tiarella cordifolia. It's working well for me in my dry shade. It's a fairly polite spreader, so it doesn't take over on the other hand, you have to wait for it to cover. I got my plugs from the Pollen Nation. I had to ask when they'd have Tiarella.

Thanks Sigrid, good to know. I have some dry shade I need a groundcover for too.

I am trying geranium macrorrhizum. Just planted a month or so ago so it's too early to tell, but I hear good things about it.

:)

Dee

sweet woodruff?

G. macrorrhizum should be perfect, unless it gets too much hot sun at the hottest time of day. If so, replace with G. 'Karmina' or 'Biokovo'. The latter two also have quite striking fall color.

laceyvail I didn't think Karmina or Biokovo could take the dryness. Good to know. I have some of both but in moister conditions. Maybe I can try it in the drier area as well.

:)

Dee

G. macrorrhizum is the plant for dry shade. The other slightly smaller ones I mentioned are better if there is a lot more sun. But also handle drought very well.

Epimediums. Look for ones that mention spreading instead of clumping. They can be a bit tough to find, but one place I know has several types is avantgardensne.com in Dartmouth, MA. They do mail order and certain days do in person visits, or likely would accommodate appointments.

I like a mix of textures and colors for my ground cover, so I have in a sandy, semishady bed which never gets watered (except the first summer while plants were settling in), though it does have shredded bark mulch to help retain moisture:

crested iris/Iris crestada which is 6” and blooms in white or blue-purple in spring,

Japanese forest grass/Hakone which is available in gold or striped,

cranberry/Vaccinium macrocarpon,

Foam flower/Tiarella some kinds are spreading and others clumping

coral bells/Heuchera also has some spreading and some clumping types.

Sedum ’Ice Dance’ is a fairly agressive spreader, so I have where it won’t overtake other perennials

Babs, did you mean Sedge? Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'

That would be perfect for partial shade. tough plant. Had it at my old house and was always digging and dividing, it spread. Eventually I just let it go and do its own thing. It might be too tall for OP though. I would say 12-18".

There's a sedge called Treasure Island that's half that height. This was in a very dry acidic area.. see all the pine needles!!! It got morning sun