Julie.
Wintergreen is lovely and likes the acid soil the pine trees provide. Wild or European Ginger would work well too. If you are not concerned with invasiveness, Wintercreeper, Goutweed, or Lilly of the Valley (careful, poisonous)spread well. My advice to you is lay down some newspaper, and add more good garden soil and mulch. That might help kill the Poison Ivy before it has a chance to germinate. If your pine trees are nice and big, the extra cover shouldn't hurt them. Otherwise you could apply Preen after the snow is gone, and before the frosts are finished.
Good Luck!

oh thanks! i like the idea of the newspaper/soil/mulch. How much newspaper do you put down? a few sheets thick? an inch? whole? or torn? how long before you can plant ove rit so that the roots can pass through it?

the pine trees are quite large... 40-50' or higher.

i definately dont want anything poisonous, i have three small daughters and other kids/pets in the neighborhood.

does wintergreen get thick and lush and dense? i want something to really take over that area. i dont mind somewhat invasive so long as its reasonable to control at the edges of the areas (meaning trimming, pruning, ripping up once or twice a season).

i like wintercreeper - but will it climb the trees?

i found some pics of goutweed on images.google.com. i liked that a lot. what are its bad points?

thanks for your time
cheers
julie

Goutweed (Aegopodium) is not evergreen, so leaves a blank spot in the winter months. It can also be extremely aggressive unless contained with some sort of rigid border. Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei cultivars) can climb if given a support and is also considered an invasive pest in some ares of the country so approach with caution.

If the soil area is moist (not a common situation under the canopy of large trees) Pachysandra will work for you. But the wintergreen is also an excellent choice, as is lamium.

I'd not get overly concerned about poisonous plants - a good 85% of the plants one commonly grows (including many vegetables and most houseplants) are toxic to some degree or another. Pets won't bother them and kids can be and should be trained not to put plants or plant parts in their mouth without mom or dad's permission.

hi gardengal48...
i have some pachysandra near that area - been there for three years and its still not spreading/growing much. does that mean not enough water? i dont really like it anyway so i am not overly worried.

i definately dont want to get into a situation i would regret with anything TOO aggressive... so maybe i'll look into the wintergreen option.

thanks
julie

I've got Aegopodium (we call it Bishop's weed) and it's beautiful...if you like the woodland natural look. I grows on runners and does fill in and multiply...I'm zone 5. It all dies back in the winter. Within the last week, mine little plants have poked thru...and I've got 3 x's more than last year. I have them rambling around my iris bed right now, but plan to move them out to plant around trees near the woods. They do very well in the shade or sun. They are much more lush when the soil is moist and the sun isn't directly on them. I'll have them forever now, which is ok with me, because I've got lots of areas to plant. The variegated leaves catch the light just right as the sun goes down. They almost glow in the moonlight....and I'll have them "forever"....so, wintergreen may be a better choice for your area...lol

Would anyone like to trade for some "Bishop's Weed"?