Ground cover for under maple trees

[justafarmer]

Hi I am looking for some help with a problem area in my yard. I have three fair sized silver maple with shallow roots. I am looking for suggestion ground cover, stones or whatever ? I am in southern Ontario,clay ground, zone 5 ,area is damp and shade. Measurments 8 ft by 100 ft. The other thing is along one side of the trees is a fence row with cattle on the other side and they will eat anything green. Thanks

[countrychic]

I have the same type of maple root problem and have planted Ajuga groundcover, Lady's Mantle and Sweet Woodruff and Hostas. All with great success.

[haili]

I have similar conditions and love my lamium. It comes in different leaf colours and looks nice in combination with ajuga and hostas and really fills in the bare spots where not much else grows. Japanese painted fern is doing well too. I also have sedum and impatience.

[LeeInEdmonton]

Our silver maples are now about 25 to 30ft. tall & beneath one of them we have a spreading juniper which is now about 10 ft. in diameter & provides a green carpet about 6"thick. Turns purple during winter changing back to green in the spring. The silver maples are in the process of destroying our back lawn with their shallow roots. I don't know if top dressing the lawn should be done or not.
One of the maples shades the rear south exposure of the house & helps to keep it cool during hot weather.

Lee

[haili]

It's a Norway maple behind my house - and it's taller than the 2-storey house. The landscapers have tried everything to get grass to grow, without success (on the s0-called green space). In my yard, I keep topping up the beds with compost and manure and it takes a lot of water in summer. The middle is covered with patio stones. Some people cover the area under the tree with bark chips and just use barrels and big pots for plants.

[justafarmer]

Thanks for the advice. Was wondering about a ivy of some sort have seen it done and it looks great? Might go with the spreading juniper cattle will not chew on that.