I feel guilty about the way I planted 50 Canada Anemone plugs last weekend.  These ground covers are native – despite the name – and they are aggressive.  You wouldn’t want them in your flower garden even though in June they produce charming white flowers with yellow centers.

I planted them around the base of two trees and I cheated…big time.  How did I cheat?  Instead of laboriously pulling out every weed, I covered the desired area with cardboard, piled on 3-4 inches of compost, then planted each 2” plug one foot apart.  So easy that I wondered if it would possibly work.

And why plant native ground cover around the base of trees?  It suppresses weeds, prevents erosion of course, and provides winter habitat for some native pollinators.  It also provides a safe place for birds and pollinators to hide and forage.  And it looks great!

Since Canada Anemones are aggressive, they’ll grow fast and be hardy.  Any weeds that appear will effortlessly be removed because the compost is fluffy.

Lily of the Valley, though not native, has some value for the base of trees, as do ferns, both of which have the advantage of not being on a deer’s menu.  For more suggestions and to match ground covers with your site, go to native ground covers, then click:  wildseedproject.net.