Ornamental ground cover has long played a significant role in the maintenance of urban open spaces. Such open spaces mitigate the loss of "natural" vegetation. They provide for recreational, educational and aesthetic qualities in modern cities. This article reports the results of a study of ornamental ground cover in eight urban parks in Nanjing, Jiangsu, P.R. China. It includes results from a series of interviews conducted with longtime horticulturists who worked in these parks. One main reason for degenerated ornamental ground cover in urban parks in Nanjing is overuse by humans. The other reason is a lack of attention to adaptive ecotype vegetation arrangements. This article discusses in a step-by-step procedure future feasible ways for design and management of ornamental ground covers in urban parks.
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