Favorite ground cover for shade
 

I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

"Kim" wrote in message
a.net...
I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

I just planted some creeping thyme based on recommendations I've read here
and other places. It might be something for you to consider. I also planted
periwinkle, but haven't had the fungus problem you mention since I live in a
very dry area.

Leslie

Leslie

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

"Kim" wrote in message
a.net...
I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

In West Virginia, zone 6b, we have

Sweet woodruff on the mostly shady east side of the house
Native wild ginger on the very shady north side
Blue star creeper in the back (east) where it gets shade, dappled sun
and 2-4 hours full sun
Creeping thyme between and around the shale stone walk, also on the
shady north side

Those all seem to be doing well, beginning to expand as ground covers.
The one I really want to see take off is partridgeberry (Mitchella repens),
which I put in as a ground cover under trees along the front of the lot. The
individual dozen plants are doing OK, but it grows very, very slowly. And
the one I want to try is sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis), except I
can't find a source. I have an area prepared for it, by the walk, between
the lilac plantings and the house.

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 12:54:52 GMT, Kim wrote:

I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

You should have more luck than me to grow Pachysandra. It grows well
in Ohio, but it's just too hot in Tennessee to grow well. It loves
shade, stays green all year, has small white flowers in the spring.

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

the one I want to try is sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis), except I
can't find a source.





I wonder if you contacted Monrovia, if they would be able to tell you the closest nursery to you that carried sweetbox?

Heidi





Rachel wrote:

"Kim" wrote in message
ia.net...


I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?



In West Virginia, zone 6b, we have

Sweet woodruff on the mostly shady east side of the house
Native wild ginger on the very shady north side
Blue star creeper in the back (east) where it gets shade, dappled sun
and 2-4 hours full sun
Creeping thyme between and around the shale stone walk, also on the
shady north side

Those all seem to be doing well, beginning to expand as ground covers.
The one I really want to see take off is partridgeberry (Mitchella repens),
which I put in as a ground cover under trees along the front of the lot. The
individual dozen plants are doing OK, but it grows very, very slowly. And
the one I want to try is sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis), except I
can't find a source. I have an area prepared for it, by the walk, between
the lilac plantings and the house.

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

Thanks, Heidi - that's an idea. Since they don't seem to have mail-order, I was going to wait until somebody I knew was driving through North Carolina. In the meantime, I found a nursery in Connecticut that sells it, and I occasionally drive from W.Va. to Boston, so might be able to stop off there.
R.

"Heidi" wrote in message .. .
the one I want to try is sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis), except I
can't find a source.

I wonder if you contacted Monrovia, if they would be able to tell you the closest nursery to you that carried sweetbox?

Heidi

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

Can you give information of what you want out of the ground cover? Most of my favorites have been mentioned except for houttuynia cordata 'chameleon' which is a lovely mix of pink, green and cream in color, (creeping sedum is also nice) but I also use hostas (you can get miniatures that are really elegant), ferns, and astilbe to add color and height.

If you do a web search with all the plants mentioned you might get some additional information and pictures of what you don't know. DKat

"Kim" wrote in message a.net...
I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle.

Other groundcovers for shady areas include carpet bugle, mock strawberry,
plumbago, sweet woodruff, woodbine, wintercreeper euonymous and dead nettle
(lamium 'White Nancy' is my favorite).
sed5555

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

In article ,
(Sed5555) wrote:

I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle.

Other groundcovers for shady areas include carpet bugle, mock strawberry,
plumbago, sweet woodruff, woodbine, wintercreeper euonymous and dead nettle
(lamium 'White Nancy' is my favorite).
sed5555

I think of that list lamium is often very nice, but the white-flowering
lamium loses much of its flower presence because white flowers amidst
white & green leaves doesn't show the flowers to any advantage. There are
varieties with pink, dark pink, or with pale violet flowers that are more
striking. It's a good groundcover to plant around die-back shade
perennials such as pulmanarias or hostas or trilliums so that when the
"main" stuff is late in the year, there'll be some very pleasant lamium
instead of bare spots lingering through winter but without interferring
with the main perennials' spring return.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

Kim wrote:

I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

Epididymus, heuchera, dwarf astilbe, lily of the valley, jack in
the pulpit. On the whole, I'd be careful with the ivy; it isn't
a good match with trees or structures.

Chris Owens




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Favorite ground cover for shade
 

In article ,
says...
Can you give information of what you want out of the ground cover? Most of my favorites have been mentioned except for houttuynia cordata 'chameleon' which is a lovely mix of pink, green and cream in color, (creeping sedum is also nice) but I also use h
ostas (you can get miniatures that are really elegant), ferns, and astilbe to add color and height.

If you do a web search with all the plants mentioned you might get some additional information and pictures of what you don't know. DKat

I just want the ground cover to keep weeds down and so we don't have to
mow in those areas. Thanks to all for these great suggestions, there are
some things I have not heard of, and I will look into them!!

-kim

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

What about Lily of the Valley? It's not a creeper like a vinca, but it
grows/spreads like mad and smells so wonderful when it's in bloom. Small
green plants with small white flowers then little red berry things :-)
Poisonous if eaten, but nobody said you have to eat them.

LeeAnne


"Kim" wrote in message
a.net...
I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

In article , "LeeAnne"
wrote:

What about Lily of the Valley? It's not a creeper like a vinca, but it
grows/spreads like mad and smells so wonderful when it's in bloom. Small
green plants with small white flowers then little red berry things :-)
Poisonous if eaten, but nobody said you have to eat them.

LeeAnne

Several NATIVE semi-creepers with the common names Lily of the Valley,
False Lily of the Valley, False Solomon's Seal, Fairybells -- of the
Disporum sp, Maianthemum sp, & Convallaria sp. -- can be very fine
choices. These have lovely little flowers, excellent foliage, & some have
long-lasting red berries, although no winter presence. Most would have
such dense root systems they'd really keep weeds down to nothin'. They
make excellent no-mainteance moist-shade groundcover choices. Even if they
spread aggressively, they cannot be regarded as woodland invasives when
locally native species are selected (rather than the commonly gardened
Eurasian species). Convallaria montana would be the native Lily of the
Valley for areas around the Appalachians; Maianthemum dilatatum is a
Northwest native, many other choices region by region. Some you wouldn't
want to plant near anything delicate, as the spread can overwhelm anything
smaller. Most need no soil preparation, they grow in anything.

For something with evergreen presence, & which will do well even in dryish
shade, there are some creeping groundcover cultivars & varieties of native
Mahonias (Oregon grapes). Would have to be chosen specifically with an eye
for dwarf or creeping types, as some of them are very tall bushes instead
of groundcovers. They have yellow flowers & very edible blueberry-like
berries. Another native with evergreen presence if Wintergreen, with
bright red berries that last through winter & are edible. It's one of my
favorite native mini-shrubs, but it spreads extremely slowly. There are
dwarf varieties of lingonberries which are evergreen & extremely
cold-hardy as is wintergreen. Lingonberries produce copiious amounts of
edible fruits if there's at least a little sun, but will also do great in
deep shade though without much fruit. Some varieties stay only two inches
tall, even "big" varieties are only a foot or so tall, & these spread
quite rapidly.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

I planted LOV near the edge of a wooded area. It is spreading in the
direction of more heavily shaded areas (which surprised me). It is
doing much better than the Pachysandra, but the LOV looks rather ugly
in the fall. The aroma of the sping flowers is intense (my mother's
favorite).


On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 09:21:31 -0400, "LeeAnne"
wrote:

What about Lily of the Valley? It's not a creeper like a vinca, but it
grows/spreads like mad and smells so wonderful when it's in bloom. Small
green plants with small white flowers then little red berry things :-)
Poisonous if eaten, but nobody said you have to eat them.

LeeAnne


"Kim" wrote in message
ia.net...
I live in Ohio and have several shaded areas where I would like to put
in ground cover and I just wanted to make sure I've thought of them all.
So far I have English Ivy and Periwinkle. The ivy is great, and the
periwinkle is beautiful, but it is very prone to fungus from moisture -
and the shade doesn't help dry up that!

So what are your suggestions?

-kim

Favorite ground cover for shade
 

yeah, it is ugly in the fall - but to me the wonderful smell is worth it.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...

I planted LOV near the edge of a wooded area. It is spreading in the
direction of more heavily shaded areas (which surprised me). It is
doing much better than the Pachysandra, but the LOV looks rather ugly
in the fall. The aroma of the sping flowers is intense (my mother's
favorite).