even the experts won’t always agree 
in their choice of plant materials. 
HARDY GROUND 
COVERING PLANTS 
Most ground cover plants are 
grown for their attractive evergreen 
foliage. Among the plants in this 
group familiar to most gardeners 
in practically every state are the 
English Ivy, Winter Creeper, and 
Trailing Myrtle or Periwinkle. 
They have been used in mass 
plantings in parks and large es- 
tates for many years. Yet they are 
equally valuable in the smallest 
garden where several types and 
varieties may be planted to advan- 
tage in places unfavorable for grass 
or too inaccessible for mowing. 
Many ground covers will spread 
rapidly and under their thick car- 
pet few weeds will long survive. 
Except for thorough watering a 
few times during hot dry spells, 
they will require little attention 
once they have established them- 
selves. 
Pachysandra, Ivies, Myrtle, and 
Euonymus will grow under big 
trees and evergreens where grasses 
would be unable to compete for 
food. Many of them will tolerate 
dense shade while others prefer 
semi-shady locations. These same 
plants may also grow luxuriantly 
in hot sunny places as, for example, 
on steep banks with a southern 
slope where it is next to impossible 
to grow a good stand of grass with- 
out constant care. 
Until comparatively recently, 
many houses were built on high 
foundations. The planting of tall 
shrubs and evergreens around them 
had a two-fold purpose, to hide the 
base wall and at the same time 
give the effect of tying the house 
to the ground. In the late thirties 
the ranch house and similarly styled 
dwellings brought about great 
changes in the building indus- 
try. These houses were constructed 
closer to the ground and today even 
the livingroom windows are often 
only a few inches above the ground. 
It is only natural that low growing 
plants should become important, 
not only as part of the general 
landscaping of the garden but alsc 
as part of the foundation planting 
of these newer houses. 
Detailed descriptions and plant- 
ing instructions are given in an- 
other section of this book. A series 
of sketches show just a few of the 
many uses of this very important 
plant group. 
WHY BOTANICAL NAMES? 
They serve a very important func- 
tion. All plants have one scientific 
name by which they are known 
all over the world. Hedera helix is 
English Ivy, not only to the Eng- 
lish horticulturist and his American 
cousin but it means the same plant 
to his colleagues in France, Spain, 
Sweden, or China. In our dealings 
with plant growers and collectors 
right here in our own country, we 
would never be quite sure what the 
other fellow has in mind unless we 
all talk the same language. This is 
the reason we use botanical names. 
To make everybody happy, we'll al- 
so use the common names except for 
those few plants which either do not 
have a familiar name or are better 
known by their botanical name. 
