The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

15 Basic Ways To Landscape Your Homepage

Another excellent covering for the steepest of slopes and the most adverse condidons is the honeysuckle or Lonicera. Variety halliana is particularly outstanding because its growth is rapid and the roots grow deeply. For that reason you will find it an excellent groundcover to prevent erosion or mudslides. It has fragrant flowers and may be used to cover lull sun or semi-shady out-of-the-way places in wooded areas of the yard. Young plants should be spaced 18 inches apart for the best results.

Creeping juniper varieties offer you still another opportunity to clothe an embankment or soften concrete edges and abutments. It forms a mat of luxuriant evergreen foliage. Many dwarf varieties seldom grow over 12 inches high. Creeping junipers make a dense mat and spread rapidly. Set out plants two to three feet apart.

Early spring and the early fall season are your best times to plant groundcovers. Spring is particularly preferred if plants are set out on steep slopes. This enables them to take hold before winter and lessens chances of deep erosion on your land. In any event you should mulch (spread a two inch layer of peat moss, leaves, or grass clippings) on the ground at planting time. This mulch will keep moisture in the ground and give the new plants a better start.

You should apply the heaviest mulch wherever drought, poor soil or drying winds are a problem. Loose mulches should be anchored during the winter, especially on windy slopes. Do this by laying dead brunches over the bed of plants or by stretching wire mesh over the mulch which is anchored by stakes.

It has proven practical to set up a schedule of when to fertilize. You should use a balanced fertilizer about every two weeks until the new plants are fully established. Water well immediately afterwards to wash fertilizer off leaves and down into soil.

There are many additional groundcovers which are suitable for various climatic regions. This list has been prepared using their popular names to make it easier for you to purchase them locally.

Lower South: Lilyturf, Algerian ivy, Confederate jasmine, Wedelia, Carolina yellow jasmine, partridge berry, fig marigold, moss Zoysia and wandering Jew.

Midwest: Moss rose, native violets, pach-istima, Morden's blue juniper and the Wau-kegan juniper.

Pacific Northwest: Bearberry, Oregon grape, dwarf cornel, goldthread, Alaska spi-rea, scdums and pentstomons.

Northern California: Dichondra, mesem-bryanthennim, chamomilc, blue ceratostig-ma, gazania, snow-in-summer, catnip, sedum, camellia sasanqna, bearberry and ceano-thus.