[BandE]

The area to the side of our house is going to be in the shade pretty much all the time. There are trees lining that portion of the property and the house will prevent the sun coming from the other direction.

I want to do some landscaping of some sort.

I am pretty sure that no grass will grow in the shade. Is that correct?
Is there any ground cover type plant that grows in the shade?

Am I doomed to putting mulch down and a paving stone walkway?

Oh and I live in Montreal, Canada (zone 5a I think...)

 

[hortman]

Hey, BandE. Ken here with The Home Depot in the Chicago area.
Forget about grass in that area. It’s too hard to grow in the shade.
There are some ground covers that will work in the shade in your area.
They are:
Vinca minor – dwarf periwinkle
Ranunculus repens – creeping buttercup
Lamium maculatum – dead nettle
Glechoma hederacea – ground ivy
Any one of these will work in your shade conditions.
Good luck and take care.

 

[Garden Monkey]

I just did a shade garden in my front yard.

We had a japanese maple and a sweetgum tree combining with our neighbor's trees to create a large patch of shade. We also had lots of exposed roots there due to erosion problems. I worked on amending the soil as best I could with some compost and then put in pachysandra, various ferns and caladiums. We also have vinca minor and ajuga on the edges of the border where there is some sun coming in. I think most of that will grow in your area.

 

[pjordan4477]

The area to the side of our house is going to be in the shade pretty much all the time. There are trees lining that portion of the property and the house will prevent the sun coming from the other direction.

I want to do some landscaping of some sort.

I am pretty sure that no grass will grow in the shade. Is that correct?
Is there any ground cover type plant that grows in the shade?

Am I doomed to putting mulch down and a paving stone walkway?

Oh and I live in Montreal, Canada (zone 5a I think...)

There is seed for full shade. Hosta Hosta Hosta, if they will survive in your area.

 

[user1007]

Tons of ground cover options.

If you need a walkway, paving stones with "moss" or low hugging ground covers might look nice.

Ferns should make it in Montreal if you want something with some height.

Most ivy species from needlepoints on up should work too.