Subject: shade loving ground covers?

From: Bill <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Apr 1995 21:11:08 GMT

Howdy Folks,

Just learned of this group and have spent the last hour sifting through
and reading several articles.  Very happy this group exists.  :-)

I have a six-foot fence with one side receiving most/all of the direct
sunlight, while the other side receives indirect to almost no sunlight at
all.  The shady side is in the backyard and slopes away from the fence. 
The way the sun rises and falls along the fence, about 10' ro so away
from the fence will receive direct sunlight, but is part of this sloped
area.  After about 20' or so away from the fence, the yard flattens out. 
I've got an acre in the back for my lawn, but this particular area (30' x
20') I'm entertaining ideas on doing something with.

So, I was thinking about stripping the sod off of this sloped area and
planting a ground cover (not ferns or evergreens) which would be
perennial and or reseed itself each year.  I'd like for the ground cover
to flower and I was thinking of something that would be about 10" - 18"
tall, at most.  Any suggestions?

The area farther away from the fence that does receive sunlight.  Any
suggestions for a different ground cover or should I do something else?

I'm not looking to be tending this area often as I've started 4 other
flower gardens this spring already, bringing the total to 5 seperate
gardens now.  (Glutton for punishment, I know....)  :-)

If I strip the sod and plant a ground cover which will grow from seed,
should I mix in an annual grass with the ground cover seed to help the
ground cover get established?  Would doing such a thing choke out the
ground cover at all?

Thanks in advance for any advice/tips anyone has for me.  :-)

Bill

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From: [email-masked] (Peter Sheriff)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 08:12:44 -0400

I like Vinca as a ground cover. I have some in my yard and even in 
canadian winters, it comes up thriving every year. In fact, as soon as the
snow melts, there is the Vinca still green and ready to start again. It
produces some lovely blue flowers later in the year. Mine is under a tree 
so it is almost always in shade.

                               Pete

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 04:12:16 GMT

>Thanks in advance for any advice/tips anyone has for me.  :-)

Violets.  They will be very happy, as well as beautiful.

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Suellen LaCroix, [email-masked])
Date: 4 Apr 95 17:08:20 CST

Suggestions for shady ground covers:

 pachysandra, violets (good idea), Bishop's Bane, hosta, lamium, wild
ginger

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From: [email-masked] (Peter Sheriff)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 08:12:44 -0400

Pete

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 04:12:16 GMT

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Suellen LaCroix, [email-masked])
Date: 4 Apr 95 17:08:20 CST

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From: [email-masked] (Peter Sheriff)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 08:12:44 -0400

Pete

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 04:12:16 GMT

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Suellen LaCroix, [email-masked])
Date: 4 Apr 95 17:08:20 CST

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From: [email-masked] (Richard Campbell)
Date: 7 Apr 1995 18:53:05 GMT

I'll add one more to the list.  I have a nice little shade loving groundcover called
Veronica repens.  It's a creeping veronica, tiny leaves (about 1/8" around) on stems
not more than 3"-4" long, flowers but not worth mentioning.  It grows around 1" tall
and spreads nicely to completely cover the ground where there is little competition.
The effect around my stepping stones is similar to a moss.  I got lucky to find this one 
4 years ago but have not seen it in any area nursery since.  I've also not seen much if
any on it in the books.  It seems to be generally evergreen but did die back one year and
grew back from seed (I believe).  A few sprigs can can root and form a nice little patch
in a season.  It doesn't seem to be very invasive, in fact some creeping thyme from an
adjoining sunnier area is moving into the veronica's area and slowly winning the war
(I've got some thinning to do!).

-- 
Rich Campbell, zone 7 (near Dallas)

[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Steven M. Begley)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 00:31:20 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Suellen LaCroix, [email-masked]) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Suellen LaCroix, [email-masked])
>Subject: Re: shade loving ground covers?
>Date: 4 Apr 95 17:08:20 CST

> pachysandra, violets (good idea), Bishop's Bane, hosta, lamium, wild

More:

Vinca (Vinca minor), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Sweet Woodruff (Gallium 
odoratum)

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From: [email-masked] (Marge Pritchett)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 18:15:34 GMT

Also try strawberry geranium (not a geranium or a strawberry) .
The leaves sort of have a strawberry plant look and they send
out runners. The flower is a 4-5" tall delicate petaled form in
Apr.-May (VA). Ask at a garden center - they spread quickly but
are not rampant. Can also be potted up and grown as a
houseplant but is a hardy perennial.
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