Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Another possibility for a winter ground cover for your garden is the Field pea (Pisum sativum). Again, it is a non-native but non-invasive and has the added advantage of making an edible crop for you. (It also has the distinction of being the plant that Gregor Mendel used for his famous genetics experiments!) Another advantage of the field pea is that it is a member of the Family Fabaceae (Bean and Pea Family) which are nitrogen fixers, i.e., they can take nitrogen gas from the air and—with the aid of rhizobia bacteria living in nodules in their roots—change it into a form of nitrogen that can be used by the plant and enrich the soil. Some other examples of members of this family are clovers, vetches, alfalfa, and lupins (including our Texas bluebonnet).

After you have plowed under your winter rye grass or your pea plants in the spring you might like to add another member of the Fabaceae to take you past the summer. One of the prairie clovers such as Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea) or White prairie clover (Dalea candida) might be a good choice. Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) is another low-growing native in this family. Again, if you don't want the plants there for another season, you should have them plowed under before they set seed.

To find seeds for these suggestions, you can visit our National Suppliers Directory to find seed companies and nurseries near you that specialize in native plants.