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Ground Cover for ShadeSkip shows you how to fill in those stubborn bare spots in a shady area. |
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Transcript: Ground Cover for Shade
When the hot summer months roll around, we're grateful for the shade we have in our landscapes. However, shade creates a problem for growing plants underneath. You may have noticed your lawn tends to thin out in shady areas. There are many ground covers that do well in shade.
A common one is ivy, such as English ivy. The problem with ivies is that they take over; they don't understand where the border is where you want them to grow and where you don't. They'll head right up the tree trunk. We have some other excellent ground covers to choose from.
One of the more common plants we use in the shade is Monkey Grass. The standard type of Monkey Grass gradually spreads and in fact, can end creeping it's way out into your lawn. There's a dwarf type that really works well, especially among walking stones. It stays extremely low. You can maybe mow it once a year to keep it fresh. It's an excellent choice for the shade.
Another common plant is liriope. Liriope comes in a standard green form, there's the regular type and one that gets even taller. And then there's some variegated forms of liriope as well. There's also a relative of liriope and Monkey Grass called Aztec Grass. It has white and green striped leaves that really brightens up the shade very well.
Another good choice for shady areas are the sedges. We have several native sedges for Texas that do well in the shade. Texas Sedge is an attractive one. It grows in small clumps; if you plant them close enough together, it can form a nice cover and it does reseed. Another good sedge is Berkeley Sedge. It gets a little taller and forms a more robust clump in the garden.
With your common sense tip on some great ground cover ideas for your shady Texas landscape, I'm Skip Richter.
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Last Updated:
July 12, 2006