Hi, JD - That's interesting -- and a relief, because in my effort to keep the 5-1-1 for the gardenias and azaleas "acidic", I didn't add the garden lime but was recently told that it will probably cause some deficiency in the future. Perhaps my water will save the day for those. Thank you for your input! Someone on another forum said the jpg was too small. Here's the link to the PDF if anyone wants to take a look. Here is a link that might be useful: Water Report PDF

You could look into seeding poa supina. The drawbacks are it's expensive, and it takes a while to get established. Of course it needs to be mowed periodically which might be an issue in NYC. From what I have read though it does well in shade and can handle a good amount of traffic stress once established.

Yes, I think so too. I was a bit unsure bacause in general I do not like Pungens. I do not like blue conifers in general. Hence my preference for P. martinezii and not Chihauhuana for instance. Pungens is one of those species you won't find near the coast, but it tolerates salt really well. I found a beautiful, weeping form which was quite large really close to the coast. And I have to say I really really like this one. Looks very full and healthy.

I second you on the pea gravel. It looks nice for a little bit, but then you get all sorts of dirt and debris in there that you can't remove. And when you decide you want to get rid of it, it is a real bear to remove. I don't know of any groundcover that could handle kids playing, part shade, and the shallow roots of a maple tree. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in, but I think astro turf or that soft rubber they put on playgrounds these days may be your sturdiest bet. (My first thought was creeping thyme, but I don't think it's all that durable with kids playing. Plus it takes a while to get established, and buying plugs will cost an arm and a leg. Even starting plants from seeds yourself could be a pretty time consuming process just to get enough plants in the ground.) Good luck!