wrote:
Hello,

Which of these potential ground covers will spread fast? Which will
take over grass? (Yes, I want them to do both!)

lobelia
irish moss
scotch moss
baby tears
alyssum
boston ivy
virginia creeper
Chrysogonum virginianum golden star
vinca
creeping phlox
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

conditions:

USDA zone 4/5 (old reckoning)
USDA zone 6 (new reckoning)
AHS heat zone 4/5
Sunset zone 43

dark organic/clay soil
half shade, half sun

Thank you!!

Ted Shoemaker
certified Gray Thumb


On my property Virginia creeper from your list is quite effective at
spreading over territory. Vinca is less so but at least offers some blue
flowers. But the winner here is English ivy which I have to treat like
the weed that it is but spraying it with "industrial-strength"
herbicides scarcely inconvenience it and manually ripping it out by the
roots is nearly impossible.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com