My thyme is very well-behaved and smells WONDERFUL.

How about Lamb's Ear, Chamelion ground cover, or if you really want something that will spread out and carefree, get hosta..There's so many varieties of hosta, different sizes..of course it doesn't have the fragrance of an herb. Toni

Lamium or White Nancy it's also called has a nice variegated leaf. I'm planning on filling some gaps with it this year. I also like the texture of Sweet Woodruff.

How many hours of sun does the area receive after the shrubs and trees, (if any) leaf out? Most of what has been suggested above assumes, probably rightly, that you're talking about a semishady area. If that's the case, you might want to try epimediums. Some are evergreen/ semi-evergreen. I know they've been trialed in Chicago, so, you could probably find that info. on the net. All those mentioned in the Armitage Herbaceous Perennial, are hardy to zone 5. Epimediums are lovely, elegant, spreading, spring blooming shade perennials. You could intermix them with hostas, lenten roses, ferns, and well, any number of low growing, spreading perennials. If the area gets more sun, but not quite full sun, you could consider plumbago, many of the perennial geraniums, and campanulas, columbines, and heucheras, and on and on....

If your border is on an axis with the sun passage, there are many other unusual groundcovers you might try for full sun. Sounds like fun whatever the sun-hour-length. Best wishes.

agh, I don't believe I didn't talk about Sun. This is on the east side of the house, so will have good morning sun and will start passing into shade in the afternoon.

I love Lamium, but hadn't really thought about it for this
area.

I am most definitely a novice gardener, but am dedicated to cleaning up our back area that really is a forest. I need to find a ground cover for a 2500 sq. ft. area that is mostly shaded by multiple oak trees. The ground is fertile from the many years of leaves that were not removed. I need to do something quickly before weeds fill in the area. Any and all suggestions will really be appreciated.