Lavender is a beloved plant that is known for its fragrant blooms and calming properties. But did you know that it can also be used as a ground cover?
Yes, you read that right! Lavender can be a low-maintenance and beautiful addition to your garden beds and borders.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of using lavender as a ground cover, how to plant and care for it, and some creative ways to incorporate it into your landscaping.
So, let’s dive in and discover the wonders of lavender as a ground cover!
Is Lavender A Ground Cover
Lavender is indeed a ground cover plant. While it is commonly known for its use in aromatherapy and as a decorative plant, it can also be used to cover large areas of ground.
Low-growing varieties of lavender can be planted densely in garden borders and beds to create a tapestry effect. This not only adds beauty to your garden but also helps to prevent weeds from popping up.
Lavender plants tend to spread out and form a thick ground cover within two or three years of planting. This makes them an excellent choice for dry, hot areas where other plants may struggle to survive.
The Benefits Of Using Lavender As A Ground Cover
Using lavender as a ground cover offers a multitude of benefits beyond just its aesthetic appeal. Here are some of the advantages of using lavender as a ground cover:
1. Drought-resistant: Lavender is a hardy plant that can tolerate dry conditions, making it an ideal choice for areas with low rainfall or limited water resources. Once established, lavender requires minimal watering, making it a low-maintenance option for ground cover.
2. Weed control: As mentioned earlier, planting lavender densely in garden borders and beds can help prevent weeds from growing. This is because the thick foliage of lavender plants shades out weed seedlings and prevents them from taking root.
3. Insect and pest repellent: Lavender has natural insect-repelling properties that make it an effective deterrent for pests like mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. This is especially useful in outdoor areas where these pests can be a nuisance.
4. Attracts pollinators: Lavender’s fragrant blooms attract beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden. This not only adds to the beauty of your garden but also helps to promote healthy plant growth by facilitating pollination.
5. Medicinal properties: Lavender has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties, including its ability to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Having a ground cover of lavender in your garden can provide you with easy access to this beneficial plant for use in homemade remedies and treatments.
How To Plant Lavender As A Ground Cover
Planting lavender as a ground cover requires some specific considerations to ensure its success. Here are some steps to follow:
1. Choose the right location: Lavender prefers well-draining, slightly alkaline soil with a pH between 6.7 and 7.3. It will not tolerate excessive soil moisture or humidity, so make sure the area you choose has good drainage and is not prone to standing water. Plant lavender in a location that receives full sun for at least six hours a day.
2. Prepare the soil: Before planting, add builder’s sand to the soil to increase drainage. You can also plant lavender in a raised bed filled with premium raised bed soil, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Raised Bed Mix, to improve drainage. Lavender can also be planted along a wall or near the top of a slope to improve drainage.
3. Plant the lavender: Place the plants 12 to 18 inches apart in the prepared soil. Make sure to plant them at the same depth they were in their pots. Water thoroughly after planting.
4. Mulch: Add mulch (rock or pea gravel work particularly well) to keep weeds to a minimum. Keep the mulch away from the crown of the lavender plant, however, to prevent excess moisture and root rot.
5. Care for your lavender: Lavender flowers bloom in summer; you can clip faded blooms to encourage continued blooming throughout the warm season. Prune lightly to promote branching, especially in spring once the plants show new growth. Feed regularly with a premium plant food like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Blooms Plant Nutrition.
By following these steps, you can successfully plant lavender as a ground cover and enjoy its beauty and fragrance in your garden for years to come.
Caring For Lavender As A Ground Cover
Caring for lavender as a ground cover requires some specific considerations to ensure the plants thrive and continue to provide coverage. Here are some tips:
1. Planting: When planting lavender as a ground cover, make sure to space plants as far apart as they will grow tall. This will give them enough room to spread out and form a thick cover. Lavender needs good air circulation to grow at its best, so avoid overcrowding.
2. Soil: Lavender prefers well-drained, slightly alkaline soil with a pH between 6.7 and 7.3. To improve drainage, you can add builder’s sand to the soil before planting or plant lavender in a raised bed filled with premium raised bed soil. Avoid amending the soil with organic matter before planting, as lavender grows best in low to moderately-fertile soils.
3. Watering: Water lavender plants deeply but infrequently, when the soil is almost dry. Overwatering can lead to yellowing leaves and root rot, so be careful not to water too often.
4. Pruning: Prune lavender plants every year immediately after bloom. For low-growing lavenders, trim back foliage 1 to 2 inches. All 2- to 4-foot lavenders should be cut back by about a third to keep the plant from getting overly woody. If a plant becomes woody and open in the center, remove a few of the oldest branches; take out more when new growth starts.
5. Harvesting: If you won’t be harvesting the blooms of repeat performers, such as Spanish lavender, cut off faded lavender flowers to keep new ones coming. Snip stems when the bottom third of their blossoms are open; not all blooms are ready to cut at the same time. Remove leaves from the stems, gather stems in bunches, and secure each bundle with a rubber band. Use no more than 100 stems per bundle.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your lavender ground cover thrives and provides beauty and coverage to your garden for years to come.
Creative Ways To Incorporate Lavender Into Your Landscaping
If you’re looking to incorporate lavender into your landscaping, there are many creative and beautiful ways to do so. Here are a few ideas:
1. Use lavender as a border plant: Plant lavender along the edges of your garden beds or walkways to create a natural and fragrant border.
2. Mix lavender with other herbs: Lavender pairs well with other herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. Plant them together in a raised bed or container garden for a beautiful and functional display.
3. Create a lavender hedge: Plant lavender in a row to create a fragrant and colorful hedge. This works especially well in sunny areas where other plants may struggle.
4. Plant lavender in pots: Lavender is well-suited for container gardening. Plant it in a pot with other herbs or flowers for a beautiful and fragrant display on your patio or balcony.
5. Use lavender as a ground cover: As mentioned earlier, low-growing varieties of lavender can be planted densely to create a ground cover. This works especially well in areas where other plants may struggle to grow.
6. Combine lavender with roses: Lavender and roses make a beautiful combination in the garden. Plant them together for a romantic and fragrant display.
7. Add lavender to your vegetable garden: Lavender not only adds beauty to your garden but also repels pests like aphids and whiteflies. Plant it alongside your vegetables for a natural pest control solution.
With these creative ideas, you can incorporate lavender into your landscaping in many different ways, adding beauty, fragrance, and functionality to your outdoor space.
Other Ground Cover Options To Consider
Aside from lavender, there are many other ground cover options to consider for your garden. When selecting a ground cover plant, it’s important to choose one that is suitable for the growing conditions in your area and note whether the plant can be invasive.
One option to consider is ajuga, also known as bugle weed. This matting ground cover grows only 6 inches tall and comes in shades of purple, green, and pink. In early summer, it sends up spikes of blue, lavender, or pink flowers, making it a great addition to rock gardens.
Thyme is another option to consider as a ground cover plant. It is native to Eurasia and can thrive in hot, sunny conditions similar to lavender. Thyme can also be a hardy ground cover that thrives in the bare soil beneath and around lavender bushes. Creeping thyme is a crawling variety that creates a thick ornamental carpet beneath lavender and its neighbors. Thyme will put on a gorgeous display of purple flowers throughout the season and remains winter hardy in zones 5 through 9.
If you’re looking for a colorful option, Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ is a wonderful dwarf ornamental grass that adds a superb color accent to the landscape all year round. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, it requires low maintenance and low watering.
Vinca minor, also known as periwinkle or creeping myrtle, is incredibly popular as a low maintenance ground cover for shade. It will spread wherever it’s planted and can even scale trellises or fences if trained. However, beware of this potentially invasive ground cover as its dense mats are threatening native plants on forest floors.
Other options to consider include creeping myrtle, lamb’s ear, hosta, creeping liriope, sweet woodruff, pachysandra, English ivy, yellow alyssum, ice plant, creeping phlox, black mondo grass, spotted dead nettle, angelina stonecrop, creeping juniper, candytuft, cotoneaster, yellow archangel, snow-in-summer, and wild violet.
In conclusion, there are many options to consider when choosing a ground cover plant for your garden. Whether you choose lavender or one of the other options mentioned above, make sure to select a plant that is suitable for your growing conditions and note whether it can be invasive. With the right ground cover plants in place, you can create a beautiful garden that virtually takes care of itself.
