shade ground cover for lawn substitute

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Sibil71 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Jul 23, 2010

Hi, I live in Ohio and have an extremely shady back yard. I have tried for 4 years to grow grass, but without seeding every month it just does not last. So I've finally decided to give up and find a lawn substitute. It has average drainage and there are a few large trees with a lot of roots. The main problem seems to be that I need something that can withstand high foot traffic. I have two dogs who get the run of the yard all day every day via their dog door. So I need something that can stand up to them. My mother-in-law keeps trying to sell me on ajuga but I'm not sold on it. I've been looking online and considered white clove, except for the bee factor. Any ideas??? Thanks! :)

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plantsforpeg Ventress, LA(Zone 8b) Aug 06, 2010

The first thing that came to my mind was aguga before I even read the end. There is a varigagted one. Here it will take over and the grass won't grow where it is planted. It's everygreen and has a purple flower.

Our County Agent always suggests getting a soil test in situations like yours. Can you trim the lower branches of the tree(s) to get more light? Maybe even a short decorative grass around the base of the tree.
One more idea is to buy a large bag of soil, place it under the base of the tree. Do not tear the bag away. Only tear small circles in the bag to plant shade loving plants or put your pot plants during the warm months. Put pine needles (or something) to hide the plastic bag.

Post #8023711
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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Aug 06, 2010

Here's a nice website that lets you put in your requirements and it'll tell you which groundcovers will be best. http://www.stepables.com/3/find_the_right_plant_for_your_area.html I'd encourage you to put as few limits on it as possible--the shade + the high traffic + your zone are already going to be fairly limiting so I'd just put those in and leave out any other "wants" unless you happen to get a lot of hits.

Ajuga and clover I think will only hold up to moderate foot traffic so I don't know if they'll be the best things to meet your needs--with the dogs I think you will absolutely need a high-traffic groundcover, and depending on how big the dogs are and how small your yard is (or the area they like to hang out in) even a high-traffic groundcover may not hold up extremely well. If you've got large dogs and a small yard (or if they have certain favorite areas that they like to run in all the time), you may want to consider something non-living for the dog traffic areas--mulch, gravel, etc.

Post #8023727
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littlelamb Virginia Beach, VA(Zone 8b) Aug 07, 2010

I think it would be neat to make a mulched/gravel area and set up an inexpensive chair and table for you to enjoy watching the dogs run. Then the ground cover you choose can surround it and give the area a "built-in" affect.

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