The Pros and Cons of Groundcover Plants

The Pros and Cons of Groundcover Plants

On many commercial properties in Texas, especially those with abundant shade, it’s common to find groundcover plants as they provide curb appeal while requiring less maintenance than other plants. However, groundcover plants can be a negative addition to your commercial property if they’re planted in the wrong area. In today’s LMC blog post, we look at some of the pros and cons of groundcover plants and what might work best your property.

How They Help Your Property

The most common reason property owners choose to add groundcover plants to their landscape is the need to cover up bare spots where grass struggles to grow due to excessive shade. Groundcover plants can offer a healthy, lush appearance to a property throughout the year. In addition, groundcover plants often need far less care and maintenance than other plant life that might be on the property, such as shrubs or flowers. Finally, groundcover plants can also reduce soil erosion on commercial properties, helping improve and stabilize property health throughout the year.

How They Could Hurt Your Property

As much as groundcover plants can help a property, they can also negatively impact your commercial property’s look and health. For instance, it’s common to see groundcover plants installed at the base of trees, as the ground may be bare due to poor sunlight. However, this can lead to root girdling because of how groundcover plants cover up the root flare of the tree. Root girdling can lead to poor tree health and even tree death. Additionally, groundcover plants might also contribute to tree rot caused by the build up of moisture, debris, and plant material underneath.

What’s Best Your Property?

If your commercial property has bare spots below trees where turfgrass struggles to grow, the solution might not be to plant groundcover plants, but to instead have the trees pruned to thin out the canopy and improve sunlight exposure on the property. Groundcover plants might be a better solution for areas of your property that are harder to mow but still need plant life for aesthetic purposes, such as areas near a restaurant drive thru, roadway medians, or parking lot greenspaces.

LMC can help commercial property owners identify the best areas for groundcover planting and have them installed and maintained properly throughout the year to ensure property health and beauty. For more information about Commercial Property Maintenance and planting, contact LMC today at 713-688-2435 or request a free consultation online.

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