Timber Press Pocket Guide to Ground Covers

Weary of plain green turf grasses, boring brown wood chips, and high-maintenance yards, creative gardeners and homeowners are turning to colorful, reliable ground covers. Through their versatility and ease of maintenance, these plants substantially increase our enjoyment of the landscape while simultaneously smothering weeds. Ground covers unify unrelated elements, soften sharp angles, create mood, alter our perceptions of space, control erosion, reduce glare, and attract wildlife. Used in public and private spaces, they also function as foundation facers, hedges, accents, or filler between patio stones. More than 1000 readily available ground covers are profiled in this guide, accompanied by 320 photos. This authoritative yet reader-friendly account of gardenworthy ground covers for temperate climates is a valuable complement to MacKenzie's encyclopedic Perennial Ground Covers and a handy reference to take to the nursery or garden center.

David MacKenzie owns and operates Hortech in Spring Lake, Michigan — one of the country's largest and most progressive wholesale ground cover nurseries.

When he was just out of college, David discovered in a homeowner's backlot and registered the new Ottawa weeping white pine. He has since reproduced the tree using the grafting method. He has been hybridizing, photographing, researching, lecturing on ground covers, and generally creating plant magic since 1983.

David has written several articles for American Nurseryman. He also speaks about landscape photography, native plants, plant research and ecology, as well as his love of ground covers and gardening in Michigan (zone 5). His audience includes master gardeners, serious amateur gardeners, landscape contractors, designers, architects, and horticulture educators.