Groundcovers – Ecological Solutions in Place of Mulch

The ecological garden is a richly layered plant community. At the base of the plant layer we find the herbaceous groundcovers plants that help to reduce garden maintenance. Growing in popularity, groundcover plants add beauty from leaf shapes, textures, and colors. As a bonus, they add valuable ecosystem services not offered by mulch alone – including the challenging areas such as the base of trees. Unlike the monotony of mulch, groundcovers offer seasonal interest in both flowers and foliage and many can also provide fruit for humans or wildlife.

In this webinar, Dan Jaffe will guide us through the process of transforming large areas of mulch into lush groundcover plantings. Dan will discuss native plant options and will provide an overview of plant spacing and techniques for getting the groundcover layer established.

Dan Jaffe is the propagator and stock bed grower at New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) in Framingham, Massachusetts. He earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from NEWFS. After interning at Garden in the Woods, Mr. Jaffe worked for a year as Plant Sales Coordinator at the Garden.