skip to main content

All Groundcover - All The Time

13 years ago

Anybody else here gone whole hog and eliminated grass from their property and planted whatever else, like me?

I'm new to Gardenweb and didn't see a place to discuss this kind of gardening. There's a 'Lawncare' section. Maybe a 'Non-Lawn care' section would be appropriate.

My place: Moved here full-time about 4 years ago, and it's nearly half an acre with some mature maples that made the ground bumpy,dry (difficult to mow and even grow grass on). Combine nice sandy loam, location in southernmost Canada and an intense dislike of mowing (it always just seemed to grow back!), with a gardener who could turn a few thousand cuttings into groundcover and augment that with numerous perennials started from seed, and some starter plants and voila!

Plants growing here now include vinca minor (periwinkle), v. repens, sedums - tricolour, oracle, golden acre, hostas, thymes, galium sweet woodruff, lavenders, bellis, strawberries, rockcress, catmints,artimisias, over 350 shrubs and newly planted oaks and tulip populars. Used landscape cloth covered with wood chips for trails.

I like the fact that this yard improves every year, as opposed to when you mow, it just seems like a temporary solution to the problem (of that ever-growing grass).I like not being subject to grass' schedule, nor subject to the whims of machines that may or may not work.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

gamekeeper
13 years ago
Where can I find Rock Cress?
hemnancy
13 years ago
I've seen yards like that, and have tried to do that in smaller areas of my yard, but have 2 acres so haven't been able to do the whole thing. Also I have trouble with the grass generating weeds and with weedy grasses that creep into my beds and make veruy time-consuming weeding chores, whereas the lawn can just be mowed. I would love to do this on a city lot, though. One of the yards I've seen used clematis on poles with a square of welded wire at the top with great effect.
Related Discussions
All Giants All the Time!
Q
Comments (3)
Check it out. I'm a Dallas/Ft. Worth resident (Cowboys supporter) who is originally from the East Coast(go Baltimore Colts!)so I had a vendetta against the "perfect Patriots". I was more than glad to have any team take them down, Giants included.
...See More
All island All the time. RE picture
Q
Comments (11)
I think this is actually in a lean-to addition on the house, but I *have seen various rooms with peaked ceilings added as a decorative detail no matter how it actually relates to the house, on my Real Estate adventures. Usually it is a living room or a hallway where there is clearly a floor above. Imagine walking into an old 3 story row house, with a shallow "vaulted" ceiling, complete with exposed beams, on the first floor front. There are also a lot of mirror crazy houses too, walls of mirror with beveled ornamental overlays or beveled mirror "studs" at the intersections between pieces are very popular.
...See More
First Time Homeowner - where to start when you need to decorate it all
Q
Comments (141)
@LKB The night stands look terrific & yes, their larger size definitely has a positive impact. They match the scale of bed. For lamp size, I’ve seen guidelines but can’t say just what they are - probably can Google. It’s easy to see when a lamp doesn’t work though. Personally, my guide for height is where light hits when I’m sitting in bed reading & I don’t want tops higher than headboard. Style wise - just want to blend with overall theme. My thoughts on current lamps is they’re too tall, too skinny & too modern. But, they are interesting looking lamps! Don’t think wainscoting is too trendy or dated at all. I wonder though how much of an accent it would be if it was not high enough to be seen over top of a 60” headboard & then if it was over 60”, is it too high? If wainscotting was on all walls it seems worth the effort but then it’s no longer an accent. I’d be more inclined to have it in an entry or entry & adjoing spaces. BTW, I do like your chair find - it looks very comfy so maybe it can stay in a corner spot in room? Very cool that your existing pieces sold so fast - bet your husband is pleased! I just have to ask - what is that seat or??? attached to end of bed? I'm trying to make a cat bed out of it but wondering where dog & its bed went?
...See More
Quartz countertops feel 'dusty' all the time
Q
Comments (12)
Any updates or solutions? I cleaned my new quartz counters and they feel clean and smooth. I even covered them with a sheet overnight in case there was dust floating in my air. The next morning I took that sheet off and they had what felt like a light coat of dust on them. I don’t know what is causing this. But it is driving me crazy!
...See More
Cher
13 years ago
canudigit I am right now trying to decide what to do with the rest of my backyard in grass. Over half the backyard is already in gardens with mulch and outlined around the perimeter of that with large pavers. I have an area left of approximately 46 X 32 in grass. I have been trying to eliminate as much as I can but am hesitant for more mulching area. Literally have hundreds of thousands of maple seeds from neighbors trees drop in my mulch yard in May. Truly a nightmare trying to clean them up yet mowing is horrendous on my back and asthma and would love to get down to just mowing the front.

Have worried about doing groundcover although I am considering the wooly thyme yet how much of a nightmare will I be dealing with trying to get maple seeds out of that. Maybe I could just mow over that also after the seeds drop. Can't deal with more of an area of trying to clean up seeds.

Thought about just doing the clover so many are doing because atleast I could run the mower over that area. So am trying to decide what else to do here.
CH

Related Stories

FURNITURE Day, Night, or All the Time: Daybeds Are Great!

MODERN HOMES My Houzz: All Right With All-White in a Modern New Jersey Home

By Rikki Snyder

A bold monochrome palette with black accents, modern art and treehouse-like views of NYC are stars in this couple’s dramatic home

UNIVERSAL DESIGN Design for All: Smart Interiors for All Members of the Home

By Kerrie Kelly Design Lab

GARDENING GUIDES New Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want

EXTERIORS Great Design Element Our Grandparents Knew All About: Awnings

By Becky Harris

This time-tested feature for shading and cooling is enjoying a resurgence

ORGANIZING Helpful Catch-Alls Keep Visual Clutter at Bay

By Erin Lang Norris

What a difference it makes when you corral your stuff in pretty bowls, baskets or crates

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Love Is All You Need

By Lisa from Fern Creek Cottage

Celebrate the greatest gift of all with artwork and accessories you can keep out even on Cupid’s days off

TREE HOUSES Amazing Tree Houses From All Over the World

By Kimberly Stevens

Not your average backyard DIYs, many high-design homes in the trees alight in a photo-filled new book

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Kitchen Storage for All Styles

By Rebecca Gallop

Keep cookware and kitchen tools neatly at hand with these shelves, baskets and organizers

The Eclectic Style: It's All In The Mix

By Melissa Alvarado Sierra