Tough ground cover for shady area

Hi, folks,
I have a corner in my backyard that needs some serious ground cover. It's under deciduous trees, and I've planted a ton of woodland bulbs. I need something that can thrive in dappled shade, choke out all those billions of tree sprouts and other weeds, handle occasional foot traffic (and the occasional dog pee, thanks Bert), and let the bulbs poke through. I was thinking ajuga, but I remember somewhere on some post it was thought to be invasive. In this instance, that might not be such a bad thing.
Any thoughts?

Ajuga might be good then - you might run in to the invasive thing with anything that will self heal. I'm not sure how tough vinca is, barren strawberry seems hardy. There has to be others too.

Hard to find a real good ground cover that is not invasive! If it's dry (probably is), you're limited. Ajuga, Pachysandra or Vinca. If moisture is not a problem there is Golden Creeping Jenny or Hellebore (not great for foot traffic). No experience with dog pee.

I use vinca/myrtle in one of my gardens. I have a maple tree and my neighbor's house shading one side of my yard. I got tired of the weed fight so I planted the myrtle. I still have to weed, but A LOT LESS. I like the way it looks and pots do well in it, bulbs and even hosta. I have no trouble with it being invasive; I just pull it out, cut it off or usually I just redirect it back into the bed. In fact I still have spots I am trying to fill with it after 10 years (the roofers killed large patches on me.)

Once established, it will grow in sun and/or shade. It has beautiful little blue flowers when in bloom. They sell white flowering and variegated varieties too.

I like it and use it too. Walking in it will mess it up but it grows back fast. Very undemanding.

from the other end

Ajugas can handle the traffic, probably the dog's donations but will still allow those little seeds from maples to grow but not as many as vacant ground or even mulch will allow to grow. 'Burgundy Glow' seems more robust than the others I've grown.

Meg, I had good success with lamium in dry shade. Others have found it to be too aggressive, but I haven't found that in dry shade. Phlox stolonifera has also woked to keep weeds down for me but it blooms very little & I don't like it as much as lamium. Lamiastrum is nice too but I'm not sure it keeps weeds down as well.

Victor, Could you please explain (again?) how you use hellebore as a ground cover?

I have the same problem (except the dog pee) but this area is where my flower whacker drives the tractor through to get to the front yard. Would thyme take tractor traffic????

Dave, Hellebore works well where there is no foot traffic and adequate moisture - at least until well established. The big leaves that form after the beautiful late Winter / early Spring flowers form a tight canopy that completely blocks out all light. To boot, even if there are small weeds growing underneath - you won't see them. Same as with Hosta in that respect. I'll try to get a photo.

I've used Lamium in shady ares,too. Works well under trees, even by roadsides. Many new varieties too. Other than that, try some pachysandra....it's pretty tough.

I realized that my lily of the valley - once they break ground - choke out all the weeds, too. They just look kind of ratty in the late fall but they smell wonderful in May.

rsquared,

I really love how the vinca you have looks. I have a similar spot between the house next door and ours. How many did you use to get that started? How long did it take for it get as dense as yours in?

Okay - here's a photo of the growing Hellebore foliage. It's not the best angle but it gives you an idea. Keep in mind that it's still growing at this point. When done the leaves will be open practically flat horizontally and will provide a sort of closed canopy. As I said, this is not a ground cover for an area with foot traffic.

And here's the Ranunculus 'Buttered Popcorn' I mentioned in another thread. You can see that when it thrives it really provides a thick mass that effectively chokes out weeds. It grows from sun to shade and the foliage is very interesting. Only problem is that it has failed to come back in some areas in Spring. However, where it does return, it does continue to spread pretty rapidly. So far from the pattern of where it returns, I would say that it does better where it's a bit sheltered.

Thanks, everybody, for all the great ideas...keep 'em coming!
Does ajuga grow in really fast? How about vinca? And can you plant either or both in the fall?

You can certainly do Vina any time. Just make sure it's watered.

Victor, Thanks for the Hellebore info.
I had put ranunculus in a bed with a good amount of sun and had to pull it up because it was taking over. I tried it in dry shade and it didn't return.

I'm hoping it takes over! I haven't noticed it bothering any of the good plants yet.

In the shade you may be fine. With sun it was overtaking stuff for me.

Choking out perennials?

Yes. Some where young perennials so that might have made it worse. But as I remember, they were clogging up established ones too.

I have a lot of the vinca in my gardens, the blue, white and also a deep purple. Last year I got some varigated vinca. I also use the creeping Jenny quite successfully, especially for moist shade, and the ajuga is nice. I have a friend who hates ajuga, because it has invaded her lawn, so watch out for that. I have also used creeping thyme. Here is a pic of my creeping thyme.

Karen

Victor and Dave: I can't get it to grow and finally have given up on it. I've tried dry areas and wet ones - no luck at all.

nuts - what a lovely patch of thyme!

I have to give Thyme a try. I know it's basically a full-sun plant, but how does it do with part? I would use it in my sunny beds and as the plants grow throughout the season, there will be less sun reaching the Thyme.

It survives well in part sun but thrives in full sun - not a fan of wet soil (like most herbs) at all.

Pirl, Ranunculus won't grow for you??

Nope. I've tried it from bulbs twice, from plants once. Three strikes and it's out.

Gardens are weird!

People who aren't even gardeners can get it to grow: so annoying!

Victor, I've started using hellebores as a ground cover too. Glad you mentioned it here. I've gotten a lot of seedlings this year, so hope to extend my ground cover. Have you had seedlings? Success with growing them on? I have a large area with new Japanese Maples, and am putting as many hellebores as I can around them. I find the hellebores can tolerate full sun in the north.

Pirl welcome back. Hope your vacation was great. Vinca is a good grower here, in dry shade. Vinca seems to thrive on neglect. You might be too good a gardener to neglect anything, LOL.

Hi Polly,

No I have not noticed any seedlings. I keep hearing about other people having them and I'm jealous! I would love as many as possible. They are $$, don't divide well and grow slow so seedlings are a welcome 'problem'.

Thanks, pirl, for the compliment on my thyme. Yes, thyme does do well in part shade. I have it in part shade and sun both. I had a lot of die-back this past winter on it, as it got very frigid in Feb. with no snow cover. Lost a lot of buds on hellabores that I planted last year for the first time. Also the vinco looked terrible this spring, and that usually does very well in winter. Looks a lot better now. It bounces back really well, as does the thyme.

Meg: Hostas, hostas, and more hostas will fit the bill quite nicely!!!

I've had some of the more enthusiastic cultivars grow right over tree roots. I use a chain saw (with an old chain) to cut through tree roots, then I amend with compost, then pop my hostas. Hosta can also be placed in large pots right on top of the roots. Ferns do very nicely w/o much soil, you can fill in between the pots with those.

But as Al recently said on the Hosta board, too bad there aren't more varieties of hosta. They are blue, green, gold, then the ones with white stripes...LOL... (Al, I have all 3 books that there are: one with words, one with pictures, and one with words and pictures... :0)

Oh, contraire! There are tons of varieties of hosta, and I love most of them. I think there are almost as many hosta as there are daylilies. So many different variations in coloration, leaf size and shape, clump size and hight, etc. I've been getting excited about the minis lately, and I love my 2 clumps of the huge leaved Sum And Substance, which haven't reached mature size yet.Those gigantic leaves always get comments!

Karen

Sum and Substance is the favorite of a friend and the most commented on plant when she was on the garden tour. Huge doesn't even come close to describing it. Hers is in full hot sunshine, too.

Jax - When you said Al wanted hostas in more colors was he asking about purple, lilac, orange, red, etc. instead of the blue/green/variegated family? That would be so neat!!!

That would be interesting to see hostas in different colors, like coleous and caladiums. Something bright and tropical looking that will overwinter in the north.

Karen

Hosta 'Remember Me' in hot pink:

Victor, I just started getting seedlings on mine this year. The hellebores are 3 years old. You can divide hellebores in the spring, before they get their new leaves with pretty good success. Which hellebores do you have? As far as seedlings go, the hellebores are really easy ones to work with, very sturdy little guys.

I have mostly the Sunshine Strain hybrids - I don't think they seed as much.