- Chemical approaches are off the table (no weed killers or anything like that. The safe alternatives such as boiling water etc, are basically a no-go as well due to the sheer amount of dandelions he's dealing with and the assumption that there are probably countless dormant seeds just waiting to sprout up at any time). dandelions are easy to kill with a selective herbicide that won't also kill the lawn. but there are so many dandlions there that I would spray it all dead with roundup then reseed fescue if that'll grow good up there, and then keep the fescue mowed tall 4-4.5" will help shade out dandelions from sprouting. but I'm sure you'll still get more dandelion but those can be selectively sprayed and then reseed again and get a thick lawn. the dandelions are only like that for a couple weeks in Spring and Fall time though, no? and the rest of the year it's almost a groundcover I don't see a problem with if he doesn't. I don't like using chemicals but they work. and can be minimal if done right. oh edit, I think canada banned chemicals, I approve... you can till it and reseed but till it finely because dandelions have a tap root like a carrot that will regrow even if cut in half, you gotta really grind them up small. can also keep it all organic no chems etc and juice the dandelion leaves they are extremely healthy. they were brought over from europe I beleive as an accent to lawns on purpose now people think they are the devil. yes putting a solid fence will help wind-blown seeds but not %100. - so making the transition into a complete rock garden wouldn't be that big of a change on an aesthetic level). rock gardens especially small rocks as someone mentioned, dirt will makes its way between the rocks and then weeds form in the rocks can become a nightmare. And fabric usually sucks and makes it worse the roots go right through and try and pull roots pulls the fabric too. plastic probably better but still can get weeds. unless you put weed preventer pre emergent (chemicals sitting there the whole year no thanks) then weeds will grow. some places just seem to get lucky and rock beds don't get too weedy even after decades but some places get real bad real quick even with crabgrass. 2. Same complete removal of the grass/ weeds, but then buying massive quantities of hardy groundcover plants (he was thinking Irish moss or related) and hoping they are all able to catch/ spread really quickly and are able to outcompete the dandelions for occupancy of the yard space I would suggest this also groundcover. find what works great for that zone. maybe also plant a shady tree(s) should help slow growth of dandelions and groundcover might prefer shade but I personally prefer a full sun yard. maybe build a canopy for a grape vine over the whole yard. maybe get a cheap tiller and till a garden each year plant veggies and stuff. mulch in between the plants with grass clippings. it's work I don't know if willing to do or if a garden 'fits' in that neighborhood but it's an option. or plant more and more shrubs, hedges, large ornamental grasses make a sort of mystical maze of dense plants. or concrete over it all if allowed. patio needs re-do polymeric sand I see bunch of weeds pavers need maintance vs concrete pad doesn't.

Now that I looked at the J&P website I should ask, do you have Our Lady of Guadalupe? Ask around but here on the east coast it is a low growing, very prolific bloomer, two-toned pink with a silvery sheen. I have no idea about its size in CA. Sorry for the typo abut Grussy it isn't Grus but Gruss an Aachen (greeting from Aachen). Cass recommended me a wonderful mini, Gentle Maid as front of the bed rose I still have it and it does very well. I got it from Pickering, I don't know who else has it. Its a very double, disease resistant Harkness rose. It has never reached 2' - is it too small/low? There are many more that you may like, I give you the link to the page, maybe you find something you like. You have a lot of white by mow, so here are some other pastels (and not pastels but those can be disregarded). Cafe Ole is absolutely stunning! I had one own root in a pot but during our drought I lost it. I try to remember to order it grafted, it must be stronger. Very fragrant indeed. Since it is a R. Moore rose it must be widely available in California. Here is a link that might be useful: patio, miniature and miniflora roses

I don't know much about the use of clover, but there is some information on Crimson clover, white clover, and other "cover" or "green manure" crops on GardenWeb's "Organic Gardening" forum at the link below. Someone on that forum may have some good tips on this topic. Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Gardening forum: Cover Crops

Bizy, are you sure it's gophers? There's a vole that digs into my yard sometimes. I think he's looking for grubs. According to what I've read, they don't eat plants, they just uproot them. This year I've put down some Milky Spore Disease in an effort to kill Japanese Beetle grubs. Hopefully this will solve my vole problem too. Kelly, if I wanted to just shade out things so that I could plant veggies later, I'd plant a cover crop. One year I needed some "green manure" so I just threw handfuls of black-eyed beans that I had in the kitchen out in the new raised bed. There's also alfalfa that's mighty good for the soil. You could also mulch heavily. I got some bales of old hay from a friend this spring. She used to keep cattle on her place but has gotten too frail in the last several years to do it. She probably weighs 100 pounds soaking wet and she used to throw bales of hay around like a man. But anyway her barn has quite a few bales left in it. Some of the wires have broken so it was hard to get it into the truck bed, but I got probably 6 bales. The hay comes apart in layers and you can peel off a layer that is thick enough to lay over the top of the bed and it stays put, even will hold down a good thick layer of leaves. It will shade out most things. This year I'm trying to grow potatoes in mulch, which is what I got the hay bales for. I had a terrible problem with weeds and bermuda in my raised beds till I started mulching. Grass clippings do a good job too, but fresh grass clippings generate a lot of heat. This can be good and bad. Now I only get bermuda in the corners of the beds and I can keep that pulled out fairly easily. I did have to give up trying to grow strawberries, though.