Grass alternatives for large lawn with dogs

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hi,

My backyard is the bane of my existence right now. We have owned our home in Kentuckiana for three years now and every year I go through the same process of planting and replanting grass, fertilizing, and watering, only to end up with a few patches of new grass that is mostly dead by the next season. Our yard is almost completely shaded by mid spring and is well over 1,000 sqaure feet, with foot traffic from two dogs. I attached a photo of what it looks like. Sad, huh? The most frustrating thing is looking at my neighors backyard two doors down and seeing beautiful green grass. I really want a green yard, but don't have hundreds of dollars to blow on landscaping pros or sod. I know there are many alternatives to grass, such as moss, clover, and thyme, that I have been interested in trying. I want something that will grow fast, in shade, be less maintenance than grass, been fairly inexpensive and stand up to traffic of dogs. I know that is alot to ask, but I'm tied of fighting grass and really need something to work. I'm willing to try anything! If you have any suggestions on other grass alternatives or how to get something to grow in my backyard, please let me know.

Thanks!!

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Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Yep, no way on earth turf grasses will grow in that much shade!!

There's a couple of ways you could approach this. First, get rid of the path - not attractive and awkwardly laid out at best and plot out a better pathway that actually leads somewhere. Paths need to have a destination! Not sure what the concrete pad is to the right, but if used for a dining area or similar, that makes a reasonable destination. You could also take it all the way down to the end of the garden and create a small seating area. Make the path generously wide, fill it with wood chips and plant any variety of low growing shade plants as you like on either side. Dogs and wood chips get along well together - they are the go-to surfacing material for all the dog parks around here - and the dogs will tend to stay on the obstacle-free pathway rather than rampage through the plantings.....after you show them the ropes.

If you have no need of a path through the whole garden (no destination), you could also try some hardy, woody stemmed groundcover, something that will thrive in shade, like wintercreeper, vinca or in my area, salal. Possibly even English ivy if an appropriately non-invasive species in your area. But you would need to plant in blocks protected from the dogs until the plants get established - several months at least. Very few groundcovers starts have any ability to stand up to dogs or other foot traffic immediately after planting. And if the dogs have a preferred traffic pattern already established, you may never get any groundcover successfully established in those areas - it will always show wear or usage so expect that or just make these the primary pathway.
User
8 years ago
I too am unable to keep a lawn with an active dog and a shade tree.

my brother has a lawn surrounded by an ivy. The ivy is planted where his dogs are most active. Along the fence.

i do not want to use wood chips nor rocks because my current dog has consumed both.

gardengal, thanks for the ivy suggestion.
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Kaitlyn Sanders
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi gardengal,

Thank you for the suggestions! That path was there when we bought the place and I have always hated it. With being a full time student, it has been hard to do some real good reorganization of the yard. I am hoping to move the upper part of the path and turn it 90 degrees to meet the concrete pad. That will make the area next to the firepit kind of its own "mini space". Any suggestions on what I could do there to reduce my need for groundcover/grass?

Grass alternatives for large lawn with dogs

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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Grass alternatives for large lawn with dogs

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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