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Sun, May 30, 10 at 19:40
| We recently bought our first home, it has very large yard and the garden areas are either bare or full of weeds - a lot of weeds with very deep roots :(
So I am going to be planting some evergreen shrubs and want to put in a ground cover that looks good all year. Because if I don't put in a ground cover then the dirt, and mulch as well will become quickly infested with weeds. Also, half of our yard is on a hill, so the more plants soaking up the rainwater, the better. I have been thinking of using Vinca Minor (not Major) as a ground cover because of it's reliability. But I also want to plant some perennials (like hostas, etc) and bulbs. Will Vinca Minor let these perennials through it's coverage once it is well established? Or is there another evergreen ground cover that would? (One that does not have poisonous berries) Thanks, Rebecca |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 4, 10 at 13:15
| As long as proper growing conditions are present, Vinca should work well and will allow other plants to grow through. In the NW, vinca is best in at least partial shade but also grows far more robustly in this condition. From time to time, you may need to trim back or remove vinca from the immediate vicinity of smaller perennials. FWIW, a good thick layer of mulch (2-3" minimum) will be a far more effective weed suppressant than most groundcovers, vinca included. |
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- Posted by becky_pacificnw (My Page) on Wed, Jun 9, 10 at 3:01
| Thanks, most of the areas get partial shade, and once we get a few trees then all of the areas will receive at least some shade during the day. As for the mulch, I would love to, and I love the look of it too. But there already is mulch over about half of the garden areas (in some cases almost a foot deep!) and the weeds have not only been coming through, but this thick mounded grass has been growing all over it too. This is why I am looking more toward groundcovers. Our yard is 1 acre, and we are surrounded by natural woodlands. Also, the person that owned the house before us didn't take care of the yard at all. There are still thistles, salmonberries, and blackberries (And a ton of other weeds that I don't know) sprouting up through our lawn. The yard didn't look too bad when we bought it (someone flipped the house), but the weeds were all just mowed and the garden areas mulched. These weeds had 20 years to establish themselves, so I know they aren't going to go easily but I am trying everything I can without resorting to poisons. |
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