Convert your lawn to groundcover

There's a labour-intensive way to plant ground covers, and there's an even more labour-intensive way of planting ground covers. The "easy" way is to use a trowel, dig a hole, place a plant in the hole, then tamp down the soil. Repeat over and over and over again. The "hard" way is to lay landscape cloth over the surface of the soil, then, make a cross-shaped slit in the fabric, dig a hole with a trowel in the ground beneath the slit, place the plant in the hole, then tamp down the surface. Repeat over and over and over again.

Although the "hard" way takes more time, the landscape cloth is very effective in keeping weeds down. But, it's not very attractive. It comes in one designer colour - black, so finish the area by covering the surface with shredded bark mulch, filling in the gaps between plants. If you choose the "easy" way of planting, you still need to spread a mulch over the surface to keep weeds at bay, but you'll have to be more diligent about picking out the weeds that make it through the mulch. Skimp at this stage to your peril! There's nothing more frustrating (not to mention high in maintenance) than weeding a mature patch of groundcover, so do yourself a favour. Spend the time now to save time for years to follow.

The last step is to water, water, water. Spring planting is ideal because Nature usually gives you a helping hand with the watering chores. Don't even think about planting in the summer, especially if water conservation is a problem in your area. If spring planting is impossible, fall is the next best time of the year. But be sure to plant at least six weeks before the ground freezes to gives roots enough time to get established.

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