"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Small Red Robin" wrote in message
oups.com...
The image at the link below is of a circular area that we want plant
ground cover in. We've used turf before (not shade friendly which was
silly) and it didn't last very long. We're now considering re-seeding
using shade tolerant lawn seed.

But I'm wondering if there might not be a more suitable alternative? I
vaguely remember my grandmother having a circular area in her garden in
Zimbabwe which was covered with a 'clover-like' ground cover. It was
lush and lovely (although possibly not suitable for my area). It had a
quirky ordinary name - a name that appealed to me as a child, but I
can't for the life of me remember what it was now !!

Here's a link to a picture of the area:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/2755698...ritishgardens/

Does anyone have any suggestions for a ground cover that can grow in a
moderate-deep shade area that is also very damp. Something that will
tolerate a fair bit of pedestrian traffic (en route to our decked
area). The bed to the right of the picture is planted up with ferns,
gunnera and hydrangeas.

Thanks!

I am not sure this is of any help to you or not however I 'll post it
anyway. New Zealand has a native 'weed' that is a very good ground cover
for
such an area. Its proper name is dichondra repens but is commonly called
mercury bay weed. It grows well is shady or sunny areas and does not mind
some damp. It is slow growing and does not require much mowing. It is
increasingly a substitute for grass and I have it growing in my lawn
alongside the grass. Whether you have exactly the same variety as us I am
not sure but you do have dichondra for sale in the UK. Our stuff likes the
warmer climes of NZ rather than the very cold deep south. We get frosts
here
in the Waikato however (0 to -3) and the dichondra does ok with them.
Seeds
can be purchased online in both NZ and the UK.


http://secure.digithink.net.nz/kings...pID=427&cID=45
http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/vascular_pla...p?PlantID=2163

http://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/foru...TOPIC_ID=11879
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/page5a.htm
rob

whoops, a slight mistake there. Most of what I have in my lawn is actually
hydrocotyle. This ******* is hardy. Most likely well suited to what you
want.
http://weeds.massey.ac.nz/weeds.asp?pid=99&sf=common
http://www.habitas.org.uk/flora/species.asp?item=3633