Need Ground Cover Recommendation

21 years ago

I need a ground cover idea for this area of my back yard.

I've got a strip of grass about 4ft X 50ft next to my alley that I'm tired of mowing. There are now 6 euonymus planted in a hedge row on the other side of this grass strip.

The shrubs are only 3 years old and about 3+ft high. But I plan to let them grow to screen the back yard from the alley.

The area gets about 4 to 5 hrs of sun now and will probably get about 3 hrs when the shrubs are mature.

The alley gets plowed during the winter, so it will have snow on the area...but no salt as the alley is gravel.

Deer have also been coming into my part of town during the winter...so I don't want to plant any more Deer Candy.

Anyone have an idea?

I'll probaby plant the area next spring. Though I may lasagne bed the area this fall to prep the area.

Pete in Iowa Falls

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Comments (2)

jspece
21 years ago
Ok...so we'll call your strip mostly shady. Ground covers that will do well in shade:

Sweet Woodruff
Pachysandra
Wild Ginger (Asarum)
Snow on the Mountain (only if you are sure you want the entire area covered with this forever!!!)
Lily of the Valley...same as above...
Houttuynia (Chameleon Plant)...deer won't eat it, but ditto the above 2...
Epimedium...some spread, some clump
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Tiarella...some spread
Lamium

There are probably others, but this should give you somewhere to start.

Why do you want ground covers, though? 4' wide is enough room for an actual garden and it would be so much more interesting than a carpet of one or two plant varieties.
uicricket
21 years ago
You could add daylilies for color. If this is not an area you go to or look at frequently you could use native daylilies (aka ditch lilies) which will eventually shade the grass out. I have some to share - along with lily of the valley and snow-on-the-mountain.

Just a thought.

Cricket
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