I have vinca vine aka creeping myrtle or periwinkle. I have tons of it you can try if you want a flat rate box or 2-for postage unless you have something to trade? It is really hardy here- I've only ever killed it with spray. It grows in shade,sun,arid and wet here in zone 5.
Let me know!
Lisa

"Biokovo" geranium

Just saying, hi neighbor! From Fargo.

Creeping Jenny 'Aurea'.
I've seen it around water features.

Here it is in my garden:
{{gwi:225302}}

This year, the slugs really seem to love it, but that's ok with me if they leave the hostas alone!

Thanks for the ideas!

Lisa - vinca might work well. My only concern with it is that it would spread too aggressively. What are your thoughts on that?

mxk - I have Biokovo other places - worth considering for here. I haven't really seen that it forms a mat though, does it for you?

alaMel - Hi there! I'm in Grand Forks!

Melissa - first of all, fabulous hosta bed! I was thinking that whatever groundcover I use, I might put hostas in as well. So creeping jenny does not inhibit the hostas? I have creeping jenny, could probably transplant a few plugs and have the area covered in no time.

It stay very low for me, in both sunny and shady locations, in moist and dry locations. I suppose it isn't a mat like a creeping thyme would be a mat, but the foliage is less than 6" tall, so as far as I'm concerned, yes, it is a "mat". There is a recent favorite geranium thread on page 1 or 2 of the board, I posted some pics in there if you want to see one of the plantings of it I have in my yard. :0)

Thank you PL.... And there are a few other plants in that bed, some heuchera and an astilbe!

I do not personally let it get too close to my hostas.... no particular reason, but just not the look I want. Other hosta friends use it and it doesn't choke out the hostas at all. Every 2-3 weeks, if it's going a direction I don't want, I either yank it or redirect it... move it in another direction and step on it to get it to root.

It WILL infest your lawn if you let it get too close, so I keep mine at least 2 feet away.

The vinca can be mowed-Mine has not been very agressive a all. I planted some about 6 yrs. ago on a road embankment and it is slowly making it's way down the 6 ft. embankment. Creeping Jenny here is also a favorite of snails and slugs.Never have had this problem before. It is alot more agressive than the vinca vine.
I also have Chemeleon plant...

Thank you all! I think we're leaning toward the vinca - I found a variety I really like - Vinca minor Bowles - and an online source with good reviews at gardenwatchdog - Peekskill Nurseries.

Thanks for the suggestions!

May I suggest we come to a screeching halt here? Under water for two or three weeks? Strong currents? These are highly unusual conditions that not many plants will survive. I've never heard of vinca enduring such conditions.

The best place to ask is the native plants section of your local state university. Plants have evolved for all kinds of conditions and you need to choose those that will survive yours.

Could I add something personal? We took a vacation in the Dakotas in the summer of 1996. I had contacted someone in the Grand Forks Horticultural Society and she invited me to see her garden, also very near the Red River. It was an absolutely beautiful garden in a very small space. The river looked so quiet and peaceful--it even seemed small, not much more than a stream when we crossed it to East Grand Forks MN for a delicious dinner of native fish and wild rice.

The very next winter, the Red River flooded to historic proportions. I thought about the very beautiful garden I had visited there and felt such sorrow for the loss suffered by the woman who created it and by everyone along the path of destruction.

So I wish you the best of luck and hope the state university can help out--and most of all that you and your garden remain safe during these floods.

ginny12 - Thank you so much for the comments regarding the flooding. There were so many beautiful gardens and homes lost to the flood in 1997 - it is touching that you thought of the garden you visited. Let's hope that she was able to build a new one and enjoy it just as much or more.

I think the important point about being under water for 2-3 weeks is that it occurs before the plants have broken winter dormancy. We have quite a number of plants that survive the spring flooding - irises, daylilies, campanula, rudbeckia, helenium,... The ones that I have found do not survive well as those with thick, succulent like leaves (sedums for example). Of course every new one I try may or may not survive...

I hate to say but I have not found our extension service to be particularly helpful in plant selection. A few years ago I contacted a native plant nursery in Minnesota and asked for help selecting plants that would survive these conditions. Only a few of the ones they recommended did actually survive - Joe Pye weed, a few grasses, filipendula.

So, I end up asking advice and opinions but assuming trial and error will help me determine the best choices.

Thank you all!