Robust ground cover plants for a low-maintenance garden

Dry soil, persistent weeds and never enough time: that is the reality for many amateur gardeners in spring.

If you are tired of constant watering and laborious weeding, a straightforward approach can make your garden far more relaxed: robust ground cover plants. When chosen carefully, they turn bare areas into dense, living carpets while reducing maintenance to a minimum.

Why ground cover plants are a lazy gardener’s best friend

Ground cover plants create thick cushions of growth that cover the soil completely. Beneath them, the ground stays cooler and retains more moisture, while weed seeds have little opportunity to germinate. Spring is the perfect time to plant them: the soil is warming up, rainfall is still regular, and the plants can establish their roots before the pressures of summer.

“Anyone who plants ground cover plants in spring lays the foundation for a garden that, in a few years, will almost look after itself.”

Ground cover plants as living mulch

Well-selected varieties act like a living mulch layer. They:

• keep moisture in the soil for longer,

Less watering and weeding in spring