Japanese spurge does well under the dappled light of overhead trees. Minter Gardens pictured.

A carpet of green for the shade

ground covers for shade
A green carpet of Japanese spurge at the Shadbolt Centre of the Arts in Deer Lake Park, Burnaby BC. Click on pic to be redirected.
evergreen ground cover for shade
The flowers aren't flashy at a distance, but they are up close.
shade plants
Whorls of glossy green leaves look good all year long as long as they don't receive too much sun.
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Green Sheen is a cultivar noted for its deep green shiny foliage.
Pachysandra terminalis
Plentiful flowers appear in early spring.
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Flowers are surrounded by a whirl of deep green serrated leaves.
​Japanese spurge, Pachysandra terminalis, is the perfect ground cover for shady locations, and it’s evergreen. Its attractive shiny deep green foliage forms a dense carpet in shady gardens, under trees, along slopes, and in woodland gardens.
 
Unlike other ground covers, Japanese spurge is not invasive.  Although it procreates by rhizomes, it doesn’t get too carried away. If it does go out of bounds, it’s relatively simple to control. Their pale underground stems are easy to spot buried in the soil and thick enough to yank out.
 
Japanese spurge creates lush, shiny deep green carpets when grown in shady locations with rich moist soils. That doesn’t mean it’s picky, as it is quite tolerant to different soil types - as long as it isn’t too wet nor too dry. Too much sun is another thing altogether as their pretty green foliage becomes yellow or bleached to a cream colour by the sun and will eventually die back.  
 
Pachysandra appreciates the dappled shade when planted under trees and provide a blanket of green in gardens where there’s little sunlight. Their many rhizomes are perfect for slopes as they prevent erosion and help hold the soil together. To cover the ground, plant starter plants 6 to 12 inches apart, and stagger the rows so they will fill in quickly.
variegated Japanese spurge
There is also an attractive variegated Japanese spurge that has cream coloured leaf edged (Pachysandra terminalis 'Variegata').
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The variegated cultivar is pretty, but is not as vigorous as its non-variegated cousin.
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Since Japanese spurge are evergreen, they don't mind chilly winter weather.
Japanese spurge,ground cover
Japanese spurge forms a dense mat of greenery at Bear Creek Park, Surrey, BC. Click on the link to be redirected.