Steppables (there are other companies; this is the name I remember) has all sorts of options based on sunlight, dampness, traffic. I'd check there.

Anonymous wrote:Small rocks/gravel

We have a similar area to what you describe and I covered with small river rocks (cheap at Home Depot). I covered it with the rocks until I had an inch or so of rock cover. My kids like to play trucks and dig in the rocks. It's almost like a sandbox, with easier clean up.

Moss. Seriously, moss in a shady spot can be an excellent, soft, kid-proof groundcover.

No. Mint doesn't really need full sun. Every mint plant you look up on a horticulture site will say "prefers full sun" (really, every herb will say that), but mint is an aggressive weed (that is why it's so inexpensive as a flavoring) and can do well pretty much anywhere. I've seen a twenty foot wide patch of thick wintergreen growing in the middle of a forest. I'd be more concerned about the mint doing too well than too poorly.

Most mint has some anti-mosquito properties (really, any thing that smells strongly is an anti-mosquito plant; that's why marigolds work for industrial applications). The mint with the best anti-mosquito properties is catnip, but it probably grows a bit too tall for ground cover. I'd look at low-growing mint varietals (but only if the area is protected by a physical barrier from places you don't want the mint to spread).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything in the mint family.

Don't most plants in the mint family need full sun?

not PP but I had a mint garden in the shade (not heavy shade). You do have to run over it with a mower once a year or every two years, because it can get woody/leggy.

I was going to suggest, dichondra (LOVE dichondra) or baby's tears. Baby's tears is considered a ground cover even though it doesn't take foot traffic very well, because it recovers quickly. So if it's light traffic under the tree, it should be fine.

Please do a google image search for dichondra to see the magical feeling it can impart. They use it at Disneyland.

Anonymous wrote:Anything in the mint family.

Don't most plants in the mint family need full sun?

Small rocks/gravel

Anything in the mint family.

AstroTurf

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for a shade-loving groundcover alternative to grass that will tolerate foot traffic but not harbor mosquitoes (i.e. not ivy). Any ideas? Grass won't grow in the shade of our big maple tree - we've tried our best. Has anyone done this?

If you have a silver or other shallow rooted maple then trying to grow anything underneath is a lost cause. Just mulch the area

Concrete slabs.

Pavement.

Playground mulch?

Not much will grow in deep shade. I would let it go. Or do a m oss garden.

I'm looking for a shade-loving groundcover alternative to grass that will tolerate foot traffic but not harbor mosquitoes (i.e. not ivy). Any ideas? Grass won't grow in the shade of our big maple tree - we've tried our best. Has anyone done this?