Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance (by concealing bare earth). Ecosystem In an ecosystem, the ground cover's the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer. The most widespread groundcovers are grasses of various types. Gardening In gardening terms, however, the term groundcover refers to non-grass plants that're used in place of grasses. Plants for groundcover Four… (More on Groundcover)