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jazz3_gw

Evergreen groundcover part sun

Jazz3
18 years ago

Landscape pros - please help..........!

Okay - I have searched and searched and I am about to assume that what I want does not exist.

I need a:

sun tolerant

evergreen

low growing habit

dense foilage

winter hardy

maintenance free

faster growing

groundcover.

In SE PA - Zone 6

I have an ilex hedgerow planted in a low berm fronting a circular drive. I want to underplant the hedge with a groundcover rather than mulch it. The mulch just washes into the driveway in a heavy rain.

One side of hedge butts up to driveway and the other side of hedge is lawn. Can't be too invasive to the lawn side, but if spread by rhizomes, I can install a steel landscape edging to block it some.

I have considered:

pachysandra - regular and green lustre - no sun say many

vinca minor - probably too much trouble with lawn and sun

stonecrops - told they don't hold up well through winter and need significant "clean up"

ice plant - same

creeping jenny - told that it is susceptible to some worm locally that will make it look like sh-t

adjuga - planted some black scallop on each end of the berm to see how it takes (concerned with spread to lawn though)

Liriope - might be too tall for underplanting

phlox - had problems with dead spots in this plant before

juniper - there is a carpet like variety I was shown that is not prone to tip blight - nice option but 'spensive ($20 per plant and I would need approx 40-50 to fill area since thay are slow growers)

Any and all help appreciated.

(Oh, did I mention deer resistant)

Comments (4)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    18 years ago

    Suggest Cotoneaster dammeri or kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). Low growing heaths or heathers are another possibilitiy.

  • roseluvr
    18 years ago

    I heartily second the cotoneaster. I have Royal Beauty cotoneaster-bought 2 at Lowe's this spring for $6 a container (1 gallon size) and they have each grown 5' wide since about late April-all this in full sun for most of the day. Check out the link below-I think it is very informative about this variety.

    photo of my cotoneaster 1 month ago:

    {{gwi:856917}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: Royal Beauty Cotoneaster

  • creatrix
    18 years ago

    Why not install cobblestone edging to hold in the mulch?

  • sonny1947
    13 years ago

    My daughter has a low growing,in the shade,plant that seems to be an evergreen variety. She has no idea what it's called. I very much want to buy this type of plant. Can anyone help me with what it might be??