Ground covers and border plants
Ground cover plants are those with a dense and compact growth, such as to completely cover the ground of the garden; they are predominantly perennial plants, but there are also numerous ground cover shrubs and some bulbous or rhizomatous plants. Small plants used to create the lawn are ground covers, as are small rosettes used for roadside flower beds. These plants are characterized by a dense and compact habit but also by a predominantly lateral growth, and therefore with a not excessive height; they often have small leaves, thin branches, and often curved or flexible, which make them an impenetrable tangle. Very often, they do not require intense maintenance and tend to naturalize, remaining in the garden over time without the need for care. Ground covers are used when you want to create a carpet in the garden; this can happen in the lawn but also in low flower beds at the foot of tall trees or shrubs; often, ground cover beds are used in the impervious areas of the garden, difficult to reach: their few cultural requirements make even the farthest flower bed from the house beautiful, without the need for frequent care and attention. The advantage of these plants is also to consolidate the surface layer of the soil, so they are very often used in impervious beds or with a certain slope, to ensure that the soil is not subject to landslides.