ground covers around hostas (again, I know)

Carolyn wrote:
It seems to me that both ivy and s.w. (sweet woodruff) have shallow enough root systems
to avoid competing with the hosta. I don't know for sure, the clumps are
only 3 or 4 years old.
I know I keep bringing up ground covers around hostas, but this is a new aspect of the topic??  Why does the depth of the roots matter?   I've heard that turf grass is suppose to be hard on newly planted trees because of the competition for water and nutrients.   Could it be that sweet woodruff and ivy don't need as much water and nutrients?   Or maybe hostas have thicker roots and are better at getting moisture out of the ground....where was I just reading about this???
 
Does anyone do experiments to compare growth of hostas (or any other plants) when grown with or without groundcovers?  There are so many variables!  I sure would like to know what the results are.  Oh, I just thought of something.  Well grown turf grass does have deep roots, right? 
 
Cindy Johnson
White Bear Lake, MN
zone 4a
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