Covering the ground with a dense carpet of flowering or foliage plants is a fairly recent planting technique designed initially to reduce the labour of weeding among plants. Many ground cover plants are also decorative in their own right, adding both attractive pools of colour and contrasting textures while softening edges along paths and kerbs and filling in between larger plants. Once established, ground-cover plants will smother out most weed seeds that attempt to grow under them by depriving them of light as well as competing with them for water and nutrients.

Try to choose attractive, vigorous plants that will quickly cover their allotted space with close dense growth, without becoming too invasive themselves. Ideally they should be perennial, either remaining above the ground all year round for an evergreen effect or re-emerging and developing again in the spring. Ground cover plants should be selected to suit their location, wet or dry, shady or sunny. They should be easy to care for, requiring only an annual clipping and feed and choose varieties that will remain healthy for five to ten years. Finally, choose varieties that will provide different textures and that will provide interesting foliage and habit.

Apart from reducing the need for weeding ground cover plants can be used to reduce evaporation from exposed free-draining soils. A dense planting of drought resistant plants such as Cistus (Rock Rose), Rosemary or Lavender will shade the soil and keep it cool. Steep banks, which are subject to erosion, may be planted with ground cover plants such as Cotoneaster microphyllus, Lonicera 'Miagreen', Ceanothus thyrs. 'Repens' or Juniperus squamata 'Blue Carpet'. Their low-growing, spreading, evergreen habit can form a stable cover that prevents erosion and smothers out weeds.

Combining low ground cover plants of different colour and leaf size can create a patchwork effect. For example, the multi-coloured leaves of Ajuga reptans'Burgundy glow' with their blue flowers contrasts well with Lamium mac ' Golden Anniversy' with its yellow and green variegated foliage and pink flowers that appear in summer. Both these plants contrast well with the beautiful red-flushed foliage of Epimedium x rubrum in spring. Other excellent ground-cover plants are Anthemis punctata ssp. cupanianna that has a profusion of pure white daisy flowers above dense spreading mounds of silvery foliage and Vinca 'Illumination' with is quite a new stunning golden variety with variegated foliage which trails like liquid gold with fantastic mauve periwinkle flowers from spring to summer.

It is essential to prepare the ground thoroughly before planting, making sure that it is completely free of weeds, especially creeping perennial weeds that will later prove difficult to eradicate from established dense cover. This can be achieved by either chemicals, hand weeding or by using a weed-control fabric. When ground-cover plants have been newly planted at the correct distance, the ground between them will still be bare. Until the plants have begun to spread, it is a good idea to apply mulch in the gaps around them. This will help to retain moisture in the soil and will also discourage the growth of weeds. A loose mulch of bark chippings is ideal for this purpose and should be applied to a depth of at least 5cm (2ins) Most ground cover plants need very little attention, although, an annual trimming will help to keep them compact. Always remove any dead or diseased branches and dead leaves from the centre of the plants.

JOBS OF THE WEEK

* Plant aquatics and marginal plants and clear away any blanket weed from the pond.

* Sow shallots and onions in prepared ground.

* Fleece susceptible plants with horticulture fleece if temperatures drop to freezing.

* Plant tomatoes in pots or growbags.