Low-Maintenance Groundcovers for Wooded Acreage

For a 1/3-acre cleared woodlot in St. Louis, aggressive shade groundcovers beat mulch alone.

Top Picks

• Lamium (dead nettle) – variegated foliage, spring flowers, spreads rapidly.
• Aegopodium (goutweed) – very aggressive, solid green or variegated; contain with edging.

Mulch Role

Mulch suppresses weeds initially but breaks down; groundcovers provide living suppression.

Plant plugs 12–18 inches apart; water until established.