Hi Reddit fam,
We recently moved to Greensboro and bought a house that has the most beautiful canopy of trees in the front and back yards. We have virtually no sun, and we're not mad at it. We can enjoy our yards, even when it's scorching hot out. 90% of our neighbors have beautiful green lawns, and we're not looking to follow suit, but want to do something functional an beautiful to our current dirt "lawn". The previous owners had myrtle all over both the front and back, but it was an absolute mosquito and general pest have and was not soft on the feet. We have three kids and dogs, and we want them to be able to play in the yard. We've removed the majority of the myrtle, with the exception of a few areas at the bases of our trees (I know it's invasive, and we're seeing a few sprigs popping up here and there, so we'll see how much survives). My brother in law attempted to plant grass, which started off strong when we were getting tons of rain this summer, but died off after the first hot day. We quickly figured out that we don't really want grass or the upkeep required. Okay, now to the point... I'm looking for recommendations for what we can try to plant on the ground that is semi durable, and not a creeping vine. I'm thinking mossy, carpet like alternative to grass. We have some moss that is naturally growing on the faces and bases of some of our trees. We are in Zone: 8a and are happy to water in the hot season to keep it alive, but don't want to be wasteful for the sake of a lush beautiful lawn. I'm also hoping to plant pollinators throughout the yard as well, any recommendations for plants/the best time to plant them would be appreciated as well! Am I dreaming too big here or does the miracle remedy exist?
Emulate the woods around. Moss in wet areas, ferns in full to part shade. Small pockets of native shade loving plants.
I'd also recommend leaving whatever level of leaf litter you can tolerate or get away with if in city or HOA.
Phlox and brown/black eyed susans will do well in dappled sunlight.
Here's a good resource for pollinators
North Carolina Native Pollinator Perennial and Annual Flowers - North Carolina Wildlife Federation https://share.google/MvvBiSCqbHffsWJzy
This is really helpful - Thank you!
Violets
Seconding this! American violets, not the generic pansy/violas you see at garden centers
Goats beard
Deertongue
Foamflower
Ferns
Catawba rhododendron
Yaupon Holly
This is what I've planted in the shade in my yard.
Green and golds
Not native but Creeping thyme can be a good groundcover
Wood sorrel
Excellent suggestion, lots of yellow wood sorrel around here
Clover
I second clover. Not much water needed and won't go brown if your dog pees on it.
Thyme! It’s short, smells good, and great for the pollinators.
Thank you!
Nimblewill does well in shady spots in my yard. For plants for pollinators, columbine, golden ragwort, Carolina elephantsfoot, northern green and gold, and Virginia dayflower have been doing well in shade at my house. I'm also waiting to see if dwarf crested iris and great white trillium will get established
I planted some mazus reptans in my backyard in partial to no shade and it’s been taking over this summer. It’s a little creeper.
Ruschia Nana or "Dwarf Carpet of Stars" is a hearty and soft ground cover.