One of the qualities not to overlook when searching for a good ground cover plant for shaded areas is that it covers the ground then entire year, not just in summer months. For this reason if you are truly looking for ground cover in a shaded area, this would exclude plants such as most ferns, hostas, Dicentra and other plants that are not giving cover during the winter months. Plants that will afford this cover all year should include Lady Fern, Autumn fern, Carex flaca and Iris cristata; to name a few.
Key Takeaways:
- ” Ground cover” refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground.
- Ground cover plants provide protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought.
- Some common ground cover plants include Ajuga, Hosta, Pachysandra (native and nonnative), Epimedium, and Lily of the Valley.
“None of the ground covers mentioned here are on Maryland’s list of invasive plants but they could conceivably be on one of the 23 other sources of invasive-plant information recommended by the state’s Invasive Species Council, most of them national in scope.”
http://gardenrant.com/2016/06/ask-a-designer-whats-a-good-ground-cover-for-shade.html