Most people consider dichondra a weed, but I find it a great ground cover that grows in shade and sun both. When I lived in AZ people out there paid big bucks for dichondra lawns.

It does not get tall.In this picture you can see it growing in front of the colmbine and in the back left.

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I let dichondra grow in certain areas also, Kathy, but I also like creeping jenny. It is an evergreen, easy to pull out or hoe to keep it under control, and doesn't crowd out the colorful plants around it. It can be a bit invasive if you don't keep it under control though.

Will either of those spread into other areas? What I like about horse herb is that it doesn't jump across the border into the yard - or at least it hasn't yet.

Marti - my horseherb has jumped the border into the yard. I think it might be reseeding, so maybe I can remedy the problem with pre-emergent. I'm trying to decide if I can deal with it, or it has to go.

I fight that stuff everywhere, and just pulled it all out of that bed. I'm not sure I want to encourage it.

To answer your question, YES they will spread to other areas if left unchecked. They are just easier to control and prettier to look at than weeds. Oh, and I have horseherb coming up in places I have no idea how it got there.

Bummer. I hoped horseherb would just stay where it was planted. At least it's easier to pull out than dichondra.

Hmmm.... on another note, my crinum of about four years has not spread at all.

I don't mean that the crinum has multiplied, just that it is growing leaves after being dormant in the winter (maybe yours don't go dormant?) and filling out the bed. When they first start putting out green tips, the circumference is about 10" but in a month or so, it will be over two feet.

Yes, the size has gotten to about two feet but no more. It seems to have maxed out. It did stay green all winter and we had snow enough to kill lots of my plants.

I like the purple-leafed oxalis (triangularis regnellis or something like that) under the crinum - it's at its peak now and will get protection from the crinum as it fades.

Here it is by iris and white rain lily, but this bed has more crinum in it now:

Lin

That's a good idea Lin, and I have some purple oxalis.

I have a plant called St. John's wort that kinda looks like thyme, but more billowy. (Is that even a word?) It doesn't bloom, grows in the shade, spreads in a nonagressive way and is evergreen. Looks cute next to purple oxalis. I plan on moving some under a bench, I like it so much. Sorry don't have a picture of it for you.

I like frog's fruit but it can be aggressive.