Got anything better to do than weed the garden?

Weeds plague all gardeners and landscapers. Plenty of time and money is spent each year in the battle. We think some of this expense and energy is misdirected - addressing only the symptoms but not the cause. While we certainly do not offer any panacea, we have a few ideas that may help address the problem at its "roots".

Nature abhors a void. Leave a little bare ground in your garden and some plant will grow there - guaranteed. We suggest filling the void by creating a continuous vegetative carpet using native groundcovers. By completely covering the soil surface, these groundcovers greatly reduce weed problems by eliminating the conditions in which weeds germinate best - on bare mineral soil and with little competition.

Wildtype offers a suite of beautiful low growing groundcover species to be mixed and matched in combinations that suit a particular site. Included are plants that tolerate a wide range of conditions. These species include Wild Strawberry ( Fragaria virginiana ), Old-Field Cinquefoil ( Potentilla simplex ), Canada Anemone ( Anemone canadensis ), Virginia Creeper ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia ), Virginia Waterleaf ( Hydrophyllum virginianum ), Wild Geranium ( Geranium maculatum ), Creeping Strawberry Bush ( Euonymus obovata ), Roundleaf Ragwort ( Senecio obovatus ), Zig-Zag Goldenrod ( Solidago flexicaulis ) and others. They all establish and spread quickly, are less than 18" tall, require no supplemental water after the first season and never require fertilization or mowing. Though these groundcovers are effective at preventing other species from germinating, they grow compatibly with other planted perennials, shrubs, and trees.

Besides eliminating optimal germination conditions for weeds these groundcovers provide competition that further restricts the size and spread of weeds. Don't be afraid of tenacious opportunistic natives - use them to your advantage by organizing and combining them so they assist you in maintaining your landscape.