Ground covers are without question a great thing - they willingly adorn bare ground surfaces, are extremely easy to care for and also promote soil life. If you want more of them, you can usually easily multiply them - we'll show you how.
Propagation by cuttings is one of the most promising variants
Why propagate ground cover?
On the one hand, you can of course fall in love with certain ground covers. After all, their practical, soil-improving and often very decorative advantages cannot be dismissed out of hand. Planting several spots in the garden with wonderfully fragrant rocks, pretty-looking spring carnations or decorative soapworts can delight the gardener's eye in more ways than one. This also results in an attractive repetition structure.
The use of ground cover in accurately laid out beds has an almost artistic design claim. Interweaving perennial borders with cushion-forming ground cover or greening rock gardens with a varied cushion structure requires clear planning - and it is not uncommon for the multiple planting of one and the same type of ground cover to be very effective.
Last but not least, gardeners are often communal and like to exchange ideas with each other. Giving away a nice ground cover to other plant enthusiasts is common among friends and doesn't cost anything - just a little friendly effort.
The ground cover propagation reasons at a glance:
- Culture of favorite ground covers
- Repeat structure in the garden
- clear, small-structured design of beds and rock gardens
- Supply of gardeners friends
How does propagation work?
Propagating ground cover is usually not very difficult due to their usually very vigorous and robust nature.
Propagation possibilities are:
- offshoot
- rhizome cuttings
- cuttings
- seed propagation
Especially the varieties that form runners such as cranesbill or periwinkle can be easily propagated by offshoots. To do this, cut off edge pieces with rooted shoots and reinsert them in the desired location. Depending on the desired size of the area to be repopulated, you should cut off a correspondingly large number of shoots.
Rhizome-forming ground covers are propagated by rhizome cuttings. To do this, separate a leafy runner and let it root in a breeding pot with regular watering. Once that is done, you can plant it outdoors.
Of course you can also make cuttings. This method of propagation works particularly well with the creeping spindle, for example. To do this, you separate a woody but not yet more than 2 cm thick shoot of the ground cover, remove the lower leaves and place it in a peaty substrate, which you water evenly.
Finally, there is of course the option of seed propagation by collecting the seeds after flowering and growing them in the pot.