Ground covers serve well in hard-to-mow places

There are places in almost every yard where ground covers are ideal, simply because they never need to be cut. For steep banks, narrow areas around walks or house foundations, around and under permanent garden furniture, or anywhere else where it is difficult to manage a lawn mower, a ground-cover planting is an alternative to both mowing and trimming.

Many ground covers, such as myrtle, candytuft, pachysandra, sedum, thyme, and English ivy, are evergreen. Low-spreading woody shrubs, such as Juniperus horizontalis, Cotoneaster horizontalism, and Euonymus radicansm, are considered ground covers.

A carpet of these plants tends to be more interesting, natural, colorful, and in many situations more practical than lawn grasses.