ground cover?

[Soupy]

I'm looking for a good ground cover to put around a big Sweet Gum tree I have in my front yard. It sits in the corner of my lot and is about 10-12 feet from the side walk and sits on top of a hill. The hill drops off at the base of the tree. There is no roots showing but grass doesn't grow to well in that spot. I planted some fescue about a month ago and it is coming in ok, but the guy that lived here before said he couldn't keep grass alive after the tree blooms. Plus I got a lot of weeds in there because I couldn't treat it because of the new grass seed.

What would be a good ground cover that won't end up growing in other parts of the lawn. I don't mind keeping it trimmed back, but I don't want anything that is going to end up popping up all over the lawn. Also My wife would like something with yellow or purple in it.

Thanks,
Soupy

PS. I treated the tree so hopefully Gum Balls won't be a problem next year :)

[Kohls Landscaping Co]

try looking at liriope. some have a bluish-purple bloom and would be great with preventing soil erosion on a slope. Personally, from experience, i would stay away from ground cover in general because once the weeds get in, they are almost impossible to get rid of

[myoder]

There are a lot of ground covers to choose from, but if you would really prefer lawn in that area, try selective pruning on some of the larger branches to bring in some of the light. just a thought

[Soupy]

Thanks for the replies, I plan on pruning the tree. But I also thought ground cover might be better then grass because the ground drops off real fast at the base of the tree. I don't have enough room to grade it. and I didn't want the expense of a retaining wall right now. Maybe next year I can just build a wall and fill it in and make a flower bed around the base of the tree. The drop off is about 4 feet.

Another problem Is pruning won't be easy. I'm going to do what I can, But it is really a job for a Pro. The lowest branches will be reachable with a pole pruner but anything higher is out of my league. But hopefully just the lower branches will be enough to let more sun in. The branches are growing downward. The lower level of branches are about 15-20 feet off the ground. This is a big tree. I'm guessing it's at least 75 feet tall maybe closer to a 100 feet.

Soupy