Southampton - East Enders love our lawns, don't we? But let's be honest; they're a lot of work. And no wonder; a lawn is inherently an unnatural proposition. Think about it - to have a lawn we plant grass that's not naturally meant to grow here, then fertilize and water it like crazy so it grows fast, then mow it down to keep it from growing more than a few inches high. Then we repeat the process again and again, week after week until cold weather finally stops the treadmill. It's a lot of time and effort - and expense - for what is essentially an outdoor carpet. Plus, unless you are fertilizing your lawn organically, any excess nitrogen fertilizer your lawn cannot absorb is carried away by rain and sprinklers, to end up in our increasingly fragile bays and waterways. There are other options to consider.

Groundcovers are, simply put, plants that spread to cover an area. (skagit.wsu.edu/mg/discovery-gardens.com)

If you're tired of all that mowing and watering and fertilizing, try a different kind of carpet instead. Think about planting some groundcovers, at least in parts of your property where a lawn isn't really essential. Groundcovers can be good alternatives for places that don't get walked on much, though some of them can tolerate light foot traffic.

Groundcovers are, simply put, plants that spread to cover an area. Lawn grasses are one kind of groundcover, but there are lots more, and they can play a variety of roles in the landscape.

What They Can Do For You
Groundcovers are especially useful in places where lawn grasses don't grow well or are hard to mow. You can, for example, plant them to cover a slope so you won't need to mow it. Groundcovers can grow around the base of a tree or in another shady spot where grass won't grow well. They can flow around boulders or rocks, or grow along the bottom of a wall, and remain neat with no need for string trimmer or edger. They're also delightful between flagstones in a path. If you plant the right fragrant ones, an errant footstep will release the scent.

Pachysandra is a go-to groundcover for shady places. (panacheexteriordesign.com)

How To Grow Them
When you plant groundcovers, space the plants equidistant in all directions. Don't put them in rows. The goal is to fill the available space evenly. Water the plants regularly for the first several weeks until they become established (or, in a dry, very hot summer like this one, until a reasonable amount of rain falls on a regular basis). You'll need to weed your groundcovers until they begin to spread and fill in, or weeds may overtake them.

Watch Out For These Guys!
Some groundcovers, though tough and dependable, are so widely planted that you probably just don't want to look at them again. Others are so vigorous they will try to take over your entire landscape. Pachysandra is a go-to groundcover for shady places. It grows practically anyplace, but it's boring, boring, and overly vigorous. Ditto for English ivy. Plus, English ivy will climb as well as sprawl - it'll scale trees and walls, holding on by clinging aerial roots. Don't let it get under wood shingles or windowsills or you'll be very sorry indeed.

Vinca, or periwinkle, is another ubiquitous carpet for shade. (healthfulhealthtips.com)

Vinca, or periwinkle, is another ubiquitous carpet for shade. Its purple flowers are welcome in early spring, but this is another plant that spreads and spreads. It can be found in natural areas around the East End now, crowding out the native species that belong there. If you grow it, keep an eye on it to control it.

Beware lily-of-the-valley, too. Its divinely fragrant white flowers are wonderful for a couple of weeks in May, but the rest of the year it will devote itself to taking over your garden. Chameleon plant behaves just as badly, and it doesn't even smell good; its multicolored leaves have an unpleasant odor.

Ajuga (bugleweed) grows in part sun to light shade; can scorch in full blazing sun. (wiseacre-gardens.com)

Some Good Groundcovers To Grow

Here are some groundcovers to consider for your landscape:

 • Ajuga (bugleweed) - oblong green or reddish leaves with scalloped edges; spikes of small purple, blue-violet or pink flowers in spring on plants a few inches high. Grows in part sun to light shade; can scorch in full blazing sun. Keep an eye on it or it may invade your lawn if you plant it nearby.

 • Alchemilla (lady's mantle) - best known as a garden edger, but will spread slowly to fill space. Pleated, lobed leaves charmingly capture raindrops and dew in their folds; sprays of tiny chartreuse flowers appear in late spring. Plants grow up to a foot high, in sun or partial shade.

 • Asarum (wild ginger) - deserves to be more widely grown in shady and woodland sites. Glossy, heart-shaped leaves, sometimes mottled in silver, small brownish flowers are hidden under the leaves. Takes a while to establish, but worth the wait.\

 • Epimedium (bishop's hat) - a group of charming plants for partial to light shade, with heart-shaped light to bright green leaves that turn color in fall and in spring, spurred pink, yellow, white or purple flowers.

Sweet Woodruff - will spread once established, so pull it from places you don't want it. (wiseacre-gardens.com)

 • Fragaria (wild strawberry) - a miniature version of the more familiar ornamental strawberries; this one has thin stems and small, toothed leaves, bears tiny red berries through the summer. Grows in shade.

 • Galium (sweet woodruff) - whorls of small pointed leaflets make up the compound leaves; clusters of lightly fragrant, grassy-scented white flowers in spring. It'll spread once established, so pull it from places you don't want it to go.

 • Lamium (deadnettle) - small oval leaves with scalloped edges, spotted in silver or white; small white or pink flowers in summer. Best in a shady location.

 • Isotoma (blue star creeper) - also known as Laurentia, this little charmer has tiny green leaves and eensy light blue flowers. It's a great choice for planting between paving stones in a path or patio. Best in sun, but tolerates some shade.

 • Liriope (lilyturf) - a grasslike plant that grows in an upright clump; produces slender spikes of tiny round blue or white flowers in late summer to early fall. Grows in either sun or shade.

Corsican mint - has a lovely fresh minty scent when stepped on. (wiseacre-gardens.com)

 • Lysimachia (creeping jenny) - a dense mat of small round leaves and little round yellow flowers. The golden-leaved form is interesting. If it gets too happy it can overrun less vigorous neighbors. Grows in sun or partial shade.

 • Mentha (Corsican mint) - a member of the mint clan, this one has tiny round deep green leaves with a lovely fresh minty scent when stepped on. Delightful for a shady path or patio; needs moist conditions.

 • Phlox (creeping phlox, wild sweet William) - these two creeping phloxes are ideal for filling space in a shady woodland garden. Lavender-blue, pink or white flowers bloom above mats of foliage in spring. For a sunny bank, grow their cousin, mountain pink, instead; it blooms in white, pink, bright fuchsia or lavender and blooms in early spring.

 • Pulmonaria (lungwort) - named for the shape of its silver-spotted leaves, it was once used to treat lung ailments. The plants send out tubular flowers of purple, pink or blue in early spring. Likes a moist, shady location.

Irish moss - a great choice for planting among paving. (wiseacre-gardens.com)

 • Sagina (Irish moss) - bright green leaves look like moss but aren't - the plant bears minuscule white flowers. A great choice for planting among paving stones in a sunny to partly shady location.

 • Thyme - the thyme we use in cooking will spread into a mat, but a couple of other species - woolly thyme and mother-of-thyme - are better for groundcovers. Their tiny, fuzzy leaves form dense mats that give off an intoxicating fragrance when stepped on. Plant them in a sunny path or patio, or just in a patch where you'll be sure to step on them.

 • Tiarella (foamflower) - a woodland native, with a cluster of pointed-lobed leaves from which arise spikes of fluffy, foamy white blossoms in spring. Lovely in a shady garden.

 • Sedum (stonecrop) - small species of sedum such as goldmoss sedum will spread their succulent leaves to form clumps and eventually, mats, in sunny places. Yellow flowers bloom in spring.