Ground covers spread, by their nature, and are likely to creep into your lawn without some type of barrier/border. Is the area in question more sunny or shady? How big? Are there other plants there now?

If you put your zone info in your profile, it will show up automatically next to your name when you say something on these forums.

Hmmm, I am very sure I have my zone info for many years. Not sure why it's not there anymore. I'll fix it.

I'm in zone 5a.
I want to have both sun and shade areas.

How can I prevent them? How are those barriers installed?

Thanks!

Once in a while, my zone info disappears, too, irritating.

There are numerous types of borders and barriers. I've always been a big fan of bricks - traditional ones or landscaping ones. For most things including the types of grass you would have up there, laying a line of bricks usually works well. They are movable if you change your mind about the layout later, and if you move, you can take them with you. Some plants would go under or over this type of border but if you keep an eye on them and check a few times during the summer, strays can easily be turned back away from the lawn.

You might like these perennials: lamium, variegated vinca minor, many veronicas, creeping thyme, ajuga "chocolate chip," galium odoratum (sweet woodruff,) creeping phlox, many dianthus varieties, and some of the little "teacup" hostas to make "spots" or straight lines. The hostas, lamium, vinca, ajuga, some veronicas, and woodruff can tolerate lots of shade. The others would be for mostly sun.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll read up on it. :)

coral bells might suit you too. They come in all sorts of colors. Though not a spreading groundcover, they fit your height requirements. Some do best in shade. Some tolerate sun. Some are not as reliable as others. You need to research and experiment to find what will work for you.

Hosta for the shade areas are a wonderful foliage statement.

Creeping jenny is slow in shade but speedy in sun. high risk for a sunny lawn, but color is great.

Phlox stolinifera is a less common creeping phlox. I love it. I have Pink Ridge. It spreads a little faster than the mat kind but I have a particular area where I can let it go and fill in.

A nice evergreen non-blooming quieter plant is paxistma canbyi. adorable foliage. well behaved. It's nice contrast against busier groundcovers.

Many creeping sedums fit the bill too. Some are very invasive. There's one that starts with a k that is well behaved and very textural. yellow blooms.

Pachysandra is an evergreen groundcover in our zone. Low maintenance, does well for me from full sun to shade.

A plastic border will keep it in bounds.

The Pachysandra is beautiful! I'll contact the nursery tomorrow and ask about it.

Do they invade your lawn? Do you recall how you planted them? How many years before it was able to cover the whole bed?

Thanks!

Big Root Geranium (G. maccrorhizum) or one of its slightly smaller hybrids, 'Biokovo' or 'Karmina'. The latter two are somewhat smaller in height and leaf than the straight species and can take full sun while the former prefers at least afternoon shade. These groundcovers spread slowly with rhizomes on the surface and are extremely easy to control. Semi evergreen and highly deer resistant as well.

pachysandra has been a monster for me. I've ripped it out (painful process!) and replaced mine with hostas. The variegated kind is a little slower spreading, but not that much. It is more attractive (IMO).

The native variety, pachysandra procumbens, can be hard to find, but it is a great choice. It grows in a clump and does not send roots for miles.

Thanks for all the inputs!

Hi Neil ~ have a few mentioned above but I'm known to take punishments well. Pachysandra is a *monster* for Wendyb ~ well controlled here ~ would you believe, under my Duchess of a Ginkgo tree ~ of all places! I have sequestered w/ nothing but large pieces of broken cement blocks & stays w/in, most of the time.

Periwinkle - I love the thick & shiny dark green carpet in some of my beds & the beautiful blue in early Spring while all others are just stretching out. (You liked Andreea's posted pic) You just have to give him a hair cut now & then!

My Lamiums other than Yellow Archangel (nicknamed Lucifer) L are very lovely for shady beds!

Lily of the Valley loves to move about as well ~ but not for the bed I have her so I constantly have a *down & out* dealings w/ her broods!

Thread Leaf Coreopsis ~ might be a bit tall but the little forest I have also need some tight patrolling!

Hostas ~ always have a place ~ there are many to choose from all the beautifully low growing-cream, white or lime ~ wide centered or edged ones!

Baltic Ivy is my true thug & a slave to (40ft X4ft wall that crawled down to 8++ ft depth) also now sequestered w/ same big broken cement pieces & I keep a tight watch for any attempts at breaking curfew!

Have fun!

Thought I'd throw in Persicaria Dimity. Shiny green leaves plus short spikes going pink to red to brown. It's a winner in the proper setting though rarely seen.

To edge my beds I use black plastic edging buried almost to ground level with a line of bricks along the bed side of the edging. Between the bricks and the grass the edging is pretty invisible. I also like a cut-in edge, but DH, who does the mowing, hates the mower wheels falling into the cut. With the bricks, he can run the mower wheels along the bricks and not have to do any edging.

Groundcovers not already mentioned that I like include sandwort (Arenaria montana), Veronica 'Georgia blue', cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila', and some of the creeping native ferns. None of these has gotten into my lawn after at least 5 years in my garden.

WOW, that's a lot of good info folks!

I have some reading to do.

Thank you so much!!! :D

will it planted under trees (will it have to compete with the roots) and how about watering, trees will take up lots of water and will leave none for the plants around. ground covers are ground covers they spread, keep them in check with some type of edging buried deep enough.