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Landscapers in Silver Spring MD: The Best Groundcovers for Dry Shady Areas

East Coast Landscape Design, the premier landscapers in SIlver Spring MD, share some of the best groundcovers for those dry shady areas of your yard.

Once established, most groundcovers are pretty maintenance free. To help them become established and stay healthy, here are few important things to remember:

  • Good drainage is a vital requirement for growing groundcovers - and these shade-loving ground covers either really love dry soil, or are drought tolerant.
  • Leave room for growth when placing groundcovers; when they are near to over-growing their space, the plants should be divided and moved to other areas.
  • Make sure to keep planting areas at an even level, or else plants in the lower-lying areas will get too much moisture.

Here is a list of the best groundcovers for the dry shady areas of your yard:

  • Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’ Snow on the Mountain or Bishop’s Weed: mall white flowers appear late May-June above the low variegated foliage. Variegated Aegopodium spreads rapidly through the summer under high limbed trees, in the rock garden, and in a range of difficult areas.
  • Epimedium rubrum Barrenwort: semi-evergreen heart-shaped leaves that are tinged red-bronze on the edges. It is the best groundcover for dry shade needing a good loamy soil. Great for planting among trees in a woodland setting.
  • Epimedium versicolor x ‘Sulphureum’ Barrenwort: lots of small deep yellow star-shaped flowers in April; heart-shaped leaves on wiry stems are bronze when young, then mature to green. Massed in the foreground of a shady bed or as edging, this drought tolerant perennial can’t be beat.
  • Liriope muscari ‘Monroe White’ Lilyturf: Liriope grows best in acid soil in partial to full shade, which protects it from sun damage in both summer and winter. It is both heat tolerant and resistant to pests and diseases, handles dry shade, and is evergreen in quality.

Want to learn more about making the most of dry shady areas of your yard from expert landscapers in Silver Spring, MD? Please contact the award-winning landscapers serving Silver Spring MD, East Coast Landscape Design.


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