I'm not sure if they would be considered a ground cover but plain purple violets spread like wildfire in my yard---in fact they are a real nuisance in my beds. They may get too tall for your needs, though. Ditto with lily of the valley. Sweet woodruff is good for shady areas, and creeping thyme might work for sunny spots. For bulk plants, check out Green Mountain Transplants in Arundel. I always thought ground covers wouuld be the way to go, but we always had trouble with weeds poking through and making the whole area look bad, so now we just stick with lots of lawn. It's a nuisance to mow, but we'd rather mow than weed :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Mountain Transplants

This is one catalog of Maine groundcovers.

"Also, has anyone had experience growing perennial groundcover by seed?"

One possibility is Silver Falls (Dichondra argentea). Another is Wild Blueberry from seed. Here is some more blueberry culture.

Here is a discussion of the "perfect" groundcover. And here is a discussion of grass versus groundcover. And here is an article on Foamflower as a native ground cover in the shade.

I imagine that a lot of groundcovers can also be propogated by cuttings, which could help make it more economical to get a good stand.

I personally have no local experience with Maine groundcovers, unless you count lots of dandelions in the lawn.

MM

Thank you - very helpful information!