Covering Ground

by Barbara W. Ellis

Ground covers are a pretty and practical way to bring diversity, elegance, and durability to open sweeps of lawn. Give your landscape a vibrant new palette that is both sustainable and low-maintenance through plantings of herbs, shrubs, mosses, and more. Barbara W. Ellis provides a variety of full-color lawn designs and professional planting advice to get you started. You’ll be amazed as your ordinary lawn transforms into a striking display of color and texture. 

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

Paperback

First published July 30, 2007

Reviews

[Wistful Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written 14 years ago, I suspect (hope?) that this would be a slightly different book if written today with no recommendations to simply monitor any species that are considered aggressive or invasive. However, the author mentions whenever a plant is native and specifies the part of the US where it is found so I got some great recommendations. Plus it made the book a faster read since I skipped over any plant profile that didn’t meet my needs.

[Loren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you have money to throw away? Great! Do you enjoy gardening? Fantastic! Have you ever wanted to lay on a bed of basil or meander through a sea of hostas? Get this book!

Most beginner gardeners will love the ideas in this book, but when it comes to implementation will learn what you only find out by page 202 (that experienced gardeners realize on page 1), it'll take a lot of work, a lot of begging from nasty neighbors and/or a lot of money to accomplish. I would love to put in the time to devote to these beautiful ground covers, but this is a goal that falls third to food independence and successful agricultural diversification. Maybe when the south brings slavery back in the form of voluntary organic farming internships I'll have the time.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be more useful for gardeners in the Eastern US-- the "local" plants mentioned by the author are almost entirely all East Coast natives-- or experienced gardeners confident that they won't have any escapees that become invasive. Useful, but have another guide handy to look at more photos of the plants, or use in conjunction with online resources giving more specific advice about your geographic area.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book on groundcovers, since it covers not just traditional groundcovers, but discusses using a wide array of perennials, shrubs, vines, and other plants to cover the ground. Good pictures, too.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. The text isn't too overwhelming for a gardener with limited experience, as I have. There are tons of ideas & the entire process is examined. Very well done. I may need to own this!

[False · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book confusing in terms of working with it. So I can't recommend it. I have yet to find the ultimate ground cover book.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

*second read through*

This book is an amazing addition to landscaping resources. While this book is not enough information to be a standalone resource, it works best filling in gaps that other more extensive books might not have a chance to get into. From explaining how ground cover spreads, to plants to avoid, recommendations on where you're trying to cover, maintenance, location, etc. This book has anything that a hobbiest landscaper might want to know about ground cover.

The book also explains it in a very approachable way, along with visual aide to get its point across

[Ron Mohring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helped me to think about how to plan the gradual replacement of my lawn. Good ideas on plants to use in my shade garden. I'm looking at my ground covers more as companions now instead of as separate neighbors. Will definitely re-read.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting out with my own yard for the first time, this book was exactly what I needed. What plants will spread to help me get good bang for my buck? Which might spread TOO much? Lots of lists for specific site needs and great pictures.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but something about its organization turned me off. Maybe I'll return when I'm more serious about doing landscaping.

[Robyn Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource

[A_s · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Informative. Would have been better read as a physical book instead of the e-book. Needed more photos.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-organized. Chapters about specific settings and conditions. Photos of each plant discussed in the chapter that follows are in a montage at the beginning of each chapter and numbered. Most, maybe all, are described in the chapter, which might be about plants for slopes, sunny or shady areas, plants that spread aggressively, etc. I wish there had been more consistency in conveying characteristics. A key thing: whether the plant is annual or perennial. That wasn't always mentioned, and such details are buried in the descriptive text. It would be more helpful if they be listed at the beginning of each entry for each plant and include zones and native regions.

The author clearly knows plants and planting, so all details included were useful ones. What didn't make any sense to me was citing certain plants as good choices for groundcover. Peonies? Not. That's just one of several examples. As with nearly all gardening books, it seems, there were too many plants that were best for the Northeast of the US. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and there weren't many for our region, although there were some.

All gardening books should identify the plants on the covers, given that those are what attract many of us to the book. Like most, this one did not, and I'm still looking for those photos with more info inside the book. That's a waste of time and irritating.

All in all, there are enough positive points that it's worth looking through if you're looking for groundcover plants. I bookmarked a few to research further.

[MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library, renewed it a couple of times, and finally accepted that I needed my own copy and bought one. My lot isnt that big but it has been badly neglected and I really need help figuring out what to do. Im not really that into gardening but i want my front yard to look nice and i want to enjoy spending time in my back yard. I think this is an excellent reference book for people like me as well as for people who are more into gardening than I am. One of the things that really grabbed me was "reading" weeds to tell what will do well in your yard. Also the recipe for growing moss as a ground cover. I plan to tackle my yard a little at a time using this book as a guide and inspiration.

[Lynne]

A delightful book of ideas using all types of plants as "ground covers". Shake off the shackles and think beyond the traditional and often invasive plants typically used for covering ground. Ellis mentions the old standbys, but goes way beyond with various heights, combinations of colours and textures, and points out the caveats and maintenance compatibility. Loads of colour photos, individual plant descriptions, installation pointers, and much more. She really got me away from thinking in terms of "specimen" plants (of which I have many), and into constructing vignettes that please the eye.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covering Ground is full of beautiful photographs with a lot of great ideas for different environments - sun and shade, paths and stepping stones, slopes, and so on. There are chapters for flowering ground covers, native plants, ground covers for wet soil, and ground covers for acid soil. The last section talks about site preparation basics, buying and installing, and caring for new plants. Highly recommend.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covering Ground: Unexpected Ideas For Landscaping with Colorful, Low-Maintenance Ground Covers by Barbara W. Ellis (Storey Publishing 2007)(635.964). This book focuses on one of the major classifications of garden plants known as groundcovers. Hundreds of species are discussed and considered along with numerous types of hardscaping. My rating: 7/10, finished 2008.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting if you are looking for a way to landscape using ground cover (besides grass).

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for when we're ready.

[Birdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect book when you're adding groundcovers to your gardens and paths.

[Mills College Library]

635.964 E471 2007

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of information, but I don't like the layout. The photos of the plants are not next to the descriptions, so I was constantly flipping pages until I got frustrated and gave up.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on ground covers for the yard. Wish I had a gardener and lots of money!