I'm trying to bring my parents' front lawn back to life, but want to avoid planting grass. They have a large plot of dirt that gets dappled shade from a River Birch, and extends along the driveway under a small ornamental fence. I was considering planting Pachysandra terminalis there, but I don't want it to 'go crazy' and invade the rest of the lawn that still has grass.

Would a trench-style border keep it in place, or would I have better luck with that old stand-by: black plastic edging?

And I'm not totally sold on the Pachy, either. I also looked at Ajuga reptens and Vinca minor, but the potential for invasiveness is still there. I don't want to be chasing stray plants all over my yard, and especially not into the neighbor's yard!

Finally, does anybody have any idea how Euonymous stacks up against the aforementioned in terms of invasiveness (or at least, ease of control and containment?

Any and all suggestions welcomed!

Thanks for the suggestion. I did some poking about, and it looks like Potentilla Fruiticosa does best in partial to full sun. The area I wish to plant in is going to be dappled shade, so it may not work.