To be sure you'll be causing some folks a panic attack just to suggest this. While I don't know what other groundcover options you might have, goutweed is sure to grow well in spite of the trying conditions. Maybe there are some things you can do to help manage its invasiveness,

Plant the variegated variety instead of plain green.

Limit it to an island, surrounded by mown lawn.

Those are control measures that work around here.

Thank you very much to the both of you.

The variegated form is what I have already been trying to eradicate from my flower beds for years now, like many others... Sadly, this is how I know my transplanting it seems insane!

But I've been longing for the brown to turn green on that strip for the past 6 years now. So I need definitive measures.

Thanks a million

Have you tried other invasives? Vinca, ivy, jasmine vines??? Mulch? I hate gout weed.

Hum... Good question. That space really creates a dark gloomy line that I would like to brighten up.

I thought of Yellow Archangel Lamium (down to zone 3) for its light colored leaves. But some told me it is just as agressive as Goutweed.

I've just looked up Vinca (down to zone 4), and some variegated minor could also brighten things up a bit, but enough ? Is there one that would benefit being in heavy shade to leaf out even lighter ?

Ivy is too dark for my needs, unless I don't really know Ivy.

Jasmine vine are very pretty but mostly hardy to zone 6, or you know otherwise ? The patch is very well ventilated and can easily get down to -40° on winter nights, sometimes even day.

Mulch ? nah... As much as I hate the brown patch over there, I just could never wrap my head around mulch other than to retain moisture when needed; I like the green stuff better...

I'm rather a fan of variegated goutweed.......provided its spread is restricted :-) However, I always favor an evergreen groundcover over one that disappears in winter. Some great choices for dry shade would include pachysandra, lamium (dead nettle), hardy ginger (Asarum canadens) and vinca. English ivy would also work well but you need to keep it off of trees, it can harbor rodents and it is invasive in many areas (but I doubt you would need to worry about it in yours).

Also check to see what native woodland groundcovers might be available for your area - these are plants that are by nature happy in the shade and in competition with tree roots.

Where are you located? For the situation you describe, I'd grow bunchberry (Cornus canadensis). That's what grew under the old spruce and firs that lined the approach to my grandparents' place on the east coast (NB) of Canada. There was a mix of wild blueberries, bunchberries, starflowers and moss. All of it had seeded itself in on its own probably 70+ years previously! It never got any water other than rainfall. It was attractive, edible for people and wildlife, and didn't get any maintenance other than to pick the blueberries when they were ripe!

I had a patch of variegated gout weed but it seeded all over and came back green and the green choked out the variegated. I had to move to a new house to get rid of it. :c)

Thank you people!!

I looked up all your suggestions and think I have a contender! Which I should have tought of before!! Beacon Silver - thanks Gardengal48 for reminding me. I'll try it before resorting to the infamous... although we'll see how it does in poor light in zone 4, since it should need more exposure in the cold zones, we'll see

My folks have it somewhere in full sun...

Cross my fingers. Thanks !

I lived with a small patch of goutweed, (sometimes also called "bishop's weed") in my front yard. Every year it would start out great and then get scraggly looking. I read in a random landscaping book that if you weed whack off all the tops AFTER IT FLOWERS, it will come back and fill in and look lush again the rest of the year. I started doing that every year, when the flowers started to go to seed, I weed whacked them and got rid of them. That will also keep it from spreading via seed to nearby area, somewhat.

However, the issue you have around your spruces is probably a lot more than just shade. A lot of decomposing spruce needles can affect soil nutrient availability. Also, the roots of the spruces will compete for those nutrients with whatever you plant there, even goutweed. It too may get straggly. I struggled with straggly groundcover plants growing under a tree in my yard for years. Eventually I got big pots and filled them with impatiens for color. In that way, I was able to provide the nutrients the plants needed to grow. Vinca, lamium, or ajuga might also do well, but in general, I have found that groundcover under pines tends to be sparse. If it were me, I'd experiment with a plant called partridgeberry or squawberry first, scientific name Mitchella repens, mixed in with maybe Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides or one of the smaller leaved heucheras. I've seen all of those doing reasonably well under pines. YMMV.

Thanks guys...

This is the border I was talking about: 40' driveway side under pine trees (approx one hour of sun in the morning, if lucky!)

The goal is to lighten/brighten/color up the gloom, as it is a very visible part of the entrance...

I transplanted almost a dozen little Beacon Silver last week between the two bolders, but they seemed so small in such a large space... Goutweed still came to mind.

When/if something catches on that patch... I'll think of mixing hostas and/or other shade perennials in there - perhaps to emphasize the pine row ? (hostas and hydrangeas for example, will survive but won't ever thrive or get bigger on that patch, I've tried).

All suggestions are welcome!

can you get water to the area?

Yes, sure.

Grow stuff in huge pots along the walk/drive. You can overwinter perennials and small shrubs in big pots. That will give you a lot of options for healthy plants. Otherwise you'll always be fighting the competition from those big trees that have shallow roots and cast deep shade.

You're growing a fine crop of weeds, so we know the soil isn't infertile. And this weed crop is growing through needle mulch, under large, established trees. That have a massive root system that is able to out compete any small, newly planted plant for water, specifically.

And what you described confirms this. If hosta struggle, planted under older, large trees, the existing trees are ducking the water out of the soil. When you dig...you keep running into a tangle of mostly smaller roots and and a mass of roots hairs? You're losing the water battle. Once established, hosta should be fine. It might take a year or two.

When looking at plant choices, i'd have the idea in mind that i'd be looking for things that can acclimate once they get established...or accept you may need supplemental water.

Based on what you had to say about the prominence of this location, while you may like low maintenace...it's visible enough that some irrigation may be a small price to pay for your happiness every time you look at it.

As wayne noted, the growth of weeds show that thing will grow there! It looks a lot like the situation I described in my earlier post. Have you looked for similar situations at the edge of coniferous woodland in your area or similar tree-lined roads/driveways that are, say, 50 years or so old? That would give you a good idea of what is likely to grow well naturally there.

While I wouldn't want an invasive plant next to things where it would be a big PITA to eradicate it when it invaded, I have to ask if it matters in this situation. On one side is paving so your're more or less covered. Goutweed is not going to invade the blacktop. What is to the right side of the picture we can't quite tell. If it's a "natural," untended area, it wouldn't matter if goutweed gets in there. If eventually it gets to lawn, mowing would put a limit on it. Any groundcover is going to look better than mowed, thin weeds. Goutweed would give exactly the brightened, cheery look you are after. If this space were mine, I might be considering the same thing. One caveat, though, I'm fairly adept at managing plants and do not have the same fear of some invasive plants that sends most people running in fear for their lives. You'll need to weigh your abilities and tolerances as well as the conditions.