it was dug up from a field across from my house in Memphis, TN. I am looking for an alternative to grass to grow on the North Side of my house, which is shaded by the house all day.
Clover and Creeping Charlie are both nice grass alternatives; if you chose either of them you should put in aluminum or plastic barrier at the edge of your lawn to prevent them invading your neighbour's. I can't immediately recall - do you get snow in TN? If you don't then you might also be able to get away with soemthing like Wooley Thyme or one of the hardier mosses. Oh - don't throw away the Purslane. It's really good in salads.
do not put in creeping charlie!! it's an absolute bear and it will grow overtop any barrier you put in! it's all through my grass at this point...i have to pull it up constantly from the flowerbeds...it grows under and over anything...even made it's way into my garage and was flourishing there even though it rarely got any sun! what zone are you in? vinca would grow in that spot. it takes a few years to get established and doesn't grow as quickly in shady conditions, so it would take an extra year or two to completely fill in the area. if you're zone 5b or lower, it may get out of hand - if you go with that, i'd put in a barrier around the area you want it in. it's easy enough (here, anyway) to keep under control - has a shallow root system. we get freezing temps for a couple of months, so that helps to keep it from getting out of hand. has pretty blue flowers in spring and stays nicely green - sometimes reblooms, too. it even stays green here over the winter - doesn't actively grow when it's cold though. can take some mild walking on, too. if you're not concerned with needing to walk in the area, try ferns, huechera and/or hosta. lots of varieties - some are very colorful.
Wooly thyme, and a whole lot of other species, grows just fine in places with snow and cold winters... here, for example.
