sweet woodruff

I use the following, all of which stay low:
Creeping Jenny 'Aurea' (shade/part shade)

Ajuga (there are several types, most are great, all are shade/part shade)

Sedum 'tricolor' (needs part sun)

The sedum might not always overwinter in zone 4 but you could try one out in a sunnier spot.

I've found that using bark mulch (the kind from big box stores) is definitely a hideout for slugs and earwigs and isopods. Live plant matter, less so. Not sure about voles, we don't have them here.

Pachysandra, Vinca minor and lamium...I have both pink Nancy and white Nancy growing among my hosta.
Get some escar-go for the slugs.
Linda C

I use creeping jenny aurea as well. So far, this year it has been the ONLY thing the slugs have eatten. Frankly, I'm willing to sacrifice it if they'll eat that instead of my hostas!

It does not choke the hostas, but it will invade your lawn if you do not control it. I keep it at least a foot away from the lawn.

Two that are doing well for me are sweet woodruff and buttered popcorn.

However, the Sweet Woodruff is just tall enough that small hostas sort of look like they are swimming in it. It looks nicest with the large and extra large hostas. Buttered Popcorn is variegated lime green and yellow, a nice contrast to the blue hostas and has not been at all invasive for me. In fact, I wish it would grow more! It's nearly evergreen and is one of the first green things in my garden each year.

I would suggest you buy a number of different ones and give each a try for the season. For some reason, lamium does not like my yard. I made the mistake of buying at least 6 at a time, to get them going, only to have them all die. Not sure why.

I have Sweet Woodruff and Lamium 'Herman's Pride' currently engaged in border wars for dominance of one area. Hosta seem to keep coming up through them...for now.

tj

How about a blue shade tolerant creeping ground cover? Is there a BLUE creeping Jenny? I have blue spruce sedum but it stands up more than I want.

Alicia... I don't think there is a blue jenny.

I know there's a green and the gold, but I've never seen a blue.

I love sweet woodruff and had it in my gardens at my old house. I'm getting ready to add it to my new beds.

Sheila

In my garden, ground covers are a HUGE hideout for slugs. I have sweet woodruff, which has spread like mad and that I would like to get rid of, creeping Jenny in a small spot that I carefully control, some John Creech sedum and sedum ternatum, and some Canadian Ginger. Of all of those, I think the ginger is the only one my slugs eat...the rest they just hide in. They probably eat the sedum too, but are still interested in the hosta as the main course.

Oh, and lily of the valley, which I keep separate from the hosta with a buried plastic edging. Slugs don't eat that either.

I agree, to fight slugs you have to eliminate hiding places, and all ground covers provide those right at the base of hostas. I try to garden without it, but have perennials interspersed with hostas, and they let slugs hide too.
One problem with ground covers is that once installed they will multiply, and in case you decide then to get rid of it or change it, it will be very hard to do.
Bernd