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Need help with ground cover idea

18 years ago

Hi,

My front yard is over 2 acers and gets full sun all day.

There are no trees, just a big lawn with mostly fescue grass. I live in the northeast corner of Mississippi.

My wife and I are totally sick of mowing all this area and

decided to 'naturalize' about 1 acre of the lawn. We have

sectioned off about 1 acre of our front yard (the perimeter area next to the road). We have planted many small trees and continue to plant more in hopes that one day it will simply be "woods" and give us privacy. The problem is now the grass in this area is growing like mad. We do not want to mow it but some of our neighbors are complaining that it looks bad, which is does.

Can anyone suggest a quick growing ground cover that will choke out the grass? Something that won't look so bad to

the neighbors? We really don't want to mow this area anymore as its takes us over 10 hours per week with my

current mower. I need something to plant over this one acre

area that won't look too bad, will choke out the grass, and not kill the small trees we have planted.

Thanks for your help,

Russell

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Comments (3)

moodman
Original Author
18 years ago
I forgot to mention about the soil.
We have ok topsoil with clay under. The soil is good enough
to grow very very thick fescue. The area we are naturalizing has good water year round since our yard slopes toward the road. I'm looking for something that will spread rapidly and choke out the grass. Full sun all day, decent soil nice and moist.

Thanks
inguvap
18 years ago
Creeping Jenny, Ajuga come to my mind. I was researching GCs for a while and postponed the idea. We have English Ivy on one side of the yard and I do not like the looks of it. But it is fast growing.
Padma.
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moodman
Original Author
18 years ago
hm... My are would be easy to contain, I believe. Its bordered by roads on 3 sides and the part of my yard I mow on the 4th side. There are no trees except a few big pines on one side of my lot. Is English Ivy the fastest growing/spreading ground cover? And would it kill other ground cover/small trees I have planted. I've got to do something, this lot is nothing but a weed/grass field now...Ugly

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