Options for hardy ground cover in full shade - Ask Extension
We have an area along the side of our house that is in shade(facing east -right next to house it is full shade as a strip of trees blocks morning sun ...
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Options for hardy ground cover in full shade #928615
Asked April 16, 2026, 3:26 PM EDT
We have an area along the side of our house that is in shade(facing east -right next to house it is full shade as a strip of trees blocks morning sun and house causes shade rest of day and strip next to the trees gets some mid-day sun) and currently is struggling to grow anything to cover the ground so it is very muddy there. We do use this area to drive our riding lawnmower through in order to access other parts of our lawn, and we are wondering if there is a good ground cover option that will work in Minnesota so that the area isn’t muddy but can also tolerate a lot of traffic going over it. We have tried shade specific grass seed but haven't had much luck.
Carver County Minnesota
Expert Response
There are some hardy ground covers that work in dense shade, such as Pennsylvania sedge and ajuga, but the challenge is the heavy mower traffic. You might con sider just installing wood chips in this area or a combination of underlay and plant. Open-cell pavers (grass grids) buried just beneath the surface combined with a ground cover or fescue/clover should work. If you have a defined path for the mower, you could also install stepping stones along this route with ground cover surrounding them.
