Groundcovers for Dry Shade

Our Garden Gang's

Ground Covers for Dry Shade

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Lily of the Valley Dry shade is always a tough spot to grow anything but weeds in for most gardeners.

Here is a collection of shade-loving perennials that thrive in dry shade. The height and brief description of each is included.

Try these out in those troublesome spots. Most will perform best in dappled shade or part shade. Needless to say, the ones that tend to be invasive do best in deep shade. Plants with pale or variegated leaves will show up best and really brighten dark corners.

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Plant Name	Height (inches)	Ground Cover Description
Aegopodium podagraria variegatum Bishop's weed	10-12	Variegated, green and white foliage. Very invasive. Contain between cemented areas and deadhead flowers before they go to seed.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Kinnikinnick	4-6	Evergreen. Red, edible berries. Use beneath established evergreens or broadleaf evergreens in acid soils.
Bergenia 'Silberlicht' Elephant's ears	8-12	Evergreen. Large, rounded, leathery leaves form dense clumps. From late winter, pink to white flowers emerge on compacted spikes that gradually lengthen to about 1ft.
Campanula carpatica Carpathian harebell	6-14	Can be invasive, but tends to spread slowly. Blue or white flowers.
Convallaria majalis Lily-of-the-valley	6-10	Fragrant, white flowers in May-June. Inedible, red berries. Can be invasive.
Epimedium x versicolor Barrenwort		Superb dry shade epimedium. Pink and yellow flowers on short stems in early spring. Young leaves are marbled bronze and coppery red - turning green in summer, but colors up again in autumn.
Galium odorata Sweet woodruff	6-8	Very invasive. One of the best covers under shrubs. White, fragrant flowers in May-June.
Geranium macrorrhizum Hardy geranium	12-18	Semi-evergreen. Aromatic rounded leaves. Pink flowers in spring. Red foliage in fall.
Lamium maculatum Beaconsilver Spotted dead nettle	6-10	Heart shaped leaves-silver mottling, white, pink or purple flowers - long bloomer. For poorish soils and partial shade. Can be invasive - shallow rooted plants are easy to move.
Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' Hall's Japanese honeysuckle	6-12	Will also grow in full sun, but forms denser mats in shade. This favorite vine is also great as a groundcover. Fragrant white flowers turn buttery yellow as they age. Semi-evergreen.
Mahonia repens Creeping Oregon grape	6-12	Evergreen. Yellow flowers in spring. Holly-like foliage. Inedible purplish berries. Spreads by underground stems.
Penstemon caespitosus Creeping or mat penstemon	12-24	Very prostrate mat of tiny narrow leaves. Purplish flowers in May-June.
Penstemon strictus Rocky Mountain penstemon	24	Blue flowers in June-July. Good cut flower too. Can be used for erosion control.
Pulmonaria "Lewis Palmer" Lungwort	12-16	Light-spotted dark green leaves attractive all season. White, pink or blue flowers in spring-some open pink and turn blue.
Polygonatum multiflorum Solomon's seal	30	Stems emerge above a dense root system, reaching 1.5ft before bending to form loose arches. Waxy white, green-tipped flowers.
Tiarella cordifolia Foam flower	12-24	Woodland flower. Toothy crinkly leaves form dense mats. Foamy white flowers in spring. Stick to this unimproved version of tiarella. The others won't work in shade.
Vinca minor Periwinkle	4-6	Semi-evergreen. White or purple flowers in spring.

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