My front foundation beds were a disaster so I paid a guy to come in and cut out everything I didn’t want anymore. given the history of the area, I am laying down a thick layer of mulch to help suppress weeds, but I just know this will become a weed magnet this summer anyway. can anyone recommend a groundcover or green mulch I can put down to suppress weeds? could be fruiting or not. before and after pictures shown. long term I’m going to dig out and transplant the 3 hydrangeas I left in the ground as well as some calla lilies and gladiolus bulbs, then have someone build a wider front porch across the whole front of the house
It hasn’t grown much for me yet, but formosan carpet raspberry is cool. Ice plant however will cover ground quickly, is pretty and the bees adore it. One was at the house when we bought it and I broke off stems and now it’s everywhere
green arborist chips will keep weeds out for 2 summers but aren’t too aesthetic until they weather some. wild strawberries make the quickest groundcover here as well as my arctic raspberries. ive read of a creeping groundcover raspberry from Taiwan that makes orange berries. think it was emerald carpet raspberries. should be good for your area. saw them for sale somewhere but i dont remember. maybe one green world?
That’s the one I was talking about I haven’t tried the berries yet but this year it’s blooming. It said it liked dry conditions but now it’s on water and made a world of difference
I started a 200 cell plug tray of alpine strawberries in February last year for a fruiting hedge. They do a great job suppressing weeds, and they don’t set almost any runners (and those that do aren’t very vigorous). I have mine in a sunny spot but I think the foliage would still look nice in a part shade spot (I suspect you would still get some fruit).
I shared some with family, and in all three locations they filled out really nicely in 1x1 spacing.
It may be too late this year, but given your location they’d probably look nice by next year (example below, but this is a sunny spot).
Perriwinkle will quickly populate that area and suppress everything. It has nice blue flowers in the spring. Problem is when you want it gone, it’s hard to get rid of.
I’m trialling ajuga reptans (buggle) under my currants since our vegetation is quite agressive and I’m not a fan of woodchips
The flowers are about 15cm tall otherwise it is just a 3cm carpet. The flowers are where I planted a single tiny plant last year. There are a number of varieties with different coloured foliage. And flowers are always blue.
I think I decided to go in a completely different direction with it. I have a bunch of extra seeds in my collection that I wasn’t planning on using this year that I am going to plant with my kids in the bed. corn (dent and flint), cowpeas, and nasturtiums on one side of the house and sunflowers, winter squash, and more cowpeas on the other side.
even better and you get a nice crop as well. i grew atomic orange dent corn last year from baker seeds. ground into meal it makes a orange/ yellow cornmeal, high in protein and absolutely delicious. also i painted mountain 2 years ago. in your zone you could get 2 crops as they are a short season corn. planted some Georgia candy roasters this year as well as some butternuts. they make the best squash soup. good luck.
