Groundcover

Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance (by concealing bare earth). In gardening terms, however, the term groundcover refers to non-grass plants that are used in place of grasses.

Four general types of plants are commonly used as groundcovers:

• Vines, which are woody plants with slender, spreading stems
• Herbaceous plants, or non-woody plants
• Shrubs of low-growing, spreading species
• Moss of larger, coarser species

Ferns

Grasses & Sedges

Grasses or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves from the base. They include the “true grasses” of the Poaceae (or Gramineae) family, as well as the sedges (Cyperaceae) and the rushes (Juncaceae). The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns (turf). True grasses, sedges ruches also form pasture for livestock: a few sedges are used directly as food, such as water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), or paper: the papyrus sedge (Cyperus papyrus). Grasses have adapted to conditions in lush rain forests, dry deserts, cold mountains and even intertidal habitats, and are now the most widespread plant type, grass is valuable source of food and energy for all sort of wildlife and organics.

Graminoids are the dominant vegetation in many habitats, including grasslands, salt-marsh, reed swamp and steppes. They also occur as a smaller part of the vegetation in almost every other terrestrial habitat. There are some 3500 species of graminoides.

Shrubs

A shrub or bush is a horticultural term rather than a strictly botanical category of a woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6m (15-20ft) tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience. Small, low shrubs such as lavender, periwinkle and thyme are often termed sub-shrubs.

An area of cultivated shrubs in a park or garden is known as a shrubbery. When clipped as topiary, shrubs generally have dense foliage and many small leafy branches growing close together.

Many shrubs respond well to renewal pruning, in which hard cutting back to a ‘stool’ results in long new growth known as canes. Other shrubs respond better to selective pruning to reveal their structure and character.

Trees

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by authors, varying from 3m to 6m, some authors set a minimum of 10cm trunk diameter (30cm girth). Woody plants that do not meet these definitions by having multiple stems and/or small size are called shrubs. Compared with most other plants, trees are long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old and growing upto 115m (379ft) tall.

Trees are important components of the natural landscape because of their prevention of erosion and the provision of a weather-sheltered ecosystem in and under their foliage. They also play an important role in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as moderating ground temperatures. They are also elements in landscaping and agricultural, both for their aesthetic appeal and their orchard crops (such as apple).

Koala Friendly Trees

Koalas are extremely picky eaters, however, preferring only a few types of leaves at a time, from the relatively small number of Eucalyptus species comprising their overall habitat. This fact had become particularly problematic in recent years as the destruction of their trees has been allowed to proceed at an alarming rate. There have been reports of Koalas occasionally eating leaves from trees other then eucalyptus, such as the Acacia costata, Bombas malabrica, Pinus radiate, Tristania conferta and Tristania suaveolens.

As a landscape/revegetation professional have you ever thought? ‘I wish there was a native plant reference, easy to read and informative’. Well Wallum Nurseries have created an online planting guide just for you!

Click here to download the Wetlands Planting Guide diagram