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Sunday - May 12, 2013

From: Prineville , OR
Region: Northwest
Topic: Erosion Control, Groundcovers, Shade Tolerant
Title: Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a very light dusty dirt that's hard to soak with water. What kind of ground cover will actually grow and or hold up to little feet and no sun, and not end up in a pile at the bottom of the slope?

ANSWER:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only North America but to the area in which those plants evolved; in your case, Crook County OR, in central Oregon. We are pretty sure there is no such plant, native or non-native, that can withstand the conditions you describe. You not only have the heavy shade that not many plants tolerate as well as the competition of underground roots from the tree.

If no weeds, probably native grasses, have managed to pop up and survive there, that is a strong indication that nothing else is going to, either. There are a few taller grasses that can tolerate some shade, but they are not low groundcovers and would not survive to maturity with all that foot traffic.

Often, in cases like this, we suggest mulch for groundcover but, as you have already pointed out, that would go right down the hillside. Same with pea gravel and it would not be kind to small knees and feet.

We have a couple of suggestions that are pretty feeble and don't involve plants. The first is that an early morning light sprinkling of water on the area would hopefully suppress the dust without causing muddy footprints in your house.

Another totally off-the-wall possibility is artificial turf. From Wikipedia:

"Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well. The main reason is maintenance—artificial turf stands up to heavy use, such as in sports, and requires no irrigation or trimming. Domed, covered, and partially covered stadiums may require artificial turf because of the difficulty of getting grass enough sunlight to stay healthy. But artificial turf does have its downside: limited life, periodic cleaning requirements, petroleum use, toxic chemicals from infill, and some heightened health and safety concerns."