Looking for an alternative to a traditional lawn? Covering Ground explores hundreds of wonderful possibilities. Flowering plants, herbs, mosses, ground-hugging shrubs, and heathers, planted singly or in creative combinations, can add interest, elegance, and drama to otherwise dull and ordinary areas. And hardscape options, such as bluestone, crushed gravel, brick, or shredded bark mulch, can create pathways and define borders. You'll be inspired by these low-maintenance, creative ideas, and Barbara Ellis includes all of the information you need to successfully select, plant, and care for the ground covers that you choose.
Covering Ground
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Barbara W. Ellis transforms yards into flowering pieces of art…offering low-maintenance schemes, plant combinations, and in-depth advice on nurturing verdant landscapes.”
Home Magazine
“Covering Ground will inspire with its wonderful possibilities for creating eye-catching color and texture in unexpected places. Ellis has the answers to the toughest garden situations…”
East Coast Gardener
“If you’re making the decision to get rid of some water-thirsty lawn, here’s help. Here are plenty of alternatives, as simple or as show as you want, for sun or shade, around pavers, along edges, fragrant or not, fast- or slow-growing, high- or low-maintenance.”
St. Petersburg Times
“There's life beyond lawn grass, and even beyond English ivy and pachysandra. You'll find lots of good ideas in Covering Ground.”
Chicago Tribune
“Barbara Ellis … elevates utilitarian ground cover plants to garden stars.”
McClatchy News Service
From the Back Cover
REIMAGINE the Possibilities for Covering Your Ground
REPLACE GRASS on hard-to-mow slopes
CONNECT scattered flower beds, trees, and shrubs
CONTROL erosion along stream banks
CARPET the patches between stepping stones
STABILIZE boggy areas
EDGE walkways, curbs, and driveways
CREATE natural alternatives to traditional lawns
ADD A SPLASH OF COLOR anywhere you need it!
REPLACE GRASS on hard-to-mow slopes
CONNECT scattered flower beds, trees, and shrubs
CONTROL erosion along stream banks
CARPET the patches between stepping stones
STABILIZE boggy areas
EDGE walkways, curbs, and driveways
CREATE natural alternatives to traditional lawns
ADD A SPLASH OF COLOR anywhere you need it!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By DJkat
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a wonderful picture book full of information on any plant or plant combination you might use to cover an area of your garden. From borders to large expanse open areas. I was happy to find that it was not just the standard 'ground cover' plants that were discussed. Instead, it covered beautiful plant combinations that could be used to fill-in bare spots and trouble spots in the garden. It's the perfect book for garden planning and dreaming during the dreary winter.
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is hands-down the most useful landscaping book I've ever read. After finding it at the library, I wanted my own copy. I have a large ravine next to my house that I'm slowly trying to convert from a weed-filled ditch to a vision of beauty and this book is my guide. It includes a vast catalog of groundcovers complete with needs for sun, soil type, climate zone, and photos. It goes beyond the usual assortment, including shrubs, grasses, and combination of hardscape and groundcovers. There is also a lot of information on native plants and invasive ones (many of which can be useful in the right place!) I salute Barbara Ellis for this masterful work. If I could only have one gardening book, this would be it.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By T. Wilson
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I poured through this book many times front to back and refer to it often. I love Barbara's easy writing style and the book is arranged nicely. I've gardened for years and am getting to the point where I need to add lower maintenance plants. With the detailed plant descriptions there is no mistake of what a plant will do for you so choosing is a much easier task. I have a rather large collection of plant books and this one ranks with my favorites.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Bette
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Nice variety of plants discussed, most easy to find at local nurseries, Lowes, Home Depot. Excellent photos. Plants are well-grouped, ie dry shade, wet soil, shrubs for sun and shade, acid soil, alkaline soil, etc. Discusses how ground covers work, but provides little info on invasives. Overall creativity factor is low to medium (nothing too new or innovative is presented). Best used as a sourcebook, it will get you out to the stores in search of what fits your landscape.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
At first glance I was thinking that this book was about ground covers, but it truly is about covering ground in creative and beautiful ways with many different types of plants. Well written, practical and informative!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A top pick for any public lending library's home and garden reference collection.
February 6, 2008
Format:Paperback
There are many possibilities for covering ground, and many of them are covered here; from replacing grass on slopes and carpeting patches between stepping stones without overgrowing them to edging walkways or using plants as an alternative to traditional lawn-type ground covers. COVERING GROUND; UNEXPECTED IDEAS FOR LANDSCAPING WITH COLORFUL, LOW-MAINTENANCE GROUND COVERS addresses all issues revolving around yard and ground covers and is a top pick for any public lending library's home and garden reference collection.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a papermaker that has been focusing on planting and growing the plants I use in my paper artwork (handmade papers made from native plants transfered onto art canvas's.) After 11 years of this kind of gardening, I have begun to explore ground covers in my garden.
Ground covers are traditionally planted in a single species in a large drift. The author of Covering Ground, has opened me to the idea that there are other options to how we plant ground covers. Barbara Ellis likes to plant her ground covers in small drifts - of three or five plants of a single species or intermingling two different species of plants in drifts of three to five in one bed. Very creative and extremely beautiful! I will be trying this technique.
This book had many, many color photographs and is very well organized giving specific plant suggestions for each soil type and both sun and shade situations with a nice section on native ground cover - one of my primary areas of interest.
I rated this a four star book and recommend it for any gardener.
Ground covers are traditionally planted in a single species in a large drift. The author of Covering Ground, has opened me to the idea that there are other options to how we plant ground covers. Barbara Ellis likes to plant her ground covers in small drifts - of three or five plants of a single species or intermingling two different species of plants in drifts of three to five in one bed. Very creative and extremely beautiful! I will be trying this technique.
This book had many, many color photographs and is very well organized giving specific plant suggestions for each soil type and both sun and shade situations with a nice section on native ground cover - one of my primary areas of interest.
I rated this a four star book and recommend it for any gardener.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By P. Mcdaniel
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My landscape problem area is a steep, rocky hillside bordering our driveway. Two landscapers have offered me ideas, but neither of them were suitable to my desire for a natural, but colorful, look. With the beautiful pictures and informative information in Covering Ground, I can now visualize this project. It is time to call that landscaper again, now that I'm better focused and informed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Garden inspiration!
I saw this book at a plant market before I ordered it on Amazon (the one I saw was in French and therefore a lot more expensive). Read more
Published 16 days ago by Francisca
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got it covered...
This is an awesome book I have had it awhile and I have read it and referred back to it several times (for my self and ideas for others). Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeni Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful photos and more
This book is stunning and has many chapters covering all sorts of lighting, drainage and terrain options. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alyonline
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful & Pictoral
I wanted a book that also had beautiful pictures to enjoy. This book is very informative and I so enjoy the pictures of the ground covers. Would recomment.
Published 8 months ago by Linda S. Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very helpful knowledge!
I've been gardening for a while now. Aside from great pictures and inspirations, I've read the first parts of the book, and have learned a few very important gardening techniques... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jack Bech
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wealth of information
This book contains detailed information about ground covers I didn't know existed! It is very complete and well illustrated: The perfect reference book for all gardeners.
Published 19 months ago by Josie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enthusiastic writing
As I've probably been ripping out groundcovering plants for years, reading this book made me hang my head in shame! Read more
Published on December 9, 2010 by Clare Marden
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