Looking for gardening/ground cover advice

Creeping Thyme and or Mother of Thyme are nice ground covers...they bloom in spring and smell really nice when you walk on them. Will do fine in mixed conditions.

Miniature creeping baby's breath, depending on how much sun it gets. Ours gets pretty miniature pink blooms and survives sun in the afternoon with shade in the morning and late evening.

Depending on how much sun in the morning, Spanish Moss may be an option.

Stonecrop does well in mixed conditions and has pretty purple flowers - it will bloom in spring and have a good color the rest of the year.

Snow in Summer should also do well in that area. It has white flowers in the spring and the foliage is a grayish green with a whitish 'fuzz' covering it, giving it a nice contrast to other plants in the area.

All of these spread well and quickly, but you'll probably want to double check with the staff where you purchase your ground cover to be sure they'll work with the hours of sunlight/shade you get.

lilies of the valley! Great smelling flowers in the spring, deep green tall leaves all summer. Or myrtle, blue flowers in the spring, tight net of vines all year. Gives color most of the winter, too.

I am experimenting with an interesting ground cover known as Black Scallop bugleweed ( Ajuga reptans ). The plant is a low ground cover that spreads 2-3 feet, and it seems to handle just about any conditions. If the area gets a few hours of sun per day the dark leaves become quite glossy:

I have not seen this perennial locally in nurseries, but I bought my plants online fairly cheap.

Be careful with myrtle...it spreads under driveways, sidewalks and shows up all over the place - usually exactly where you don't want to see it.

Ajuga is also a nice ground cover, as HistoryMike's photo shows. It's also available in varigated colors.

thanks for all the info - do you all have a favorite place to shop in the surrounding area? knowledgeable folks on site?

Pachysandra is a good choice. It grows about 6 inches tall, has relatively broad, scalloped leaves which make an interesting pattern and which shade out most competitors. That's important if you don't want to spend a lot of time crouching and pulling weeds from that area.

As for advice, it seems like all of the established nurseries (like Andersons, Black Diamond, etc.) have knowledgeable people on staff. Whether they can be located and have time to chat in the busy spring season is another matter!

It sounds like you will need to add some manure or other soil amendments to the sand, for better results.

I, too, like Anderson's and Black Diamond becaue they're close to me and have a rather wide selection to choose from. However, there is a greenhouse growers association in the area (you'll have to google it) and it lists almost all of the greenhouses in the area with links to their websites and what they specialize in. You might find one close to you that offers you the ground cover you're looking for.

I have not found a local greenhouse or nursery I dislike, and I trust my own judgment as to the quality of plants. Generally if you choose healthy-looking plants that appear to be getting watered regularly you are in good shape. When possible try to avoid buying plants where the roots have worked through the bottom r sides of the container, as you will inevitably damage some of these in transplanting, putting extra stress on your new plants.

One interesting place to check out if you are near Detroit is Block's Stand and Greenhouse, which is at 29160 Eureka Road in Romulus, MI near Metro Airport. Tremendous selection and very good prices; the average potted plant is usually $1-$2 less than some of the more higher profile places like The Anderson's or Black Diamond.

Also: no matter where you shop, keep your eyes peeled for deals to be found on clearance racks - I have found some good deals on a variety of half-off plants that just needed some TLC. Usually by June many places have some perennials and annuals they want to unload cheap to keep from taking a loss. One day last year I snagged four robust daylilies for $1.00 each, and as most gardeners can attest, you just about have to purposely kill daylilies for them not to thrive.

Maumee Valley Growers Association

http://www.maumeevalleygrowers.com/

Re: Water, roots and new transplants. In greenhouse production, growers deliberately begin decreasing water during the last stage of growth, or "toning" as its called. It makes a healthier plant. Some water stress is actually good for a greenhouse grown plant. A little wilt doesn't hurt. As for roots, its true you dont want to rip off a major portion of the root system. However, whether you're planting a 6' tree or 6" marigold that were grown in a container, you do want to deliberately roughen up the roots when planting. It encourages the roots to grow out into the soil. Plants establish quicker when the roots have been broken loose from the sides and bottom after removing them from the container just before setting them in the ground. If a plant's roots were circling the container you want to roughen them up even more. In addition to roughing up the outside of the root ball you should "butterfly" a badly pot bound root ball. Slice the root ball from the bottom up about 1/3 deep and apread the newly split sections when planting.

The number 1 reason new plants die in the first year of transplantation is lack of water. Unless planted in heavy clay that stays wet, new trees and shrubs need 1" of water per week from the time they first go into the ground until deciduous trees have lost their leaves in the fall. Water again deeply before the ground freezes, around the first week of November. This is especially important for conifers (evergreens) because they transpire (lose water) through their needles even in winter.

We've had an evergreen groundcover called pachysandra which is quite hardy and requires little care. It grows about 5 inches high. The only thing we don't like is during autumn, wind-blown leaves from deciduous trees get snagged in it.