Lawn alternatives for shady yards

Although a non-native example, this New Zealand Hair Sedge (Carex comans) illustrates the soft, flowing look multiple sedge species provide. Photo: M. Talabac

Q: I’m happy to try a lawn alternative for my shadier areas but I’d like it to look more like a lawn than a groundcover or mix of flowering plants. What kind of grasses work for that?

A:  Not many true grasses will grow well if you have less than full sun, but several perennials that look like grasses can work nicely. My primary recommendation would be to try one or more species of sedge (Carex). I was excited to see the study results for sedges from Mt. Cuba released recently: “Carex for the Mid-Atlantic Region” that may be a useful reference.

Mt. Cuba Center is a public garden and research facility in Delaware which displays and studies native plants, and they perform periodic plant trials to evaluate species and cultivars for garden performance. Lately they have been including an assessment of pollinator appeal as well, though in this particular case that wouldn’t apply since sedges are not grown for pollinator draw. (Even though the caterpillars of several of our less-often-seen butterflies feed on sedges.)

Sedges are a species-diverse group and make for an excellent grass-like aesthetic in partial shade to full shade. Many form low soft-looking tuffets, though with time or dense planting can form a more-or-less uniform “lawn.” Still, don’t expose them to much foot traffic since nothing is quite as tolerant to that as turfgrass. Well over one hundred sedges are native in Maryland, and the Mt. Cuba study results include lists of those well-suited to more sun than shade, more shade than sun, and a tolerance to mowing (not that they require it by any means).

A few true native grass species tolerate some shade, but won’t give you a comparable look to a lawn since they grow much taller or have a different leaf color or texture (often wider, coarser leaves). Examples include river oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) and Eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix), which still could make nice accents if you wanted spots with showier seed heads.

The non-native asparagus relative mondo grass (Ophiopogon), which has dark green grassy evergreen leaves and a slowly-spreading growth habit, has been successfully grown as a lawn look-alike under mature trees. I would not recommend using its cousin Liriope, the spreading form of which (Liriope spicata) can be too aggressive and is considered invasive. (Plus, it’s way over-planted.) Mondo grass thus far does not appear to be colonizing natural areas in or near Maryland.

By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.

Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask ExtensionOur horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round.

My Pachysandra is Dying, What Can I Plant in Its Place?

landscape in partial shadeResident seeks groundcover options to replace Pachysandra. Photo: University of Maryland Extension / Ask an Expert

Q: My Pachysandra is Dying, What Can I Plant in Its Place?

A patch of Japanese Pachysandra in my yard was formerly healthy but in the past three years, it has died back. I would like to plant deer-resistant plants or groundcover in its place. Can you recommend some perennials I can try? This area gets filtered sun most of the day.

Answer: Volutella is a common fungal disease of Japanese Pachysandra that attacks both the leaves and stems and causes dieback symptoms. It is most severe in overgrown plantings and is often associated with scale (insect) infestations. This may have contributed to the decline of your plants.

It is a good idea to consider different options for this space. In addition to its susceptibility to Volutella dieback, Japanese Pachysandra has escaped garden cultivation and is now invasive in some natural areas of Maryland. We no longer recommend planting it. In the forest understory, it outcompetes native plants such as our spring ephemeral wildflowers and the wildlife (insects, birds) they support.

japanese pachysandra in a forested area
Invasive Pachysandra terminalis covers a large area of forested ground in Howard, County, Maryland. Photo: C. Carignan

There are other groundcover choices that are unique, beautiful, non-invasive, and adapted to Maryland’s growing conditions. For a partially shaded, moist area, try a combination of ferns – Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and marginal woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis), sedges – blue wood sedges (Carex glaucodea or Carex laxiculmus) and Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica), Canadian ginger (Asarum canadense), golden groundsel (Packera aurea), foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia), and creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera). Some of these plants also support pollinators.

native plants garden
Groundcover plants were in bloom in April in the native plants garden at Camden Yards, Baltimore. From front to back: Phlox, Foamflower, Golden Groundsel. Photo: C. Carignan

Additional Resources

Planting Groundcovers | Home & Garden Information Center

Twelve Easy Native Plants for Shade | Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

Groundcovers | Plant NOVA Natives

By Christa K. Carignan, Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist, Coordinator, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center

Have a plant or insect question? University of Maryland Extension’s experts have answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask an Expert.

Q&A: Try these groundcovers that will keep deer away

Alleghany pachysadra
Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens). Photo by E. Nibali

Q: What groundcovers can you recommend for shade? I’ve removed all the English ivy and need something before erosion starts. I like evergreen ones, and I also have deer problems.

A: Many of the following are deer resistant, if not completely deer proof. Allegheny pachysandra, for example, is a four-season actor in the garden with quirky spring flowers and attractive mottled leaves that deer don’t touch. Other evergreen choices include Christmas ferns, wood ferns (semi-evergreen), moss, and golden groundsel (yellow spring flowers about 1-inch tall).

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Q&A: What’s Wrong With My Pachysandra?

volutella blight on pachysandra

Q: We have a steep hill that is covered with mature Japanese Pachysandra that is dying. It is under a large tulip tree. This groundcover was healthy for more than twenty years. During the last couple of years the leaves have turned yellow then the tips turn brown and curl up. The plant then dies. What is going on and how can we correct this problem?

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