New-ish homeowner, need some advice. Been taking care of this garden, replaced the mulch, added some plants, take out weeds regularly etc.
My wife doesn’t like all the brown mulch and wants grass added to have some greenery. I think grass is resource-inefficient and would be a pain to manage especially given the uneven terrain.
Would putting in ground cover be a good idea? Ground cover all over or just the edges? What about the back near the fence? I put a bit of sandwort last year on one of the edges and I really like how it’s grown and is blooming right now. But I’m afraid putting it all over will cause other issues like difficulty cleaning up leaves in the fall, and restrict airflow for existing plants.
Open to any other ideas.
Images attached. Thank you!
by Kamekazee2020
16 Comments
Personally I would just start filling in with plants. Already a great starting point and the mulch will be useful til plants established.
Dive in with hostas, mondo and other grasses, heuchera, brunera, etc. These plants all grow easily and can be split almost yearly. Before you know it that area will be full and glorious, with fewer weeds. I don’t see the point of yard grass in the beautiful area at all.
What you’re looking for is a groundcover, and it doesn’t have to be grass. Look for something native to your area: check with your state university ag extension office website and/or your state plant society for options and local nurseries.
I too am a mulch hater. Lots of cooking herbs are borderline invasive, so take up lots of space and are useful. People say to avoid these but I encourage them – oregano, rosemary, mint are all fast growers
You can add some lovely pots that fit the aesthetic and have the plants overflow enough, go high enough to dominate the space.
Add more plants. There’s your green. That has too few green plants — and add some plants with colorful leaves, as well! That’s all it needs and a it’s a lot more fun that putting in a silly lawn.
It would be helpful if you included what biozone you live in
Grass in that area won’t give you much use. Plant with plants. They will fill in and you won’t see any brown.
So many evergreen groundcovers you could toss in and let full in. Very low maintenance with these: Creeping myrtle, japanese spurge, creeping phlox, spotted dead nettle, many varieties of sedum, creeping juniper. Just pull weeds every now and then but these fill the gaps and add texture/ color.
Also, remove the box around that tree.
Where are you located?
You’re correct about the crass being resource inefficient. Depends on your light but full it out with hostas, prairie grasses, ferns, hellabores, creeping jenny, creeping thyme. So many good options.
I agree about adding a variety of plants and ground cover to the bed. Just go slowly! Buy 6 plants at a time. That’s the great thing about gardening – you don’t have to overexert yourself. Just slowly work toward your vision.
Just came here to say, that tree selection is exquisite.
With all those huge pine trees around you aren’t going to be growing grass very well.
Just put in more green plants and call it good.
Plant in your mulch?!