Hello,

I'm having trouble finding the right plant for my purpose and am looking for some advice.

I have a ~6x6 area behind my side gate where grass won't grow. It is closed in by the end of my side house wall, the gate, and a fence, and the side which opens to the yard is shaded by a fig tree. The whole area gets noon-time sun, and a small portion farthest from the gate/closest to the yard gets a little late afternoon sun too.

In short, it is shady, moist, and hot, with poor drainage.

Lawn grass won't grow there, and it turned to mud after every rainstorm, so I put down flagstone with gaps where I wanted to plant groundcover. I have planted Irish and Scotch moss, which failed, and now have some Elfin Thyme, Pink Chintz Thyme, and Blue Star Creeper planted. The Elfin Thyme is holding steady, the Pink Chintz that gets afternoon sun is actually growing some, and the Blue Star Creeper seems to be dying off slowly.

The picture is from the first round where I planted Irish Moss which has since all died.

I am looking for a ground cover with a compact growth habit that will grow in this pretty unforgiving patch of land. Any suggestions?

-Ryan