Ground Cover Obsession

For the record, I have a weird obsession with ground cover of any kind. I love the idea of plants creeping along the ground, smothering out weeds, keeping in moisture, generally acting as a mulch, and being beautiful. Why doesn't everyone use it?

Midway through the summer I began spotting a scrumptious vine in my neighbors' window boxes. It had neon green, crumpled leaves, which made it look something like curly hair. After a little research, I found it was called "Creeping Jenny" or "Moneywort." Some use it as a vine, but it's found as a ground cover in the wild. In fact, I spotted some growing on the banks of the Potomac River.

Well, I finally decided to do what any self-respecting gardener does: I stole some. Well, steal is a bit of an exaggeration. Actually, I snipped off an unnoticeable under-piece of my neighbor's that they'll never miss (hopefully). Then I ran home and put it's snipped-off end in dirt. It showed promising signs of growth, but in an overzealous attempt to speed its development, I fertilized it. I've never seen a plant wilt and die with such speed. Needless to say, I stole some more.

The second cutting did quite well, so I put it in the yard to spread to its heart's content. I read that it's invasive and a nuisance to some, but since I can't get enough of it, bring it on.