Groundcover Between Stepping Stones in Full Shade

Laurie

11 years ago

I'm in Irvine, California (zip code 92604) and believe it's Zone 10a.

What groundcover can you suggest I plant between step stones located along the side of my house that's in full shade?

These step stones get frequent use and I would not want anything growing very high which could cause a tripping hazard.

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Comments (5)

biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
5 years ago
Bumping because I have the same problem in Zone 7. We have a narrow lot and the north side of the house is nothing more than a 6' wide strip of dirt (weeds) with a walking path of stepping stones along the outermost edge. I have most of the exposed dirt covered with cardboard and mulch, but I would love to find something that will grow low and thickly between the stepping stones to keep out the weeds. However, I haven't found anything that seems like it will work well in more or less full shade. I'm thinking of trying Irish moss next spring just to see what happens but I'd love better suggestions.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Hard to find a low, mat-like groundcover that will tolerate full or heavy shade. The Irish moss is not a good choice as it is a) not a moss at all, and b) grows best in full sun with adequate moisture.

The following are some possibilities but none are very happy in more than just partial or light shade:

Azorella trifurcata

Arenaria balearica

Mazus reptans

Herniaria glabra

Leptinella squallida

You might just want to encourage a natural moss covering. Check out some resources on moss lawns or moss gardens.....here is one to start with.
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I would probably also go with a mix of shrubs and perennials (with pine straw in between) and avoid the ground-covers, for fear of them being aggressive. You could also make a simple path (bark chip or gravel) to occupy some of the space. I agree that you need to pull out the ivy first. We have cleared now about 1/3-1/2 acre of solid, knee-deep ivy, and if you don't get the roots out, it will come back. My husband "strimmed" the tops off as much as possible with one of those machines, so that we could at least see the root area (he's not very sensitive to poison ivy, which we also had a lot of). Then we've pulled it out by hand. Because the roots are so woody, you can pull them out quite successfully (unlike Mondo, which breaks off and leaves little pieces in the ground that then grow back). Here are a few other possibilities for perennials/shrubs (some evergreen): - Tiarella (Mobot says it needs constant moisture but that wet soil in winter will be fatal). I have some in full shade that is doing really well. I believe it is evergreen here (but not certain). Its native. - Big-leaved architectural plants like Fatsia japonica, Ligularia, Farfugium, Rodgersia (some of these are evergreen). - Actaea racemosa (same as Cimicifuga racemosa or Bugbane, this is native) - Lobelia (native too) if you have a spot with some sun There's also a dwarf form of the Sweetspire Esh suggested (Itea Virginica Little Henry), which gets only about 12-18" high. I bought an Illicium floridanum "Shady Lady" recently (at Pike, and HD has them at the moment too). It says it can tolerate full shade (I'm thinking of putting mine in full shade) and Jeff_AL on this forum told me his needed constant moisture, so that might be an evergreen shrub possibility for you (it gets about 6' tall). I'm linking below to a thread on the Perennials forum with a similar question. Here is a link that might be useful: perennials thread
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Mazus is definitely a poor choice as it grows quickly over pavers. You might look at something like Lysimachia japonica 'Minutissima' which is far less aggressive. Another go-to for semi-shade is Blue Star Creeper (Isotoma fluvatilis. It is evergreen and a moderate grower with tiny star-shaped flowers. You also may wish to consider Leptinella squalida 'Platt's Black' (Brass Buttons) for an interesting foliage effect. It will probably be deciduous in your zone though (at least it was last winter in 7A, though I hear it is at least semi-evergreen in Zone 8 and reliably evergreen in Zone 9). Finally, you could always use slow-growing, evergreen, and shade loving Mondo grass or dwarf Mondo grass. Check out the Stepables website (www.stepables.com) and use the "Find The Right Plant for the Right Spot" search function to see some more options. Good luck!
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If you don't mind things that get to 3" to 4" tall, here are some suggestions... Aster ericoides (white flowers in fall, quite short), Chrysogonum virginianum ("green and gold", yellow flowers spring and then sporadically through fall) or creeping phlox (many colors available, spring bloom, will get too tall unless mowed)? The aster might need more sun but the other two would probably do fine.
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Just a word of caution re blue star creeper. See my post, "What's the best way to kill blue star creeper", on Sep. 6. Your photo suggests that bsc would work much better than the scenario we had; i.e., as a lawn replacement. It is beautiful and steppable, but so very invasive. Also, when we started the project, we needed a lot of starter plants (at least, we thought we did, not realizing how fast they spread). So we ordered flats through a local nursery and cut them up to plant, rather than buying a gazillion of those small containers, thereby saving a lot of money. The nursery got the flats from somewhere in Oregon, but they weren't available year round and might not be available now. When we were shopping, we just happened to see some ground covers in the large flats; never realized before that they came that way. They were out of bsc flats at the time, but special ordered for us. You might ask at your local nursery once you decide. Good luck on your selection!
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Cathy Kaufell
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

One of my neighbors grows moss in his shady garden.

brenners moss garden
kitasei
5 years ago
I love moss, and have a mossy stone walk in shade so I can tell you that it is treacherously slippery to walk on when wet - which is most of the time. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have very large pavers and the moss will just be kept in the cracks.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
5 years ago
Gardengal, thank you for that list - I will research your suggestions! To give you a better idea of the sun situation in the area, we have a couple of euonymus shrubs next to the house (in addition to the path, there's a bed about 2.5' deep next to the house) that seem to be doing fine - they are full and not leggy, but they don't grow quickly at all - I don't think we've even trimmed them since we moved in two years ago. There were also some hostas in the bed, but they did TOO well - they were a variety that was much too large for the space so I had to rip them out. The neighbor has a row of boxwoods on their side of the chain link fence, but these are very scraggly and don't look happy at all. Weeds thrive, though!

Given that info, would you consider this area bright shade? If so perhaps we'll get lucky with one of your suggestions. I've also read about Corsican mint doing well in shade, so that might be a possibility?

Kitasei, luckily the path is large stepping stones with just small cracks between, so I'm not too worried about the slippery aspect. I really just want something that will not require any mowing/trimming and keep the weeds out. If there is a moss that will do that I'm all ears!

Groundcover Between Stepping Stones in Full Shade

Comments (5)

biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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Cathy Kaufell

kitasei

biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)

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