Any ground cover to plant this time of year?

[Anonymous]

Our new small front lawn is a mess. It’s boxwood bushes on the street and irises at the top of a slope. In between the two on the slope were a ton of vines and weeds. I have spent the last weeks pulling up almost everything I can. We tried to plant creeping thyme this spring and zero stuck. Is there anything I can buy and plant (not from seed) at this time of year so I don’t have a small, muddy slope? Monkey grass or something more pleasing? I suppose we could try again in the spring, but I would love for this plot to not be so embarrassingly ugly. What might both look nice and live in this area? We get lots of afternoon sun.

[Anonymous]

What happened to the thyme?

Try creeping phlox. You can plant it now if you can find it. It’s pretty tough and beautiful in the spring. Cut it back every few years after it blooms and it won’t get leggy (also just pull it and replace it if it does. Idk why people hang on to them so long).

[Anonymous]

Different poster but I have had no luck with creeping thyme in Northern Virginia either! After trying for two years I finally decided I’m done trying. Anyone have any recommendations for a low growing ground cover that will actually work in a part shade area? My landscape area is extremely small because it’s a townhouse and I really cannot have anything high growing or it looks very messy.
I’m hoping to avoid having to put down mulch cause I hate it.