Ground cover

(Question)

I want to replace the English ivy growing under a silver leaf dogwood. It gets a bit of late afternoon sun but is mostly shaded by the dogwood. My neighbour is not a gardener and doesn’t remove the dog strangling vine on his side of the fence so I need something thick enough to prevent the seeds from germinating.

Thanks for your help!

(Answer)

Thank you for your question and thank you for deciding to replace your English Ivy with another type of groundover.

The Ontario Invasive Plant Council’s publication Grow Me Instead lists a number of different alternatives to invasive groundcover species (including English ivy). In reading through the list with your garden conditions in mind, Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolio), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), and Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) all stood out as options for underneath your dogwood.

In addition to the above resource, Toronto Master Gardeners has created a number of online resources in our Gardening Guides series which you might find helpful. Broadleaf Evergreen Groundcovers lists native possibilities as well as species to avoid. Perennials for Shade and Part-Shade provides a larger number of options covering both native and non-native species (some you will recognize from the Plant Me Instead resource previously mentioned).

Regardless of which direction you decide to take (native, non-native, perennial or annual), it is important to choose species which thrive in shady conditions and are small enough in stature at full height to fit nicely under your dogwood. Other considerations are the blooming time, appearance during the winter, usefulness for pollinators, and maximum width at maturity. And if you are feeling brave, you could mention to your neighbour that their dog strangling vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum & Vincetoxicum nigrum) is an invasive species in Toronto and should really be removed! Description and photos of this plant can be found on the website of Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program.

All the best with this very worthwhile project.