The Best Ground Cover for Shaded Areas

Alleghany Pachysandra

• Use Alleghany pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens) as far north as the warmest sections of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4. The plant, growing to 10 inches high, will spread out via the rhizomes its roots send in every direction. Alleghany pachysandra features evergreen foliage along with attractive, but very small, pinkish white flowers that bloom during April. Alleghany pachysandra requires a partial to full-shade location in which to develop. The root system helps to deter any erosion, making it a choice for banks and slopes in the shade. The University of Connecticut Plant Database recommends this species for planting beneath shade trees, where the lack of direct sunlight results in little if any plant growth for other species. This plant is native from West Virginia southward to Deep South habitats including Louisiana and Florida. Cultivars include Eco Treasure, a form with variegated foliage.

Virginia Creeper

• Plant Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) where it has nothing to climb upon and this spreading vine acts as ground cover, expanding and growing. Virginia creeper provides you with fall foliage color, as its compound and deciduous leaves change to colors such as red and purple before dropping away. Virginia creeper tolerates such conditions as salt spray, allowing its use in coastal areas. The vine also grows in full shade or in full sun, making it versatile and permitting you to place it where both occur in close proximity to one another. Virginia creeper is an eastern plant, growing from the Northeast in USDA zone 3 down to Florida. Virginia creeper's ability to spread makes it a ground cover that can enhance slopes where grass will not develop. The vine will climb onto trellises, fences and structures it can reach; once entrenched, Virginia creeper is difficult to remove.

Wild Ginger

• The flowers that wild ginger (Asarum canadensis) produces in April and May are attractive. However, the large foliage of this perennial ground cover species keeps them hidden from view. Wild ginger grows to 12 inches as a native plant from southern Canada through Florida. Wild ginger does best in the shade, with the perfect conditions to promote its growth being a damp but acidic soil. Wild ginger will eventually spread through its rhizomes from where you first plant it, covering the ground with its dark green foliage. Wild ginger's root has a distinct ginger aroma to it. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes you can add sugar to it and use it when cooking as a ginger substitute.