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Groundcover suggestions needed

16 years ago

Hi,

I've been searching for a plant for an area that gets partial shade. It's also very dry, underneath a blue baptisia, so it gets sun in spring. I have Daffodils planted near this area, and I'd like either a groundcover or some kind of sprawling perennial to cover the dying foliage. Any ideas? I'm open to anything but catmint-my cats love this WAY too much!-ajuga or Vinca which I already have in another area. Thank you!

Jen

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Comments (7)

heleninramsey
16 years ago
How about a cranesbill? There are some really sprawling cultivars that will cover quite a bit of ground and they are happy in part shade...you have to read the tags though to find one that is more prostrate and not upright.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Sweet woodruff? I love this groundcover, and it seems to do quite well in my rather dry shade. Cranesbill is a good idea too. Never thought of using it as a groundcover.

Just remembered. I have a shade garden on the northwestern side of my house (maybe an hour of early afternoon sun) which has been absolutely, totally neglected this year. It was wonderfully, gorgeously wild there this year - it is my oldest garden and is fairly established. In one spot, under some dwarf azaleas, I have a patch of rockcress (arabis??) which has spread nicely. It does grow out onto a pathway, so I usually just snip it off here and there when I think of it and plunk it down elsewhere to root. I think I've only watered this garden once this year, and that was pretty lightly too. The rockcress does quite well despite my neglect. The small white flowers were nothing to write home about (or maybe mine just didn't bloom well in the shade) but I like this plant for the foliage anyway.

:)
Dee
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Another good candidate is a non-moss called "Irish Moss". It forms dense but low mats of intense green with small white flowers and can be grown well in between stepping stones. It also will withstand some walking on it without damage. See this website for details.http://home.howstuffworks.com/irish-moss.htm
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well, thanks to all your suggestions I've got it narrowed down (sort of). I'm going to check around for the availability for some of these. I really like the looks of Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' which isn't a groundcover but it is kind of the look we want pruned. Here are the other contenders: Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead' Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag' Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Little Jon' dwarf doug fir Picea pungens 'Globe colorado spruce Juniperus procumbens Pinus sylvestris 'Albyn' Pinus Sylvesrtis 'Hillside Creeper' Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltoni' Pinus resinosa ÂQuinobequinÂ Pinus resinosa ÂDon SmithÂ Pinus contorta ÂSpaans DwarfÂ I liked the Iseli Nursery site for pics & descriptions & I also found this one in the link below. Susan, We don't have a Japanese garden per se but we do incorporate that type of plantings & sculpture wherever we can..it's a 10 acre piece & we've kept it mostly native & wild except for the house.The bank is in back of the house.Unfortunately there is no native rocks on the property & we've had to import all that we have. Do you have a Japanese Garden way up there in Silverton ? :) Here is a link that might be useful: Conifer Cultivars of North America
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cbs_z5_ny
16 years ago
Another possibility might be a groundcover Campanula, like C. cochlearifolia or C. poscharskyana. Both of these tolerate dry conditions and some shade in my garden, though they aren't really tall enough to hide daffodil foliage. Alchemilla mollis also tolerates dry conditions once established, and it is very good for hiding daffodil foliage. I have it around some Baptisia australis in a very dry bed.
-Caroline
waplummer
16 years ago
Why not go with a native, Allegheny spurge, Pachysandra procumbens?
tjsangel
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for all the responses so far! I forgot all about Cranesbill, this is a good possibility. I have Pachysandra in another site, it spreads too fast for where I want to plant. Like the ladys mantle idea too. Does anyone have experience with blue Plumbago?

Jen
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Hmm, I've got some blue plumbago out in that neglected shade garden. Can't remember seeing it in my last foray out there. It may be covered by everything else in that jungle. I'll take a look and see if I can find it and report on it's condition!

Dee
Fledgeling_
16 years ago
Pachysandra procumbens is a slow spreading species. The one commonly sold is from japan and will take over.

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