Oak Park

why is it hard to grow grass in a parkway under a maple tree? oak park il.?

I live in illinois and have a hard time growing grass under a maple tree in front of my house.
What kind of ground cover could i plant there
and still make it look nice?

What kind of a Maple?

Norway maples (a commonly planted maple in Oak Park & NE Illinois) have a very dense crown of leaves, allowing next to no light to penetrate to the ground. They also have a dense fibrous root system that absorbs most of the moisture and nutrients within the drip line. Dry, dense shade is the absolute hardest environment to grow a plant. Very few plants can tolerate this environment.

One of just a few plants that can tolerate this environment and makes a nice ground cover in NE Illinois is Bicolor Barrenwort (Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum"). Nice heart shaped clean foliage. Yellow flowers. Slow growing.

Other ground covers that tolerate the shade but will need supplimental watering include:

Japanese Spuge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Dead Nettle (Lamium)
Golden Oregano (Origanum vulgare 'Aureum') - drought tolerant once establihed.
Periwinkle (Vinca)

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