A clean, well-maintained landscape generally takes a great deal of work. There are always some areas that take a lot more work than others: sunny spots with plants that need to be watered every day (or more) in the summer, shady spots where grass just won’t grow, slopes that make mowing a huge hassle, areas that are easy to see but hard to get to for maintenance. All of these things can easily take a lot of the fun out of gardening, often forcing us to either pretend that those areas aren’t there or obsess over them.
In many cases, though, there is a simple, elegant solution. There are many Ground Cover Plants that are low maintenance and add great beauty to difficult areas. Ground covers can take the place of mulch at the base of many other plants, keeping their roots cool and helping to retain moisture in the soil. Many ground covers, such as Vinca minor, thrive in part or full shade, spreading to softly carpet difficult or out-of-the-way areas. In many cases ground cover perennials require far less water and maintenance than grass, and they are becoming a popular substitute to save time, money, or even the environment.
Thank you for this advice. I just moved into a home with a lot of ground cover plants along the shady side of the house. I was ready to pull them! Now I know better!