Most lawn grasses don’t like heavy shade and will over time completely disappear leaving a unsightly landscape.

 

Ground covers, shade loving shrubs and mulch are the only answers for the weak or no grass areas as shown in the picture above.

 

Ground Covers and shrubs to consider include some of the following.

 

  1. Ajuga – Green, Bronze or variegated leaf types that bloom in the spring with a purple flower
  2. Vinca minor – low spreading with a small leaf and blooms with blue flower.
  3. English Ivy – Will climb trees and anything else in it’s path.
  4. Purpleleaf Wintercreeper – Euonymus fortunei colorata – It will also climb trees
  5. Asian Jasmine – It is my favorite for warmer regions of the country
  6. Liriope or Liily Turf – It grows in clumps but can spread to form a solid planting

 

  1. Hydrangeas
  2. Azaleas – older types work the best. Encores need some sun.
  3. Oakleaf Hydrangea
  4. Tea Olives – Great smell when they bloom
  5. Hosta – Many types and colors
  6. Ferns – Many different types.
  7. Astible – needs moisture to thrive.
  8. Camellia Sasanqua – red, pink and white flowers
  9. Rhododendrons – needs acid soil and heavy mulch to hold moisture. Good drainage is a must
  10. Kerria japonica – blooms with a yellow flower in the spring