jacqueline cahoon wrote:
"PatK" wrote in message
...
Have you tried one of the lamiums? They're perennials, ground
cover, some with multi-colored foilage, small but numerous
blooms, and they'll grow most anywhere. They do fine under our
trees in Zone 5.


No, in fact I've never heard of it. Does it have a common name?

Pat

Deadnettle. It's a great little plant - very attractive and easy
to grow.

Jacqueline

Do you have a husband? Is his name Jeff?

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

No doubt there is some plants you can grow that don't need light or
moisture, but I'm at a loss to think of any.

However, what I really think I should tell you is that whenever possible,
it's never a good idea to plant anything beneath trees as the plants and the
tree roots compete for the moisture (very little, usually) and nutrients,
and the trees lose out. This publication from the Morton Arboretum (Chicago
area) has a great picture showing the difference between tree roots where
grass is planted compared to where there's only mulch:
http://www.mortonarb.org/research/treeroots.html.

Hope this helps!

Suzy in Wisconsin, Zone 5

"The way to avoid housework is to live outside." -Sandra Blacksmith, 1901

Hi all,

I have a very large maple tree that covers about half of my yard and every
summer the grass dies underneath it from lack of sun (and rain I'm sure)
Now it's just a dirt area. Is there anything I can plant underneath of it
that would grow without a lot of encouragement? I need something pretty
sturdy because I have a large dog that likes to run in my yard several
times a day, though she's not really destructive. I thought about ivy but
I was wondering if there's anything else?

Thanks,
Pat

Well if it wasn't so much of my yard I wouldn't bother. But it looks so
unsightly.
Pat


S Orth wrote:
No doubt there is some plants you can grow that don't need light or
moisture, but I'm at a loss to think of any.

However, what I really think I should tell you is that whenever possible,
it's never a good idea to plant anything beneath trees as the plants and the
tree roots compete for the moisture (very little, usually) and nutrients,
and the trees lose out. This publication from the Morton Arboretum (Chicago
area) has a great picture showing the difference between tree roots where
grass is planted compared to where there's only mulch:
http://www.mortonarb.org/research/treeroots.html.

Hope this helps!

Suzy in Wisconsin, Zone 5

"The way to avoid housework is to live outside." -Sandra Blacksmith, 1901

PatK wrote:
Well if it wasn't so much of my yard I wouldn't bother. But it looks so
unsightly.

Maybe some garden art, and some clusters of container plants. You could even get
sun-loving color spots in the containers, if you rotate them in and out. Get an
old wheelbarrow or two, and put stuff in them. And top it all off with a hammock
on a stand.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Your Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Suburban Lawn:
http://www.holzemville.com/community...are/index.html

In article FRK%d.15972$oa6.4589@trnddc07,
lid says...
Have you tried one of the lamiums? They're perennials, ground
cover, some with multi-colored foilage, small but numerous blooms,
and they'll grow most anywhere. They do fine under our trees in
Zone 5.


No, in fact I've never heard of it. Does it have a common name?

Pat

It spreads like wild fire and is difficult to get rid of.


That may be true of the original species, but the multi-colored hybrids
sold at the garden centers are much better behaved. Of course they
spread, if they didn't nobody would buy them for a ground cover :-).

Ours have been in for several years now and we've had no need to cut
them back.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

In article , lgb
wrote:

In article FRK%d.15972$oa6.4589@trnddc07,
lid says...
Have you tried one of the lamiums? They're perennials, ground
cover, some with multi-colored foilage, small but numerous blooms,
and they'll grow most anywhere. They do fine under our trees in
Zone 5.


No, in fact I've never heard of it. Does it have a common name?

Pat

It spreads like wild fire and is difficult to get rid of.


That may be true of the original species, but the multi-colored hybrids
sold at the garden centers are much better behaved. Of course they
spread, if they didn't nobody would buy them for a ground cover :-).

Ours have been in for several years now and we've had no need to cut
them back.

My deadnettles (three varieties) are very well behaved. They are not
aggressive enough to keep down weeds, & they are not evergreen so
winter-germinating weeds can invade. They seem to need a bit more care &
very loose soil to look their best & wouldn't be my choice for difficult
planting areas.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden
people maintaining a free civil government." -Thomas Jefferson

lgb wrote:
In article FRK%d.15972$oa6.4589@trnddc07,
lid says...

Have you tried one of the lamiums? They're perennials, ground
cover, some with multi-colored foilage, small but numerous blooms,
and they'll grow most anywhere. They do fine under our trees in
Zone 5.


No, in fact I've never heard of it. Does it have a common name?

Pat

It spreads like wild fire and is difficult to get rid of.



That may be true of the original species, but the multi-colored hybrids
sold at the garden centers are much better behaved. Of course they
spread, if they didn't nobody would buy them for a ground cover :-).

Ours have been in for several years now and we've had no need to cut
them back.


The vinca I've gotten for the side of the house has never lived through
a winter. Apparently that's not what you guys are talking about.

Pat

You want the evergreen perennials, commonly known as periwinkle, that Paghat suggested - Vinca major and Vinca minor.

You could also try Pachysandra terminalis. It's gets bad press for being a terminally boring plant but there's an attractive variegated one (Variegata, or 'Silver Edge') and it will even grow under evergreens. It takes a year or so to settle down and start to spread.

At the risk of repeating what other people have already written, it might be worth including a few Lamium (deadnettle) for seasonal variety, even if they're not evergreen in your area. Lamium galeobdolon has leaves that are blotched with silver, and yellow flowers. 'Herman's Pride' is a particularly attractive cultivar and better behaved. There are also plenty of Lamium maculatum cultivars with white or pink/purple flowers and beautiful variegation.

By the way, Wintergreen (Gaultheria), as mentioned by Paghat, is a lovely plant, but only if you have completely lime-free soil. I made the mistake of planting one in my previously rubble-filled garden and it died.

Ornata wrote:
PatK Wrote:

lgb wrote:-
In article FRK%d.15972$oa6.4589@trnddc07,
says...
--
Have you tried one of the lamiums? They're perennials, ground
cover, some with multi-colored foilage, small but numerous blooms,
and they'll grow most anywhere. They do fine under our trees in
Zone 5.


No, in fact I've never heard of it. Does it have a common name?

Pat-

It spreads like wild fire and is difficult to get rid of.
-


That may be true of the original species, but the multi-colored
hybrids
sold at the garden centers are much better behaved. Of course they
spread, if they didn't nobody would buy them for a ground cover :-).

Ours have been in for several years now and we've had no need to cut
them back.
-

The vinca I've gotten for the side of the house has never lived
through
a winter. Apparently that's not what you guys are talking about.

Pat

You want the evergreen perennials, commonly known as periwinkle, that
Paghat suggested - Vinca major and Vinca minor.

You could also try Pachysandra terminalis. It's gets bad press for
being a terminally boring plant but there's an attractive variegated
one (Variegata, or 'Silver Edge') and it will even grow under
evergreens. It takes a year or so to settle down and start to spread.


At the risk of repeating what other people have already written, it
might be worth including a few Lamium (deadnettle) for seasonal
variety, even if they're not evergreen in your area. Lamium
galeobdolon has leaves that are blotched with silver, and yellow
flowers. 'Herman's Pride' is a particularly attractive cultivar and
better behaved. There are also plenty of Lamium maculatum cultivars
with white or pink/purple flowers and beautiful variegation.

By the way, Wintergreen (Gaultheria), as mentioned by Paghat, is a
lovely plant, but only if you have completely lime-free soil. I made
the mistake of planting one in my previously rubble-filled garden and
it died.



Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'll have to check out the nursery to
see if I can find any of these.

Pat

In article ,
says...
My deadnettles (three varieties) are very well behaved. They are not
aggressive enough to keep down weeds, & they are not evergreen so
winter-germinating weeds can invade.

Ours aren't completely evergreen, they seem to die back a bit in the
winter. But a great deal of green/silver/whatever foilage remains. You
must be in a colder climate or there is some other difference.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description