What to plant beneath lilacs?
Plant some Liriope Spicata ground cover. They are durable and evergreen so the winter months will still give you something to look at. They offer a dense ground cover that have a great showing of small flowers. There are different varieties so do some research on the variety that you would prefer.
Liriope really isn’t too great in MN. Hostas are obvious but a person can get hosta’d out even with all the great varieties. Ferns would work well but the toughest ones do tend to take over and march into your lawn and, personally, I find them a little boring. In my Minneapolis gardens I have had great success with Lamiastrum Golden Archangel under Lilacs and other trees/shrubs. I like it because it is truly silvery and gives an appearance of dappled sun even if there is none. It is also very hardy and vigorous and completely undemanding, plus it is easy to plant annuals, bulbs or other shade perennials amongst in order to add color and height. There are a couple varieties commonly called this, they are all pretty but I am referring to the more trailing type rather than the Hermann’s Pride, which is also nice but a little pickier. For annuals, impatiens and salvia would work well there as would torenia. For perennials, coneflower is a tough plant that requires less sun than one is ofte
