Landscape fabrics work for specific projects. Some plant groups thrive and are easier to maintain than other groups when used with these erosion and weed control fabrics.
Landscape fabrics are not an "install once and forget" method of landscape maintenance.
The advantages and disadvantages of using landscape fabric for each specific project should be well thought-out.
How can you use landscape fabrics effectively?
- Best choices are projects where erosion, weed and pest control are essential.
- Best plants are ones with characteristics for the project.
- Success is achieved by correctly installing landscape fabric.
Erosion control works where we find
- loose soil and thin vegetation on gently sloping land (a 5-to-10-foot incline within 100-feet);
- runoff of surface water; or
- habitual human or animal foot traffic.
Weed control succeeds where landscape plants
- are consistent in growth year after year - such as a hedgerow of Thuja (arborvitae) or Taxus (yew) cultivars;
- maintain a spreading habit rather than growing by runners (above ground stems) or rhizomes (underground stems) - for instance, Juniperus procumbens (low-growing juniper) or Hemerocallis (daylily) cultivars; and
- produce few if any viable seeds which may germinate in camouflaging mulch - such as cultivars of Cotoneaster , Viburnum, Potentilla (five-finger cinquefoil) or Hypericum (St.-John's-wort).
Pest control does well when
- pests are small and like to dig - such as cats, squirrels or skunks;
- the area is small and confined such as a patio or decorative planter; and
- large rock mulch over fabric is appropriate and looks good.
Some examples of plants with consistent growing characteristics that suit them for landscape fabric projects are:
- Shrubs which spread slowly, require minimal pruning and have a moderately long life - such as, Hydrangea spp., Kolkwitzia amabilis (beauty bush), Erica spp. (heath) and modern hybrid shrub roses.
- Trees which are shapely and slow-growing, and that function as background or focal points - for instance, Acer griseum (paperbark maple), Malus hupehensis (flowering crab apple), Sorbus aucuparia (mountain ash), or Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia' (golden-leaf false acacia / locust).
- Hedges made up of plants that are easy to establish and grow - such as,Acer campestre (field maple), Ilex spp. (American or English holly), and Buxus spp. (English or Korean boxwood).
- Groundcovers, both woody and herbaceous, which are relatively low and clump-forming to knit a dense carpet from their spreading tops (rather than quickly spreading runners and rhizomes) - for example, Epimedium spp., Lonicera pileata (low honeysuckle), Bergenia cultivars, Calluna vulgaris (heather) varieties, and Lavendula (lavender) dwarf forms.
This is one in a series about Landscape Fabric and Geotextiles. The others are:
- Landscape Fabric for Projects: Advantages and Disadvantages
- Installing Landscape Fabric: How to Analyze and Prepare Project Sites
Text and photograph by Georgene A. Bramlage, June 2006. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
