The Invasive Ground Cover You May Want To Reconsider Planting In Your Lawn

When you're on the lookout for a ground cover for your garden, there are a few important factors you may want to consider. Ground covers can serve as an alternative to grass lawns, giving you a dense material to shade your soil and choke out weeds. While some covers may give the lush, textured appearance you're looking for, they may not be the easiest to care for. Some are even considered invasive, like Italian arum (Arum italicum).

Despite its attractive, arrowhead-shaped, marbled leaves and bright red berry stalks, Italian arum is a poor choice for a ground cover, most notably because of its invasive and toxic properties that affect both animals and humans. Though sold at many garden stores and online marketplaces, Italian arum is not typically recommended to add to your garden. There are plenty of other options for appealing and beneficial ground covers for your lawn, from creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) to Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia saxatilis). Italian arum may look pretty, but its problems outweigh its benefits.

Once you plant Italian arum in your yard as a ground cover, you might find you have difficulty controlling it. This herbaceous perennial spreads quickly due to the fact that it can reproduce from both its underground corms, a type of root, and its seeds. This can produce an extremely concentrated ground cover that can quickly choke out your other plants as well as any wildflowers. If you live on the West or East Coasts, you are more likely to experience infestations with your Italian arum.

Not only is Italian arum incredibly invasive, but every part of the plant is toxic to both humans and animals. While it will most likely just irritate your skin when touched, Italian arum can be deadly if consumed. If you are removing Italian arum from your garden, make sure to wear protective gear like gloves. 

The best course of removal will combine both mechanical and chemical methods over a period of time. In some cases, mowing, burning, and even covering these plants with tarps only led to more vigorous growth, so prepare for the long haul. 

Instead of adding a toxic and difficult plant like Italian arum to your garden, you should explore other options that not only look pretty, but aren't invasive. Creeping thyme is an excellent choice for a ground cover, given that it's easy to care for and produces sweet-smelling leaves with colorful flowers. Since this type of ground cover can tolerate droughts, creeping thyme can thrive in a wide variety of environments.

If you are set on adding a bold pop of color to your lawn, you could give Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia saxatilis) a try. These bright yellow flowers will add such a lovely touch to your lawn, and when they die off, you're still left with pretty gray-green foliage. These flowers love full sun and can thrive in most soil types, with the exception of heavy clay.

Many ground covers work to reduce weeds in your garden beds by spreading and suppressing the growth of other plants. Try planting fava beans (Vicia faba) or pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) to get the job done.