Establishment rate of 12 ornamental ground cover species for weed control

Abstract

To determine how rapidly ornamental ground cover species can establish and thus potentially stop weeds from establishing 12 perennial species with different growth forms and habits were planted into plots covered with 7 cm of sawdust mulch Plants had a mean diameter varying from 10 cm to 41 cm when transplanted in November 2008 with 10 m spacing with three plants per plot and three plots for each species After 5 months Polygonum capitatum had established the most rapidly completely covering the plots in dense growth and seeding prolifically but then it suffered a sudden dieback apparently from frost damage Ajuga reptans Caitlins Giant produced the tallest and densest cover within the first 5 months with an average patch diameter of 83 cm Two other species exhibiting rapid establishment ability were Grevillea lanigera Little Drummer Boy and Acaena inermis Purpurea The remaining species were slower to establish but several were beginning to also produce good weedsmothering ground covers Sedum mexicana Acapulco Gold produced dense patches once established but was the species most prone to being damaged by rabbits Results obtained will facilitate selection of the most useful ground cover species for urban weed management