The Weekly Gardener 1

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Ground Covers for Shade

Sweet Violets

Sweet Violets

I sowed these years ago as an afterthought at the end of summer and forgot about them. They surprised me two years later, when they emerged all at once and since then I had more and more of them every year.

Sweet violets are cold-loving perennials; they grow in dappled tree shade but can tolerate full sun if the weather is not too hot.

Violets propagate by seeds and runners and will spread quickly, covering entire areas if the soil is moist and fertile.

They are eager to naturalize in lawns and can become a problem if you don't want them there.

The flowers come in every shade of blue and purple, all the way to white, and the plants cross-pollinate to create surprising hybrids.

If you don't like them spreading into a certain area, you can just dig up their runners, separate them from the mother plants and move them to their desired location.

They will make themselves at home there in no time, although if the ground is fertile, it's a safe bet their seeds found their way to it already.

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Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley

Speaking of ground covers for shade, lily-of-the-valley is resilient, pretty, maintenance free and reliable. Unlike other tough ground covers, though, it needs a lot of moisture and a rich, well drained soil to thrive.

When it finds the right environment, its roots spread rapidly to form big colonies, which is a great feature if you want to fill large, difficult areas with good-looking, low-maintenance greenery quickly.

Plant it in pots if you're worried about its aggressive spreading habits.

In May its white or pink flowers fill the air with their signature fragrance, and the emerald green foliage remains fresh and vibrant even in the summer sun.

During cool rainy years lily of the valley surprises by contributing fall garden interest: its foliage turns bright yellow.