I do try combinations of plants that please me with contrast of shape, color & texture. Place those strategically in my views out windows, by walkways (or driveway or gates). I find I like watching certain combos over the seasons especially in the backyard where I can view from sitting at the computer near a space heater in the cool morning.

I plant closely so all work as groundcover, but if you mean lower growing, spilling, evergreen, interesting foliage edging type plants certainly. When they take over too much territory, I spread out to other places in ground or in pots here or to share with other gardeners.

I also don't mind trimming them back a bit with shears or scissors when they tromp neighbors. I kind of like that part of gardening if I can snip here & there easily.

When the bed turns a corner along the path or when lighting changes due to other plantings I use a different type of groundcover... mostly because I don't have enough of any one thing, but also because I am trying out what grows well where.

What I've used in my part sun/shade gardens:

-'Wanda' primrose (used it first, so have the most of it to keep dividing & spreading along): neat edger, cut back in late spring and often again in late summer for regrowth of neater mostly evergreen foliage in my climate. If only the vine weevils didn't notch the leaves so much.

-Sweet woodruff: edger & filler between hosta (ready to be cut back now & we'll evaluate if it's a keeper there because it is much taller than the espected 8-12".

-Serbian bellflower: another spreader & much taller now that I've improved the soil, divided it, mulched well 2x a year for 2 years. Not so much a edger as a "swallower", so moved out the next 3 I'll list.

-'Georgia Blue' creeping speedwell (Veronica pend...) nearly evergreen for me, delicate blue flowers, reddish tints to foliage in cool weather

-'Crater Lake Blue' veronica - another creeper, but it's new this spring. I've been warned about it's ways, but so far it's not going anywhere yet in my part sun location. It may need to be moved to more sun here in my cool climate.

-purple foliage ajuga reptans (snip, pot up, or move the creeping stems where you want them): evergreen & responds well to snipping for me

-golden creeping jenny (grows toward light & fills vacant space, easy to pull up if invades crowns of other plants)

-lamium: golden or the white leaved types my favorite for foliage, but I do like the magenta blooms of Beacon Silver, too.

-vinca minor (periwinkle, myrtle) more successfully than the major if I want to plant something else there, too. The major height & larger leaves just takes too much space.

-hardy geranium: esp. G. macro because I have a lot of shade

-black mondo grass & golden or variegated sweet flag: neither spread much yet & I love the contrast

-ornamental grass: love the contrast & spilling over look, but it can make the path a bit narrow... Carex 'Ice Dance' & brown sedges so far.

In sun:
-low sedums seem to behave or pull up easily
-herbs: creeping thyme, chives, & ornamental oregano (all need snipping though to look their best throughout the growing season)
-dwarf lady's mantle though it flops a bit I still like that it fills the space in front of the daylily nearby.

That's what works for now, but I might change my mind later. Every season gives a different look. I like that gardening is very forgiving & something new every day. Also, what grows well for you might not grow well elsewhere or please someone else.

I love the fullness of the Sweet Woodruff, but now that flowers are 75% done time to shear for the summer 'look'.

Corrine

Corrine- Great information - thanks so much for sharing!!
-Sprout

You're welcome, Sprout! It helped me think through what I had going on in my "design".

I forgot to mention...

Corydalis lutea (yellow bloomer w/ blue green lacy delicate looking foliage)
-much larger in 2nd year here to be 2' x4' (think I only planted 3 in that spot)
-used as 2nd layer behind primrose, but it romped right over it now as prims are done giving them nice shade
-Prolific easy to move seedlings
-Cut back when you feel like it during the growing season & it just branches out more
-mine are part sun/shade with various degrees of intensity some in moist, others in dryish in a bed with a large cedar tree - seems to thrive in all places
-fills space nicely covering ground, but it seems a bit greedy swallowing up medium sized hosta & daylily, so think I'll probably have to move one or the other of them
-keep it moist to bloom all summer making it low maintenance, but I'm really growing it because it's slug resistant & we have lots of slugs in the forest here in western WA

Thanks for the great ideas, Corrine.
I go so far as to create photo montages of the plants I will be putting together. I recently used a reddish gazania as groundcover with red irises, bunnytail grass, Japanese blood grass, Bridal Wreath Spirea and Santa Barbara daisies. It's my new favorite bed, and best of all, I only had to buy the Spirea! The gazanias were cuttings from a neighbor, and I divided the rest or planted from seed.
Renee

Renee- That sounds intriguing - and lovely!! Thanks for sharing those ideas. Do you have any photos you could post? Thanks-
Sprout