Ground Cover That Snakes Don't Like!!
walt1
18 years ago
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Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
18 years agobogturtle
18 years agoRelated Discussions
Okay, I'll say it - I just don't like ground cover...
Comments (49)I have some love/hate groundcovers myself. I think the biggest criteria for my love/hate ratio is the combination of how it grows (fast/slow) and where it is located. i.e. not all fast growers are hated if they are in the right place I just pulled out about 100 sq ft of pachasandra because it just got everywhere. I will miss it in the winter. (pre-snowcover). I have a huge patch of bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) that spreads very quickly, but it is in a part-shade woody tree-shrub area and it really seems to fit the woodland less-manicured feel. I also suspect it would be hard to eradicate if I wanted to. It has those thin roots that go everwhere and break easily. But I love it where it is. I have creeping veronica Waterperry in a perennial bed and it stays put nicely. Love it. I also have Georgia Blue but it is much more aggressive. I have to pull it back severely twice a year. Dislike it (but not enough to remove it). I have a gold variegated one that barely grows. I moved it this year to a new place it may do better. Lamium 'Pink Nancy' wanders and blends in nicely. It pulls out easily if it wanders too far. Love it. Ajuga, love it in bloom (have Choc Chip and Crispa Metallica). Neutral otherwise. Need to have something interesting (and strong) nearby. I'm trying out Hosta Kabitan. Thymes... love the daintiness... hate that they don't suppress weeds so well. Geranium Biokova... I consider that more as a specimen perennial than a groundcover, but I can see it is somewhat of both. Love it. Sedge, Treasure Island...grows slowly, love it because it can go anywhere safely, but unless it is cut back with other perennials, it looks messy far into spring until the new growth covers the old stuff. Cutting back a groundcover is not a fun thing. I used to when I had a little, but now its out of the question. I enjoyed and saved this old thread about groundcovers in link below. I haven't read it in a while, but it might be interesting after reading this thread....See MorePerennials voles don't like?
Comments (6)Thanks so much for all the comments! Dee, I bought some oyster shell and tilled it into one of the beds where I've had trouble. I needed to till in some ammendments there anyway. It is certainly cheaper than the vole blocker/soil conditioner stuff. I'm sure the acidic pH of my soil will probably benefit and it might provide some calcium to the plants. Thanks for the tip! Gazania, I bought some of the live traps meant for mice over the weekend. I'll give them a try. Hopefully between these methods, combined with hardware cloth cages for roses, gravel, and the less tempting perennials, I'll have more success. Lacyvail, I think I'll bait the live traps with the apple, but it is really not worth the risk to my one year old and five to year old to use poisons in my garden. Chelone, I have a cat, but she is getting old. While we are still blessed with her, another cat or dog is not really an option. She gets enough torment from the kids. Linda, I have heard owls in our woods before, but that was before they built a bunch of houses around us. I keep meaning to build an owl house, but my to do list remains long and my garden time remains short. We do have black snakes. I found two babies in my compost pile in early spring, which I caught for the amusement of my son (and released again.) I saw an adult black snake near my "pot ghetto" over the weekend. I have learned to appreciate them and definately live and let live. That did give me an idea for what to do with voles that I might catch in the live traps though: I have a friend with pet snakes and there is an exotic pet shop near me. Maybe they need some free food for their snakes. -Stephanie...See MoreGround covers you like
Comments (14)cindylabs, if grass doesn't grow, you have several choices. If even weeds don't grow - in other words if nothing grows there - I don't know of anything except liriope, and it doesn't spring back. Assuming weeds grow there, you can try vinca minor or major - depending on the height and effect you want. However, you need some kind of barrier (I have a sidewalk) to stop its spread into areas where you don't want it. If the area has decent moisture, blue star creeper works. Strawberry begonia is a quick ground cover and you get a cloud of flowers in spring....See MoreGround cover and Copperhead snakes
Comments (5)I would definitely call the local cooperative extension service on that one, just to make sure. The snakes may re-locate themselves, especially if you are a busy family that's always out in the yard. People and pets make too much noise and scare all the prey away. When a Copperhead is feels threatened, it freezes in place. It may shake it's tail, and it uses its bite as a last resort. Depending on how industrious your garden is, they may grow weary of spending all their time sitting totally still, and just give up and go somewhere else. Ask your neighbors if finding Copperheads is a common thing around there. Sometimes they may wander into our living spaces accidentally because they're looking for food there. Copperheads are very successful snakes, so they still might linger in suburban areas. And yes, they really do LIKE viney ground cover. It's perfect for them. Instead of a vinca, I'd try something like a Chameleon flower (Houttuynia cordata). They're absolutely gorgeous and spread like crazy. I've heard warnings of planting them in perennial beds, but I have them in there and I've never had a problem with the roots widing around my other plants....See MoreIna Plassa_travis
18 years agopaterson78
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorjs5134
8 years agoalisonswitch
2 years agokenlako
2 years agobkay2000
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