What are you trying to achieve by using a groundcover? Have you got mud or something?

Mulch around them and plant lots of hostas.

You can gets tons of hostas very cheap this time of year at the big box stores.

Water frequently and they will spread out.

Why take them down? They are nice shade trees, though invasive in some area. In Wisconsin most people consider them a valuable tree to have on your property.

Lots of resources have perennials/shrubs/groundcovers listings for dry shade. Do a little more research for a surprisingly large number of groundcovers. My first thought is epimedium; doZens and dozens of varieties

then lamiums: silver beacon, white nancy and many others

"In Wisconsin most people consider them a valuable tree to have on your property"

Indeed, you just can't garden under them, lol. I think it is listed as invasive here but even the premiere nurseries continue to sell multiple cultivars.

I do see folks adding hostas to established norways, not sure how long they last.

I went with ferns and ajuga under my hemlocks--both will slowly spread. Of the two, the ajuga are more dry tolerant. You might also consider Vinca minor. Hostas will require more water attention.

I water A LOT! So any plant that likes heavy shade does well.

Vinca Minor would be a good choice. We have it under 3 silver maples and it just goes crazy, pretty much.

Thanks everyone!

Musicalperson, I just don't want weeds - mother nature abhors a vacuum. Norway Maple roots are right at the surface level, so most plants have a tough time competing. (and I am now curious - do you play an instrument?)

Jamiedolan, between the not very pretty fall display (a rather ho-hum yellow imo) and those surface roots, I can think of a lot other tress I'd rather have in the back. A sugar maple - now there's a tree! Fortunately, my kids were not into team sports or the lack of grass for ball playing would have been problematic.

idabean, that's a great idea and I can't believe I didn't think of it. Thanks!

whaas, I am pretty sure it is consdered invasive here also.

njoasis, ferns and ajuga sounds like a very pretty combo. Great idea.

Jamie, my front gardens get a lot of attention. I suspect this planting is going to have to sink or swim on its own.

krycek, vinca minor is a great suggestion. Thank you.

Now to decide what to do! (oh the horror of having to buy more plants, lol.)

If you don't have the time to devote to this particular area, that defiantly go with something that is easier to maintain than Hosta. I vote for the Vinca.

I've seen so many people that just want to get rid of their norway maple due to the root issue, which I think is sad. No doubt that in many areas, other trees, such as the sugar maple or one of the hybrids are better choices, but I am rarely in favor of cutting down a Norway just to plant something else.

Good Luck.

IMHO.. grass is the most invasive weed on the planet.. surviving even in the cracks of my thousand degree blacktop driveway ....

IF IT WONT GROW UNDER A NORWAY .... nothing will ....

i also have 1650 hosta... and they will not grow under any maple.. let alone a norway .... there will just never be enough water for them to prosper .... and i am the one who says that some hosta will grow on the driveway also ...

here is a picture of maple roots.. a neighbors septic replacement project .... in case you are wondering what you are up against .... where wpuld you expect to grow roots..

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so.. in summation your honor.. can it be done.. maybe... if you spend a couple thousand on trying to water effectively .... will you be happy and wildly successful.. i wouldnt bet a penny on it ....

personally.. i would get rid of them ... IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GARDENING IN THAT AREA ....otherwise... put down some hardwood mulch.. and put a swing and a beer cooler there.. and stare across the yard.. where you can garden ...

ken, the maple hater ... [self admitted]

ps: link below to something that MIGHT work ....

Here is a link that might be useful: link

"Cut back hard" sounds like they have been deformed, may be on the way to being removed - perhaps due to breakage of some new, poorly attached replacement branches if nothing else.

Or needed to have some restorative pruning later.

Either way having spent time and money on plantings that might be trampled or broken could become a concern.

BBoy, by cut back hard, I mean there were limbed up prfessionally and moved back away from my house. They were all over the roof line, so I had to have them trimmed back. I only use certifed tree experts on my trees, so he knew what he was doing. The two maples are 65 footers, so they will be fine.

Ken, I hear you! There are a lot of maples I love but these are not my favorite. Even worse, I also have a Silver Maple in the corner. Two tons of broken brances every winter; it's a major headache. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to have two 65 foot trees removed. I have one kid in college and my younger one is a senior in HS. (If only they weren't so bright, I could have sent them to cheap schools!)

Jamie, I hate getting rid of trees also truthfully. I had to have a Bradford pear taken out at the same time the work on the maples was done - the previous owners had planted it aproximately 8 feet from the back corner of my house. Don't people think trees will grow? (And amazingly enough, this particular Bradford was shaped quite nicely with no split crotch.)

Simply put, I would suggest using natural mulch. It is the easiest to control weeds in. I'd imagine you'd not have a big weed problem in shade but anyhow, a few inches of mulch will not only keep the weeds at bay and make it easier to treat them should they show up, it is also beneficial to the tree.

Ken; Got the mulch and the swing. It's a nice little picnic area. It isn't a prime gardening area by any means, but it has turned out well enough that I enjoy it. I don't have any Hosta's that I really care about under the Maple, those are all under the Ask. :-)

Not that fabulous, but this stuff is all directly under my Norway Maple.

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** oops.

Ash tree. Not ask.

Sorry it took a few days to respond to this final round of helpful advice. Youngest son needed to be packed to leave for 4 weeks at an art college.

Jamie, I love what you've done! A couple of questions. What is the tallish plant? How far from the trunk did you start planting? I figure I'll mulch up to that point (not against the tree itself, of course).