Ground cover for shady area?
 

Just had a lot of weeds cleared out of an area in back of the yard,
which has a lemon tree partially shading it (more or less, depending
on season; angle of sun).

Would like to plant ground cover which would, I hope:

1. Tolerate partial shade

2. Have some flowers, even if only seasonal

3. Propagate rapidly.

This is Southern Calif coastal; mild Mediterranean climate.

Suggestions welcome!

(or should I just cover area with large piece bark and scatter a few
pots around?)

HB

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On Mon, 6 Dec 2010 14:24:56 -0800 (PST), Higgs Boson
wrote:

Just had a lot of weeds cleared out of an area in back of the yard,
which has a lemon tree partially shading it (more or less, depending
on season; angle of sun).

Would like to plant ground cover which would, I hope:

1. Tolerate partial shade

2. Have some flowers, even if only seasonal

3. Propagate rapidly.

This is Southern Calif coastal; mild Mediterranean climate.

Suggestions welcome!

(or should I just cover area with large piece bark and scatter a few
pots around?)

It's not either or... plant thyme, oregano, and scatter pots about.

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On Dec 6, 4:07*pm, Brooklyn1 Gravesend1 wrote:
On Mon, 6 Dec 2010 14:24:56 -0800 (PST), Higgs Boson



wrote:
Just had a lot of weeds cleared out of an area in back of the yard,
which has a lemon tree partially shading it (more or less, depending
on season; angle of sun).

Would like to plant ground cover which would, I hope:

1. *Tolerate partial shade

2. *Have some flowers, even if only seasonal

3. *Propagate rapidly.

This is Southern Calif coastal; mild Mediterranean climate.

Suggestions *welcome!

(or should I just cover area with large piece bark and scatter a few
pots around?)

It's not either or... plant thyme, oregano, and scatter pots about.

True. Thanks.

Thyme, I know, flourishes in almost any conditions, but I haven't had
the same luck with oregano.

Anybody planted these as ground cover in shade areas?

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox. Here's a site:
http://www.gardenguides.com/180-phlo...perennial.html

Whaddya think?

Other solutions? (pref. not very expensive)

Mucho TIA

HB

HB

Ground cover for shady area?
 

Higgs Boson wrote:


Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your climate.
Do they require much sun?


gloria p

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On 12/6/10 2:24 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
Just had a lot of weeds cleared out of an area in back of the yard,
which has a lemon tree partially shading it (more or less, depending
on season; angle of sun).

Would like to plant ground cover which would, I hope:

1. Tolerate partial shade

2. Have some flowers, even if only seasonal

3. Propagate rapidly.

This is Southern Calif coastal; mild Mediterranean climate.

Suggestions welcome!

(or should I just cover area with large piece bark and scatter a few
pots around?)

HB

Vinca minor -- about 1 ft thick, blue flowers (be careful it's not V. major)

cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana, also known as P. verna) -- very
close to the ground, yellow flowers

Hahn's ivy (Helix hedera 'Hahn's') -- about 1 ft thick, a dwarf form of
English ivy

However, don't plant anything in the root zone of the lemon. It's not
good for the lemon.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On 12/6/10 4:07 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
On Mon, 6 Dec 2010 14:24:56 -0800 (PST), Higgs Boson
wrote:

Just had a lot of weeds cleared out of an area in back of the yard,
which has a lemon tree partially shading it (more or less, depending
on season; angle of sun).

Would like to plant ground cover which would, I hope:

1. Tolerate partial shade

2. Have some flowers, even if only seasonal

3. Propagate rapidly.

This is Southern Calif coastal; mild Mediterranean climate.

Suggestions welcome!

(or should I just cover area with large piece bark and scatter a few
pots around?)

It's not either or... plant thyme, oregano, and scatter pots about.

Oregano can become as invasive as mint, to which it is related.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:


Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your climate.
Do they require much sun?


gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Ground cover for shady area?
 

"David E. Ross" wrote:
On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:


Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your climate.
Do they require much sun?


gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On Dec 7, 4:09*am, Dan L wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote:





On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your climate.
Do they require much sun?

gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. *Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R *(Garden in zone 5a Michigan)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Neither thyme nor oregano will do well in much shade, I'd look at
vinca minor, lamium, various saxifraga, some hardy geraniums, asarum
(wild ginger) or lirope or ophiopogon. Hostas are a great choice.

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On Dec 7, 8:49*am, gardengal wrote:
On Dec 7, 4:09*am, Dan L wrote:



"David E. Ross" wrote:

On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your climate.
Do they require much sun?

gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. *Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?


Gar
--
Enjoy Life... Nad R *(Garden in zone 5a Michigan)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Neither thyme nor oregano will do well in much shade, I'd look at vinca minor, lamium, various saxifraga, some hardy geraniums, asarum (wild ginger) or lirope or ophiopogon. Hostas are a great choice..

Thank you; I will check into these.

I took a quick look at Hostas in Wikipedia. It says they are subject
to damage by snails and slugs. Same info at a Moss Phlox site
slugs if soil is too moist. ****Does this mean that shade ground
cover IN GENERAL is subject to snail and slug infestation? Or all
ground cover? Inquiring minds...****

My soil in the target area is not too moist; in fact So.Cal is dry.
So I might take a chance on some moss phlox. I just want to be
reasonably sure what I'm in for, as it will be a LOT of work adding
compost and otherwise modifying the soil in approx 15 x 5 area.
Or maybe less if I scatter pots about, as someone suggested.

Sorry for thinking aloud g I just called local nursery.. Plant guy
thought Moss Phlox would do fine, but wait 3 months before putting
in. He also suggested Pink Clover or Ornamental Strawberries, which
can be put in now. All three would spread out.

REPLY to Garden Gal: You asked if ice plant does well in my area. I
assume so, as I see a LOT of it around.

Any more input welcome. Recap: Want ground cover for partly shaded
area in So. Calif. Coastal.

TIA

HB

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On 12/8/10 11:41 AM, Higgs Boson wrote [in part]:

Sorry for thinking aloud g I just called local nursery.. Plant guy
thought Moss Phlox would do fine, but wait 3 months before putting
in. He also suggested Pink Clover or Ornamental Strawberries, which
can be put in now. All three would spread out.

Pink clover (Persicaria capitata) is not a clover at all. It has little
pink flowers that resemble the flowers of white clover. My entire front
lawn and my rose bed in back are both planted with pink clover. There
are some flowers all year long with the most in the summer.

This ground cover is relatively drough-tolerant once it is established.
It forms a mat about 1 ft thick. The edges need to be trimmed several
times a year; otherwise, it can be invasive.

It does tolerate some shade.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Ground cover for shady area?
 

Higgs Boson wrote:
On Dec 7, 8:49 am, gardengal wrote:
On Dec 7, 4:09 am, Dan L wrote:



"David E. Ross" wrote:

On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's
shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your
climate.
Do they require much sun?

gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?



--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)- Hide quoted text
-

- Show quoted text -

Neither thyme nor oregano will do well in much shade, I'd look at
vinca minor, lamium, various saxifraga, some hardy geraniums, asarum





(wild ginger) or
lirope or ophiopogon. Hostas are a great choice.

Thank you; I will check into these.

I took a quick look at Hostas in Wikipedia. It says they are subject
to damage by snails and slugs. Same info at a Moss Phlox site
slugs if soil is too moist. ****Does this mean that shade ground
cover IN GENERAL is subject to snail and slug infestation? Or all
ground cover? Inquiring minds...****

My soil in the target area is not too moist; in fact So.Cal is dry.
So I might take a chance on some moss phlox. I just want to be
reasonably sure what I'm in for, as it will be a LOT of work adding
compost and otherwise modifying the soil in approx 15 x 5 area.
Or maybe less if I scatter pots about, as someone suggested.

Sorry for thinking aloud g I just called local nursery.. Plant guy
thought Moss Phlox would do fine, but wait 3 months before putting
in. He also suggested Pink Clover or Ornamental Strawberries, which
can be put in now. All three would spread out.

REPLY to Garden Gal: You asked if ice plant does well in my area. I
assume so, as I see a LOT of it around.

Any more input welcome. Recap: Want ground cover for partly shaded
area in So. Calif. Coastal.

TIA

HB

Hostas like moist areas, so this may or may not have been a bad choice
on my part. I went just by the title "Ground cover for shady area".
Almost every plant in existence has a specific bug that that eats it.
Hostas and slugs, Roses and Japanese beetles and so on. Slugs can be
taken care of with a Product called Sluggo, a relatively safe product.
Now getting rid of Japanese Beetles is more costly.

For me Gardening is one big experiment. Some plants grow well in an area
and some not so well. If the plant thrives with few problems, cool. If
the plant has problems thriving or having pest problems, get rid of the
plant.

If you like gardening... You may want to consider... Annuals. I like
annuals over perennials. Annuals have much fewer problems than
perennials and look nicer over a single season than perennials. But I am
not sure about how well they will grow in your area. For annual ground
covers I like impatiens. In warm climates impatiens are perennials.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On Wed, 8 Dec 2010 23:38:19 +0000 (UTC), Dan L
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
On Dec 7, 8:49 am, gardengal wrote:
On Dec 7, 4:09 am, Dan L wrote:



"David E. Ross" wrote:

On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's
shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your
climate.
Do they require much sun?

gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?



--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)- Hide quoted text
-

- Show quoted text -

Neither thyme nor oregano will do well in much shade, I'd look at
vinca minor, lamium, various saxifraga, some hardy geraniums, asarum





(wild ginger) or
lirope or ophiopogon. Hostas are a great choice.

Thank you; I will check into these.

I took a quick look at Hostas in Wikipedia. It says they are subject
to damage by snails and slugs. Same info at a Moss Phlox site
slugs if soil is too moist. ****Does this mean that shade ground
cover IN GENERAL is subject to snail and slug infestation? Or all
ground cover? Inquiring minds...****

My soil in the target area is not too moist; in fact So.Cal is dry.
So I might take a chance on some moss phlox. I just want to be
reasonably sure what I'm in for, as it will be a LOT of work adding
compost and otherwise modifying the soil in approx 15 x 5 area.
Or maybe less if I scatter pots about, as someone suggested.

Sorry for thinking aloud g I just called local nursery.. Plant guy
thought Moss Phlox would do fine, but wait 3 months before putting
in. He also suggested Pink Clover or Ornamental Strawberries, which
can be put in now. All three would spread out.

REPLY to Garden Gal: You asked if ice plant does well in my area. I
assume so, as I see a LOT of it around.

Any more input welcome. Recap: Want ground cover for partly shaded
area in So. Calif. Coastal.

TIA

HB

Hostas like moist areas.

Ferns can work well too.

Ground cover for shady area?
 

On 12/8/10 3:38 PM, Dan L wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
On Dec 7, 8:49 am, gardengal wrote:
On Dec 7, 4:09 am, Dan L wrote:



"David E. Ross" wrote:

On 12/6/10 6:37 PM, gloria.p wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Dave's Garden recently suggested Phlox.

I've seen lots of phlox covering the hillsides in So.CA.
It's pretty from a distance when it's in bloom.

We have a bed of purple-flowered vinca vine in an area that's
shaded
much of the day. It is also very pretty when in bloom (and
evergreen.)

There are many varieties of ice plant that do well in your
climate.
Do they require much sun?

gloria p

Ice plant does best with full sun. Some, such as 'Red Apple', can
become invasive.

What about plain old Hostas?



--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)- Hide quoted text
-

- Show quoted text -

Neither thyme nor oregano will do well in much shade, I'd look at
vinca minor, lamium, various saxifraga, some hardy geraniums, asarum





(wild ginger) or
lirope or ophiopogon. Hostas are a great choice.

Thank you; I will check into these.

I took a quick look at Hostas in Wikipedia. It says they are subject
to damage by snails and slugs. Same info at a Moss Phlox site
slugs if soil is too moist. ****Does this mean that shade ground
cover IN GENERAL is subject to snail and slug infestation? Or all
ground cover? Inquiring minds...****

My soil in the target area is not too moist; in fact So.Cal is dry.
So I might take a chance on some moss phlox. I just want to be
reasonably sure what I'm in for, as it will be a LOT of work adding
compost and otherwise modifying the soil in approx 15 x 5 area.
Or maybe less if I scatter pots about, as someone suggested.

Sorry for thinking aloud g I just called local nursery.. Plant guy
thought Moss Phlox would do fine, but wait 3 months before putting
in. He also suggested Pink Clover or Ornamental Strawberries, which
can be put in now. All three would spread out.

REPLY to Garden Gal: You asked if ice plant does well in my area. I
assume so, as I see a LOT of it around.

Any more input welcome. Recap: Want ground cover for partly shaded
area in So. Calif. Coastal.

TIA

HB

Hostas like moist areas, so this may or may not have been a bad choice
on my part. I went just by the title "Ground cover for shady area".
Almost every plant in existence has a specific bug that that eats it.
Hostas and slugs, Roses and Japanese beetles and so on. Slugs can be
taken care of with a Product called Sluggo, a relatively safe product.
Now getting rid of Japanese Beetles is more costly.

For me Gardening is one big experiment. Some plants grow well in an area
and some not so well. If the plant thrives with few problems, cool. If
the plant has problems thriving or having pest problems, get rid of the
plant.

If you like gardening... You may want to consider... Annuals. I like
annuals over perennials. Annuals have much fewer problems than
perennials and look nicer over a single season than perennials. But I am
not sure about how well they will grow in your area. For annual ground
covers I like impatiens. In warm climates impatiens are perennials.


If hostas like moist soil, don't plant them close to your lemon tree.
Citrus in the ground does best if the soil gets dry between watering.
Your tree will suffer if the soil in its root zone is constantly moist.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary