorter days have never suggested the end of anything, but rather an expectation of the future. . . . there is an electricity in the air in October evenings at nightfall. Even when it is raining. I do not feel low at that hour of the day, nor do I have the sense of time flying by. I have the impression that everything is possible. The year begins in the month of October.”

~ Patrick Modiano, contemporary French novelist
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& hope filled in October)

Orange in the autumn time
Blossoms in the spring
Shelter for the animals
A perch for birds to sing

Stalwart in the colder months
In warmth, a rustling sea
Is there anything in all the world
More lovely than a tree?

~ Laura Jaworski (current American poet and crochet artist)

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& tree-loveliness fanatic)

~ Photo credit: Lisa Ball, our daughter, who graciously shared the beauty of her Ontario, Canada property with us in these Autumn 2024 photos.