Attempts to grow a lush lawn under trees or in the shade of a building or solid fence can be downright frustrating. Shady sites often produce lanky, sparse turf grass no matter what type of seed you plant. Weeds sprout in the bare patches. The lawn mower takes harmful bites out of the tree trunks. And the look, overall, is yawn-provoking at best.
A practical and attractive alternative is using a ground cover, which includes any low, spreading plants such as ferns, hostas and vines to medium-size shrubs that cover the ground and suppress weeds, says Doris Taylor of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Generally considered low-maintenance plants, ground covers provide a break from the high-maintenance needs of grass.
And thanks to innovative plant breeders, such as Terra Nova Nurseries Inc. in Oregon, what’s under foot is a lot more exciting than ivy, pachysandra and winter creeper. No matter what your growing conditions are — sun or shade, dry or wet soils — there are exceptional choices available.
“A ground cover doesn’t have to be 6 inches tall and evergreen,” says landscape architect Tim Thoelecke of Garden Concepts Inc. in Glenview. “Some of the plants we use include daylilies, sedum, echinacea, hosta, heuchera and shrubs like Gro-Low Sumac, hypericum, shrub roses or even some ornamental grasses.”
Here are four shade-tolerant ground covers to look for this spring. All are suitable for Chicago’s Zone 5 climate.
Vinca minor `Illumination’
Zones 4 to 8
The brilliant golden leaves on V. `Illumination’ are a twist on the common green-leaved vinca or periwinkle found in many gardens.
Like other vincas, this one has trailing evergreen stems that root as they contact the soil, forming a dense ground cover.
One plant will spread 2 to 3 feet wide and reach about 6 inches tall. It performs well in light to medium shade (dappled sun) and holds its color throughout the year.
Inch-wide lavender blue flowers top the foliage in early spring.
The foliage with its gold center and dark green border make a nice contrast with blue-leaved hostas, and heuchera, epimedium and hellebores.
Corydalis flexuosa `Golden Panda’
Zones 4 to 9
By late spring, the leaves of this delicate plant become infused with a golden glow. Hundreds of fragrant cobalt-blue flowers appear in spring above ferny foliage. Margaret LeVan of Platt Hill Nursery in Carpentersville says that yellow-flowering corydalis “can transform even the most boring green hosta.”
LeVan also suggests pairing corydalis with hellebores. “Corydalis has a light lacy texture that looks good against plants with broader leaves,” LeVan says. “Hostas and hellebores work well.”
LeVan cautions that the trick to successfully growing corydalis in the Chicago area, especially in colder zones away from the lake such as McHenry and Kane Counties, is to provide mulch over the plant’s crown to prevent root damage when the soil freezes and thaws in winter. She recommends recycling Christmas trees, cutting the branches and placing them over the plants until spring.
Ajuga reptans `Chocolate Chip’
Zones 3 to 9
Ajuga’s common names, bugleweed and carpet bugle, refer to the spikes of blue, trumpet shaped flowers that appear in May and June. One of the fastest spreading ground covers, ajuga quickly can create a low blanket under trees where it produces plantlets along its horizontal stems.
Of the more than two dozen cultivars available — many with large semi-evergreen leaves in burgundy, green, purplish-bronze or mottled with cream, pink, burgundy and green — is a new variety, A. `Chocolate Chip.’ This ground cover, with its tight rosettes of rich chocolate and bronze foliage, reaches two to four inches tall, tolerates heavy soil as long as it drains well, and prefers light to medium shade. Somewhat slower spreading than other ajugas, A. `Chocolate Chip’ tolerates occasional foot traffic. It works particularly well in small spaces with miniature hostas, sweet woodruff and bulbs. Because of ajuga’s shallow root system, watering may be needed during dry summers.
Geranium pratense `Victor Reiter Jr.’
Zones 5 to 9
This eye-catching perennial geranium performs well in conditions that provide morning sun and afternoon shade.
It also will thrive in full sun.
Tony Fulmer, retail manager at the Chalet Nursery & Garden Shops in Wilmette, grows G. `Victor Reiter’ more for its colorful leaves than the lilac-blue flowers it produces in spring.
“I like this one a lot because the dissected foliage holds its burgundy purple color well into summer,” says Fulmer.
The leaves eventually take on a green tinge with a burgundy edge. Unlike some perennial geraniums that flop over and require shearing as the season progresses, G. `Victor Reiter’ forms a neat compact clump about 1 foot across and 2 feet tall. Fulmer pairs it with Siberian iris. “I like growing it with something linear for a nice contrast,” he says.
To form a thick mat, Fulmer recommends placing the plants about 15 inches apart.
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Where to find them
Sid’s Greenhouse, 10926 Southwest Hwy., Palos Hills, 708-974-4500; www.sidsonline.com
Chalet Nursery & Garden Shop, 3132 Lake Ave., Wilmette, 847-256-0561; www.chaletnursery.com
Klehm’s Song Sparrow Perennial Farm, 13101 E. Rye Rd., Avalon, Wis., 800-553-3715; www.songsparrow.com
Platt Hill Nursery, 222 W. Lake St., Bloomingdale, 630-529-9394; www.platthillnursery.com
Craig Bergmann’s Country Garden, 700 N. Kenosha Rd., Winthrop Harbor, 847-746-0311; www.craigbergmann.com
