I would second "thistle5"s suggestion as a container addition, but I've found a twist. I have several large potted clematis that I overwinter, quite successfully, in my unheated garage (I'm in Zone 4). Last year, as a means of adding color interest, I planted some L. nummularia 'Aurea' around the base of the clematis. I was happy to find this spring that the 'Aurea' overwintered right along with the clematis and is happily rambling around the base of the potted clemmies this spring. The color contrast is great! - Becky

Interesting. I have a bed of creeping Jenny which I need to weed. Creeping Charlie has moved in and I don't approve of the relationship. She's losing her identity and I could do without him as well. So I guess you *might* have to weed? I know I do, but the creeping charlie is pretty vigorous. Maybe your Jenny can crowd out most of the other stuff that you have, depending on what it is... it sure is a lot less work to just wait and see!

It sure looks like Creeping Jenny aka Lysimachia nummularia. She gets around.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK, my gardens are all kind of varied, really. In the more mature gardens things are kind of close, but I leave enough room for growth and my feet. Like so: That pic was taken a few weeks ago, after the irises were done but before anything else had bloomed. The Autumn Joy sedum and Purple Heart setcreasea will grow and fill in a lot within the month, but otherwise there's really just enough room for me to squeeze in between things. Then there's this garden, which is really too full for me to walk between plants: It's still kind of bare in the back, near the fence, though. But then you have this newer garden that is large, shady, and VERY sparse, and I honestly don't have any great ideas for how to fill it in: The rhodo on the left (you can barely see) and azaleas will eventually fill it in, and then I just have hostas, astilbe, and coral bells in the front. But until those bushes grow up, it's gonna look sparse. And then, of course, is the newest garden that we've talked about in other threads: It has the same issue; a baby camellia and rhododendron that should fill in about 1/3 of the garden in the next 4 or 5 years. But until then, it's gonna look sparse. (Remember that I plant to remove the mondo grass in that last pic, it just rained me out and I couldn't do it) That's why I was thinking of a ground cover; something to fill in, but isn't going to hurt my feelings when the shrubs grow in. But those shrubs are surrounded by perennials, too, and it sounds like any ground cover I choose could end up choking them out! So I guess that I'm just gonna have to rely on mulch and annuals for the next several years, at least until the shrubs grow up :-/ Unless you all have another suggestion?