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NEED ADVICE : GROUND COVER

last year

NEED ADVICE : GROUND COVER: I am in Dallas, TX Zone 8A. So we get a few hard freezes every winter. I have quite large area, part of which is under trees mostly shade and part of it gets moderate sun. Poor soil + alkaline + rocky. I want to plant evergreen EDIBLE ground cover there. The more I have explored it more confused I am getting. What are possible options? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

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klem1
last year
last modified: last year
I think folks might be reluctant to make suggestions due to practical considerations that don't usually arise when discussing landscaping. Most people prefer ground cover to be low maintenance above anything else so Edible really cuts the choices. Consider that production from such a larger planting of a single plant will produce far more than a family will consume. Perhaps you can diversify plantings which might look better and not all struggling at the same time due to season and other factors. So instead of primarily looking at ground covers, look at traditional garden veggies that look nice. That will require lots of replanting as seasons change so you might consider some low maintenace ground cover(s) for a few areas so you have time to tend veggie beds.
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Where are you located? Common bacopa is really Sutera cordata, an annual in most climates except those that are frost free. True bacopa, Bacopa monnieri, aka waterhyssop, is an aquatic species, native to wetlands. Neither would make a very good permanent ground cover and both would require copious irrigation to flourish. An inch of water daily is a heavy requirement for a groundcover!! The best GC's are those that you can plant and forget after a short period of establishment. A more permanent, evergreen and very drought tolerant groundcover would be a better choice but would need to know where exactly you are located to make a suitable suggestion.
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