How to Trim Ground Cover

Many types of plants can be used as ground cover such as grasses or flowering plants.

Ground covers are excellent for creating a lush landscape, preventing weeds and erosion, and conserving moisture. Some low-growing plants can get out of hand and need to be cut back. Ground covers also benefit from pruning to encourage flowering or to promote a compact habit. The time to prune ground covers varies, but some basic rules do apply. Prune any flowering plants after blooms are finished. Trim woody, deciduous plants in late winter to early spring just before bud break. Herbaceous plants are cut back in spring to cause the new growth to become bushier. Ground covers can be mowed, sheared or hand pruned.

Things You'll Need

• Lawn mower
• Hedge shears
• Hand pruners
• Rake

Instructions

1. Set your lawn mower on its highest setting. Mowing provides rejuvenation to straggly or out of hand plantings. Go over the ground cover starting at the edges and working inside. This is very useful on large areas and on plants like vinca, hypericum and ivy.

2. Use hedge shears to cut ground covers back to their borders. Often spreading plants will grow out into path ways and grass. Some of them will even spread into the grass vegetatively once they have a stem on the sod. This can be a nightmare to get rid of. Most stems are cut back to just before a growing point. End the cut with a leaf on the end instead of a section of twig for best appearance.

3. Clip ground covers with hedge shears to drop the profile of the plant and promote more compact growth. Pachysandra is a good example of a plant that tends to grow up and get leggy. Use the shears to evenly cut it down to the next set of leaves. Make sure to prune Pachysandra and any other blooming plant after it has finished flowering. Spreading herbaceous ground covers should be cut back to 4 to 6 inches from the ground every two or three years.

4. Prune with hand pruners when the area is small or when you have a spreading evergreen such as juniper. The same rules apply as with any woody stemmed plant. Prune in late winter to early summer. Cut out old and broken wood and then cut back any stray stems by pruning back to the parent wood. Hand prune plants like cotoneaster to remove stray stems and increase the attractiveness of the planting.

5. Rake out tangled ground covers like ivy before you prune. This provides two benefits. It allows you to bring out the stray edges for easy pruning and it also drags out the layers which will in effect thin the ground cover. Rake after pruning where possible to remove the cuttings which will just die and make the area look untidy.

References

• Aggie Horticulture; Follow Proper Pruning Techniques; Douglas F. Welsh and Everett Janne
• Sunset: Trimming Ground Covers
• University of Minnesota Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series: Pruning