I'm going to try dichondra again and do more research on another groundcover. I have a African Salcuta tortoise that requires something to munch on. He's about 90lbs and very spoiled in his native environment he would be eating dry shrubs and grass but I cannot convince him that's a good idea.

I have a similar problem in my front yard under a large mulberry tree - too much shade - we are going to plan "yellow dot" as a ground cover instead. Dichondra has never proven successful for us either . . .

Yellow dot has covered the ground under another tree of ours quite well though and so I thought I'd put it in under my mulberry and allow it to naturally fill in the bald area under the tree. . .

Thanx for the sugg ,Yellow dot is pretty but I think it's too tall and I don't know if my tortoise can eat it.

I think Yellow dot is wedelia. ? I just spent weeks pulling it up.. it causes a burning rash when you handle it, like okra. My three little dogs wouldn't walk through it or near it because they'd get rashes on their bellies. I pulled it all up and now they play everywhere in the yard. It is a good ground cover, tho...

Yikes poor puppies ! ... Will not be doing dots.

Has anyone tried st Augustine grass?

hi. I had st. augustine for years.. it will grow in the shade better than bermuda..but it does need some sun. I liked it because it grows from runners and does not make seed. But it won't grow in a deep, dark shade. When the ficus trees in the front yard got huge and made dark shade, the st. augustine died, I splurged and bought some artificial grass.. put some in front and some in the back. it was lovely. I was very happy with it. Until the dogs had time to pee on it numerous times.. I bought the deoderizer the grass store sells, I bought simple green. I soaked it, I scrubbed it with a long handled brush.. hubby power washed it... in the end I called myself names for extravagance and had hubby haul it to the dump.. that was the stinkingest stuff I ever smelled.. almost a thousand bucks .. artificial grass is very expensive..its very hot, and when its hot it smells like hot plastic.. enough... and my dogs are all under 10 lbs.. 3 of them.... JOAnn

I have never heard anything good about artificial grass that will never enter my yard!!

My yard is not deeply shaded, it's dappled with shade from several Sonoran emerald trees.

I think I'm going to try St Augustine.