No idea where you are but you need mulch and groundcover. Dogs and gravel are a mess- it will look good the day you install it. You need mulch to provide organic matter for the ground cover to grow in. I don’t know where you are but asiatic jasmine, ivy, pachysandra are all ground covers that like shade.

Sorry but if you plant groundcover you will have to relentlessly pull weeds. Do a little bit of ground colander some hardscape and save yourself lots of labor.

If one already has weeds, allows them to mix with groundcover, and does not successfully remedy the situation early on, or apply the correct remedies later, weeds can become a perpetual problem. But it is not as if groundcover itself CAUSES weeds. Weeds are the product of good growing conditions (soil, light, moisture), weed SEEDS and the lack of competition by desirable plants. Weeds are not likely to be worse than they are presently, which looks not too bad. One would want to kill or remove the roots and tops of any weeds prior to installing new groundcover plants. Since new plants would be mulched, that does a lot to suppress the occurrence of new weeds by further insulating their seeds from light. It is also useful to apply Preen, a pre-emergent herbicide, after planting new groundcover, as it will kill most errant seeds if they sprout. The end result is barely any problem with weeds, and certainly nothing that can't be handled from that point with simple hand-pulling. As a groundcover grows solid, it can do a good job of preventing future weeds merely by its existence. Here, in the shade, they should be little problem if any.

The obvious solution for this spot is the installation of groundcover. Any of the aforementioned ones would be likely candidates, depending on where the site is. However, you'd want to pick a groundcover that fits the spot. A vigorous groundcover like common English ivy would not be a good choice for a small space because it grows to quickly, whereas one of the diminutive 'Needlepoint' variations of it might work just fine. But there are many other possibilities. It would be hard for us to make good recommendations, though, because we don't know what climate you're in, and we can't see the surroundings of the space, and therefore have no idea what sort of height or extent might be warranted.

I love vinca it is evergreen has pretty little flowers and is vey east to grow and gets very full and has little room for weeds.

Liriope would probably be another good groundcover in that area.

Thank you all for this valuable input! I am in southeast Michigan for those who asked about the climate. It sounds like the overall consensus is a not too aggressive groundcover with mulch. Upon reflection, I agree that pea gravel would become a mess very quickly with my lovely rescue dog who enjoys zooming around the yard at full speed.

According the the ASPCA, vinca minor is TOXIC to dogs. . All systems will be affected- neurological, gastrointestinal, and respiratory .. you may see a loss of coordination, seizures, diarrhea, vomiting and respiratory depression- aka (Stop breathing)

Ivy is poisonous as well. Here is the ASPCA collection of toxic plants. Please review for e sake of your fur babies https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

That is very deep shade. Can you thin the tree judiciously to let more light through?

I second vinca as a good ground cover very attractive. But no mulch with ground covers; they need to access the soil in order to spread.

A word of caution re rocks- A veterinarian told me this sad fact- hungry and bored dogs mistake pebbles for their for kibble food. Have you considered large paving stones- allowing natural cracks for drainage?

Geranium macrorrhizum would also work there. Once established (and it's easy to establish), it's highly weed suppressing. Does very well in deep, even dry, shade, is deer resistant, dense, never aggressive, and flowers in spring. Needs no attention at all.

Lonicera nitida (not honeysuckle!). Evergreen, great as groundcover, or smaller hedges. It's tiny flowers and berries are quite decorative. The berries are poisonous, but so are plenty of other plants.. Or Pachysandra, fern, Juniperus squamata or horizontalis.

I would caution against Vinca minor if the area is not well contained or adjacent to a natural area such as a wood lot. Vinca can be invasive in forests and lawns, and is a pain to get rid of.

some ideas: you could add flagstone steppers if desired

more ideas:

Establish ground cover and shade loving plants between the fence and pool, along with a stepping stone path for your active pups!

See more photos in our Photo Gallery here.

If you use Lonicera nitida make sure you get a low growing cultivar. The plain species grows up to six feet.

Sea oats and white wood aster seem to be shade tolerant and dog tolerant. I also second big root or wild geraniums as good groundcovers.