1st Post! Ideas for ground cover underneath oak on incline?

Good Morning, I have a large oak in my very slanted front yard. The previous owner mulched the area but when it rains the mulch just runs down the hill over the sidewalk. I have made a rock barrier between the tree bed area and the sidewalk which does a decent job of holding off the mulch but eventually the mulch wins. So i don't want to mulch it again. Recently i have been thinking of planting a ground cover. Maybe Ivy but i think that'll take a while. Any suggetions? I live in Birmingham, AL on a hill in a fairly wooded area where my yard doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight. Thanks!

I would use the shade area to it's advantage and make it into a shade garden, there are loads of plants that love that type of situation, especially the plants that thrive at the outer edge of woodland where at best, they might get a bit of dappled shade.

Depending on the amount of work or time you want to spend on that area, you can have colour and flowers throughout the year, but there are several plants / shrubs that like shade also and they will give different textures, leaf shape or spread (size)

Here is a list of some plants you could look up to see IF you like them, when checking them out, make sure you look at flowering time OR there use for what you need.
make sure you do a soil test also as a lot of plants that like the type of shaded area you have are better growing in slightly acidic soil and you may have to amend yours by adding more peat or other soil amendment.

Plants I like to grow in my dappled shade.
Rhododendron, smaller type. Flower April-may,

Azalea, same as above, some are perfumed, they loos there leaf in winter and the flowers come on bare stems, very beautiful.

Camellia, slow growing but very beautiful, wonderful flowers, pink, white, lemon, some perfumed.

Magnolias, again very beautiful, loose leaf in winter and flowers appear on bare stems, these above are all good and over the years will spread out and give more ground cover.

Underplant the above with spring bulbs to give you nice colour as you pass beside the shrubs mentioned above.
Bulbs or corms to plant in shade are:

Anemone's , there are several type, Japanes, love a shaded area, usually white coloured or pastel pink.

Crocus, these naturalise given time, different colours.

Ranunculas, different type and colour.

some Lily's, depend on type, look for the type that need less sun and plant cloe to the more open lighter area.

Nepita, some like shade but plant closer to outside with light.

Autum colour, shrubs / plants are:

Acer's, these are small slow growing shrubs BUT, there beauty is in the leaf colours, red, bright green, green and red tips on leaf, yellow, some show lovely orange colours in autumn, they are weeping in shape and are very slow growing but are worth while.

Witch Hazel, perfumed small flowers before leaf very early spring, red, yellow and orange flowers, look like small claws,

Hebe, purple, white or cream coloured flowers in summer, grows into a ball shape, nice foliage.

Hosta, like lots of water but will survive in dry shade but don't grow as large, these have tall slender stems with pink or purple flowers BUT the leaves are why we grow them, variegated leaves some with white edges, some with green or yellow marking, very nice and grow into large clumps, (look out for slugs but trees attract birds so they eat slugs.

Ajuga's, there are several colours of leaf and most have small clumps of flowers, they spread along the ground and are great for helping prevent weed spread.

Well maybe that's enough to be researching but there are hundreds more plants that love shade, just maybe do a search for planting UNDER tree's or shade gardening,.

Good luck and Best Regards.
WeeNel.

Most ground cover plants will spread and root as they go, providing some erosion control. You can plant many of the plants suggested by WeeNel as taller plants for flower or leaf show, then under plant with something creeping.

Ground cover for...
shade
erosion control - some of these have tenacious roots, all of them root as they go.
ANYTHING that will stop the raindrops from beating on the soil can help with erosion, and some of these will form a dense cover, and will help in that way, even if their roots are not the best for grabbing and holding soil.
mild winters (I am in 9b)

Duchesnia indica- One of the faster ones. Forms a dense tangled mat less than 1' high. Minimizes the erosion from water drops hitting the soil, and lots of roots.
Vinca minor (may be considered a weed in some states)- probably one of the better ones for spreading via roots.
Campanula- several species, but look into C. portenslagiana (old name C. muralis). C. posharskyana- campanulas are less invasive, more dainty than some on this list. Good for small areas, they do not get out of bounds as quickly.
Hedera helix- good for a large area, but can climb trees, and may be considered a pest, but very good erosion control.
Geranuium, any of several species or hybrids. These are not the large zonal geraniums, these are the true genus Geranium. Several are very good at spreading and rooting, some can become quite a pest. These get started faster than some of the others. Many will go dormant or semi-dormant in the winter, depending on how cold it gets. Most are about 1' + high. More of a slowly spreading mound rather than a running ground cover.
Lysmachia nummularia- Thrives in a damp area.
Pachysandra- The slowest on this list, but the best for dense shade. It has coarser stems than some, and might be considered almost a shrub-let.
Viola (Several species)- They keep on spreading. Not sure if they really hold the soil, or just provide a cushion so the rain does not beat on the soil.

There are some low growing shrubs. The main good they do is to reduce the rain hitting the soil and give it a path to seep in without running off.

Mahonia aquifolium, the low types: Repens, Prostrata (Slow to fill, almost weedy)
*Euonymus fortunei varieties such as radicans colorata, Ivory Jade(low shrub) similar vining types. This would probably be my first choice. Excellent soil holding, reasonably fast.
Coprosma kirkii, Coprosma 'Verde Vista' are best with a bit of sun, but are fast, spreading shrubs.

There are a LOT more low, spreading shrubs if the area gets at least half a day of sun.

You will have to continue the research to find out which are available in your area, and which will be best depending on how much water you can give them. If you are in a summer rain area, then this is less of a problem.

Thanks WeeNel & Diana! I'm researching all of your suggestions now & since this weekend is supposed to be clear & dry here, I can start Saturday morning. Thanks again for taking the time.

I recommend Vinca minor (not major.) It is lovely shiny green leaves with blue flowers in the spring. It spreads but isn't terribly invasive and is easy to control if it grows where you don't want.
It works in my yard in the filtered sun, some sunny places and okay in deep shade where it grows as well as anything. Seems to tolerate dry conditions too but is slower to spread when dry.
I also like your idea of a stone barrier/wall along the sidewalk. You might make that more substantial to hold back the litter. I think with a little maintenance (and what doesn't need some anyway) it would be a good solution rather than planting.

I will also make a suggestion. I personally dislike ivy. To me it has little visual appeal and is very difficult to eradicate if you want to change things. I suggest Lamium "Shell Pink". All the purple you see in this picture is that. It has variations in color for me and that makes it even prettier. I've never had anything that blooms longer and once it gets going you won't even have to use mulch. Be sure the variety is "Shell Pink". It's the best performer I've ever had and will grow and bloom in virtually any conditions.

rteets, that does look like a good choice.

Helen & Rteets, I love both of those ideas. I'm going to my local nursery tomorrow to see what i can find. Thanks!