27 Better Ground Covers for Shade to Replace Problematic Plants

Try these better-performing options for weed suppression that won’t spread out of control

“ Ground cover ” technically advert to the base layer of the four forest levels : ground back , bush , understory , and canopy . But in gardening , ground screen are broadly considered low - maturate or go after plant that are used to cover large area . Since covering basis solidly and quickly is a principal goal of a ground covering fire , plant with these trait are those well adapted to that purpose . This is a blessing in an appropriate app . Put those same plant in recurrent borders and they become a bane .

Some coarse footing covers can disperse so in effect that they become strong-growing and farm out of control . As I discuss alternatives to those thuggish traditional ground back listed here as problem plants , keep in mind that each may still have merit in the proper setting . Properly sited , some of these problem plants may have deserving . Do not , however , use any that are lean as incursive in your region . There are no justifications for using those . In my gardening experience , I have focus on one mantra that should dictate every planting choice we make : “ right-hand plant , right-hand space . ” Remember that when deciding which ground cover is gross for your garden .

Problem plant: Lily of the valley

Name : Convallaria majalis *

Zones:3–8

This industrial plant prefers dry , shaded conditions where it ’s not as likely to mass tightly , and there are gardeners who have it away its richly fragrant flowers . Recent variegate introductions have regenerate its entreaty . However , sunlight and rich garden grunge greatly increase this plant ’s density and rate of spreading . It can go apace from a charming spreader to an aggressive fauna .

Alternative plant: Golden ragwort

Name : Packera aurea

Size:½ foot to 2½ foot tall and wide

This easterly North American native will altogether overcompensate the ground it ’s implant in and spread rapidly through both rootstock and seeded player . However , I witness it much easier to thin and control than lily of the vale . I have it planted under several mature American lime tree ( Tilia americana , Zones 2–8 ) , which can hook environ soil of moisture . Golden ragwort thrives in this background , where most plant would give up . The cheery yellow , daisy - alike , long - endure flowers are most welcome in early spring ; they supply some of the first bright colors that harbinger the remnant of the winter stagnancy .

Try these too

Problem plant: Bishop’s weed

Name : Aegopodium podagraria *

Zones:4–9

The good tip I ’ve heard for grow this plant is “ hold in concrete . ” If bishop ’s weed has been growing on your property , you understand why this is suggest . I do n’t find the greenish - foliaged species normally usable anymore , but the attractive variegate foliation of the cultivar ‘ Variegata ’ ( figure ) made this plant very democratic as a land cover . In general , variegation soften a plant ’s belligerent behavior . But in this case , the cultivar is as noxious as its parent .

Alternative plant: ‘Halcyon’ hosta

Name : Hosta‘Halcyon ’

Size:1½ to 2 feet improbable and 2½ to 3 animal foot across-the-board

Since bishop ’s weed is grow for its foliage and not its flowers , I am recommending the queen of foliage as a substitute . Hostasaren’t generally believe of as ground concealment , but you ca n’t beat their durability in fond to full shade . I have found no unspoiled weed deterrent for turgid space than packing genus Hosta together . They provide such dense tone that gage seed simply can not pullulate . If you are using hostas as a ground natural covering , choosing a cheesy and promptly uncommitted potpourri is ideal . ‘ Halcyon ’ is an older , tried - and - reliable intercrossed cultivar that fits the bill . The glaucous - blue , thick leafage resemble seersucker textile and is a soft , nigh - neutral shade of green that works with many other color .

Problem plant: Ajuga

Name : Ajuga reptans

Zones:3–10

Do n’t get me wrong — ajuga has its function , and I do grow several cultivars myself . But one of the primary issues with it is that it will spread into lawn and become hard to root out . As a border plant , it spreads very quickly , requiring annual division and ascendency . In areas with wintertime nose candy , it is extremely susceptible to gray snow mold ; I have seen enormous patches killed off during some give seasons .

Alternative plant: Meehan’s mint

Name : Meehania cordata

Zones:4–8

Size:3 to 6 inches grandiloquent and 3 to 18 in wide

Meehan ’s great deal is very similar in its growth substance abuse to ajuga , with robust glossy dark-green leaf that stay through the heat of summer as long as the ground does n’t dry out . It blooms with a profuseness of hooded lavender - gamey flowers from mid to late outflow . aboriginal to easterly North America , it tolerates deep shade better than most plant I know . I develop it as a sidewalk and track edger in both sun and spook with adequate success .

Tip: Mix it up

Ground covers are nearly always planted in mass grouping of the same plant . I boost you to view these planting with some eye to design , as you would in your perennial garden bed . Monocultures of any plant present several emergence , including gentle ranch of disease and louse wrong ; a trouble that pretend one plant and kills it could pass over out the total bandstand . Adding other plants increase visual involvement and biodiversity . Mix other perennials with those ground cover that are not to a fault dense and that meet well with others . If a terra firma book binding is too robust and aggressive to plant with other perennial , use stalwart shrubs alternatively .

Problem plant: Blue sedge

Name : Carex flacca

I have used this endearing , soft - textured sedge before . It has charming glaucous - disconsolate leaf . And while it tolerates dry tint well , there is late grounds that this European indigene is becoming invasive in North America . It has been establish outside refinement in the woods of the Mid - Atlantic , Northeast , and three Canadian province . This entropy is so newfangled that blue sedge cultivar are still marketed and sold without warning .

Alternative plant: Pennsylvania sedge

Name : Carex pensylvanica

Size:6 to 12 inches tall and wide

Even as a stripling , I appreciated the piano , flowing feeling of what I thought was an elegant , gracefully arching grass growing throughout woodlands in Upstate New York . Pennsylvania sedge is both tincture and drought patient of , and I use it in my garden planted en masse as a soft - textured rug around other durable plant ; it does well in woodland planting scheme . This easterly North American native is a not bad textural transparency for plant with sheer foliation . Bristle - leafage sedge provides a similar service in sunnier locations .

ground covers for shade

Problem plant: Japanese pachysandra

Name : Pachysandra terminalis

Zones:5–9

This flora has been the fairy of ground covers for those with Japanese - pep up gardens as well as deeply shady areas . However , any amount of sunlight ferment the glossy fleeceable foliation a sickly yellow . It is so effective at spreading , spring up with heavy matted roots , that there is no chance to integrate other plant . I once had volunteers take out an overgrown planting of pachysandra that they could only attain by cutting out 8- to 10 - inch - farseeing heavy and dense squares of roots .

Lily of the valley

Alternative plant: Allegheny spurge

Name : Pachysandra procumbens

Size:6 to 12 inch tall and 1 to 2 feet all-inclusive

Unlike the aforementioned Nipponese metal money , the foliage of this native pachysandra has a softly glaucous - blue mat finish . Once established , it is extremely drouth and shade liberal . There are also some lovely variegate cultivar . Allegheny spurge is native to the southeastern United States and at its best in acid soils , but I have found it more forgiving of alkaline weather than many acid - loving plants . It ’s not commonly sold at garden centers in many areas of the land , so mail - order sources might be the only option for some nurseryman .

Golden ragwort

Problem plant: Creeping buttercup

Name : Ranunculus repens *

This aggressive spreader has made its way onto some incursive plant lists because it continues to spread into natural areas . It is particularly elusive in dampish environment . The cultivar ‘ Buttered Popcorn ’ ( picture ) is still put up for sale in many markets despite these issues . Keep in mind its rampant nature when you ascertain yourself attracted to the lovely chickenhearted butterflower prime and yellowish green , deeply thin out foliage . Forewarned is forearmed at the garden center !

Alternative plant: Foam flower

Name : Tiarella cordifolia

Size:9 to 12 inches tall and 1 to 2 foundation broad

This eastern North American native prefers stain that is organically ample and moisture retentive yet well drained . It ’s a adorable shade garden plant , but in areas such as the Midwest where most deciduous shade Tree induce piss - deprived soils , meliorate with organic matter may be necessary . Foam floweris one of the more expensive plants sport here and may not be an economical option for expectant areas where fast reporting is substantive . There are both clunking and run forms , and for a ground cover you should seek the latter . There are many cultivar available with substantial variation in foliation contour and color . The iconic bottlebrush blossom that bloom in early spring gleefully proclaim the final stage of wintertime .

Wild ginger

Problem plant: Periwinkle

Name : Vinca minor *

I concede that I adore the gamy - to - purple flowers on periwinkle and its cultivars with variegate foliation . It became popular for its inscrutable shade leeway . However , it joins a grow number of plants on invasive do - not - sell - or - grow tilt , as it spreads into our woodlands and displaces wildflower . It is dull to found , but once it does , it make dull mats that prohibit other plants from growing through it .

Alternative plant: Goldenstar

Name : Chrysogonum virginianum

Size:6 to 12 inches marvellous and 9 to 18 inch wide

This underutilized , shade - tolerant native require more evenly moist soils than winkle , but if that can be provide , it forms governable , low - growing mats of bright greenish leaf . aboriginal to the easterly United States , it flower profusely in spring with yellow flowers just as we need bright color the most . It blooms sparsely through the summer , and in some years it can well rebloom in descent . This is another plant that is not commonly sell in garden centers but is worth the chain armor - order hunting .

Purple poppy mallow

Problem plant: Spotted deadnettle

Name : Lamium maculatum

What a shame that I must heel this as a trouble plant . There are many cultivar of spotted deadnettle available , each with a spacious variety of leaf colors , including silver gray patterned and variegated . And they all have endearing flowers . But I often hear from those who were quieten by spotted deadnettle ’s beauty in the garden center and are now curse its aggressive , thuggish behaviour . It also seems to dethaw away in strong summertime heat , leaving open golf hole in the landscape where it pass away .

Alternative plant: ‘Herman’s Pride’ yellow archangel

Name : Lamium galeobdolon‘Herman ’s Pride ’

Size:10 to 12 column inch tall and 12 to 14 inch wide

In this casing , the cultivar matters . Yellow Angelica Archangelica as a species is native to Europe and westerly Asia , and in North America it spreads as wild as spot deadnettle , with even longer rootstock . However , ‘ Herman ’s Pride ’ is dissimilar and develop in controlled clumps . plant with ascending roots are n’t often used as terra firma cover version , but in this case I reckon mass ‘ Herman ’s Pride ’ puzzle out well . The foliage is dark green with lightly silvered overlayer , and the bright yellow flowers emerge in previous spring .

Bishops weed

Problem plant: Chameleon plant

Name : Houttuynia cordata

Zones:4–10

I have listen of many nurseryman across the land bemoan having planted chamaeleon works . Not only does it become uncontrollable , but broken part of rhizome that come from trying to withdraw it well rectify . It ’s also resistant to most weedkiller . As I heard from one nurseryman , “ Run as tight as you’re able to from this plant ! ” It is particularly problematic to gardener in the southerly United States .

Halcyon hosta

Alternative plant: Plumbago

Name : Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Size:6 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide

Why is this flora not used more ? comparatively ground kissing , plumbago has shiny , medium green leaf that make for a new - looking earth enshroud through the acquire time of year , turning lovely bronze - red from former summer into fall . Plumbago is native to westerly China , with sorry flowers that resemble woodland phlox ( Phlox divaricata , Zones 3–8 ) and bloom from midsummer to frost . In improver , it is tolerant of a spacious reach of grime conditions except too moist and can be used in sun and shade .

Jack Frost brunnera

*Invasive alerts:

Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis)

This works is considered invasive in WI .

Bishop’s weed (Aegopodium podagraria)

This flora is considered invasive in AK , CT , MA , ME , PA , RI , VT , WI , and WV .

Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

This flora is considered invasive in AK , CA , and MA .

Vinca (Vinca minor)

This plant is consider invasive in AL , DE , GA , IN , KY , OR , PA , SC , TN , and VA .

Please visitinvasiveplantatlas.orgfor more information .

Ed Lyon is the director of Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University in Ames , Iowa , and the source ofGrowing the Midwest Garden .

Lungwort

Photos , except where noted : courtesy of Ed Lyon

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