Bamboo has a shallow root and rhizome system, covers everything and you can get species that are groundcover height (10" to 3') and shrub height (3'-6'), such as Pleioblastus viridistriatus, P. distichus, P. chino "Elegantissimus", P. simonii or . And, bamboo is a member of the grass family, so you are in keeping with the recommendations of the env. health department concerning planting only grass. ;)

Thanks Cady, I would never have thought of that!! The short groundcover bamboo grows well here, in fact I think it may be native to this area. I'll post this over at the landscape design forum and see if anyone else has ideas, but I sure thank you for that one!

The one bamboo native in the US is Arundinaria gigantea (canebrake) and its subspecies, "tecta." Both are taller than groundcover. Tecta gets to about 6' and the species can get to 20' or taller.

Pleioblastus is native to Asia, but is commonly used as groundcover to the point that it probably has naturalized in warm areas like yours. It does really well here in southern New England and is easy to maintain by mowing once a year (spring in cool climates, fall in warm) to encourage fresh colorful growth.

Poopy-doop?
That's gross!