Suppress Stubborn Weeds With A Berried Ground Cover

If you're looking for environmentally friendly ways to suppress stubborn weeds in your garden so that you don't have to spend too much precious time down on your hands and knees pulling them out, you might want to think about growing this berried ground cover. Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is a low-profile native shrub that's perfect as a ground cover to stop those weeds from coming through in the first place. It's also commonly referred to as bearberry and can be found growing naturally in numerous states around North America. Bearberry can be successfully grown in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 7, and both its flowers and berries are attractive to a range of wildlife species including birds and bears. It's also a host plant for three butterfly varieties — brown elfin, hoary elfin, and freija fritellary.

What makes this species an excellent weed suppressant is that the woody, red stems will creep closely along the ground, with each plant spreading to a width of around 6 feet. Although it does grow rather slowly. The leaves are dark green and leathery, with a glossy appearance. Kinnikinnick can form a dense mat over the ground, which will completely shade the soil from the sun. To add to its appeal, kinnikinnick produces dainty white-scented blooms with pink tips in spring, and these are followed by showy red berry fruits that will last from fall through winter.

Kinnikinnick can be grown in full sun or part shade and prefers infertile soils that are well-draining. It's perfect for the bare areas in your yard where not much else will grow except for those annoying weeds. As it tends to cover the soil well, it's also good at combating slope erosion. Plus, it's ideal for rock gardens and can cascade beautifully over a wall. Although the stems that spread over the soil will produce roots, it's not considered invasive, unlike a number of other fast-spreading invasive ground covers that you want to steer clear of. 

Once established, kinnikinnick is drought-tolerant and won't need any additional fertilizer or regular pruning, which makes it perfect for a low-maintenance garden. It's important to note that this ground cover doesn't like to be transplanted, so take care not to disturb the roots when transferring a nursery-grown specimen into your garden. Before planting this weed-combating species in your yard, make sure that you familiarize yourself with some common mistakes everyone makes when growing ground cover plants so your bearberry has the best chance of success. Finally, if you want to add extra diversity to your landscape and keep the weeds at bay, you might like to consider one of these purple flowering ground covers that will add gorgeous color to your yard. These should blend perfectly with kinnikinnick and make your yard even more appealing.