Last fall I planted some lorapetalum shrubs (purple diamond - they'll grown to about 4 feet high) along my front sidewalk. It was a rough winter and I replaced one and am nursing the others back to health. They're all making it, but it will be awhile before they fill out.

In the meantime, I am an avid container gardener and my front sidewalk is the best place in my yard for sun. So I have containers lined up along the inside of the sidewalk. But they look unsightly since the shrubs aren't yet filled out to hide the containers from the street view.

Today I went looking for groundcover, annuals or perennials that I could plant below the shrubs to fill out the area and hid the containers. This area gets full direct south/west sun from noon on. Nothing requiring less than "full sun" will survive there. I would like the plants to get to be 8 to 12" (preferably no higher), but NOT to be invasive like the LIRIOPE which, after 20 years, still shows up each year! Ivy is out, too. I like periwinkle but it's too low.

I hope by the winter the shrubs will have filled out, but the containers will be a non-issue after October, anyway.

I am open to anything that will look good, conceal the containers and survive until at least the fall. It can stay or go after that, depending. If it's to stay, I would want something evergreen.

Any ideas or recommendations? Thanks!