Help me pick a good ground cover

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HD28Cat Louisville, KY Mar 06, 2009

Hi Yall,

Take a look at these photos and help me decide on a good ground cover for the areas where currently there is grass. All the mulched are perennials. I want to replace the grass with a ground cover. The hill is too steep to mow. I'll also eventually be adding in a stone pathway going down the hill. I'm open to other thoughts and suggestions as well.

http://gallery.me.com/barleyhd28#100021&bgcolor=black&view=grid


Chris

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SonnyMTate Portsmouth, VA Mar 08, 2009

Phlox, Periwinkle, Juniper, or Ivy. All of these are drought resistant. Periwinkle grows pretty fast, but might die back in the winter, the rest are evergreen here in the south. I think your a little cooler than we are here in Virginia, but I think the rest will still stay green year round. I use them in various places around the yard, but I've seen entire lawns covered with these up in DC!

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NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a) Mar 08, 2009

I have two hills that make yours look tame (they can't be mowed, they have to be done with a weedeater). I've been researching for the last 5 years to find something that can grow in the poor and very dry conditions. I "think" I've finally found something that might work--sedum. I'm going to dry Sedum dasyphyllum major since it's evergreen, pretty, and spreads indefinitely. There are other varieties that you might want to look into but this one seems to fit my needs.

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HD28Cat Louisville, KY Mar 09, 2009

Any ideas on the best way to go about it? Im afraid that if i just kill the grass there will be nothing to keep all the dirt from washing off while Im waiting on the ground cover to fill in?

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dax080 Cedar Rapids, IA(Zone 5a) Mar 09, 2009

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/857859/

Hi - Check out this thread on sedum as ground cover - some great info. As far as the process, unless the grass is removed first, there will be a constant battle between the groundcover and the grass. By putting down landscape fabric when the sod is removed, the ground can be protected and kept in place until the cover growns to it. Just open up spaces where the cover is being planted, cover it with mulch, and the plant will eventually grow througth out through the fabric with it's runners. Not to complicate your search, but lamium (Deadnettle) is another favorite of mine for hard to grow areas - this is Chequers - a voracious grower with pretty purple blooms. - Dax

Thumbnail by dax080
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NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a) Mar 09, 2009

Our hills are so steep that we plan to just spray weed killer on sections a few feet in diameter, put a plant in each section, then keep an eye on it to make sure the grass/weeds don't creep back in. As the sedum begins to spread, we'll enlarge the section by spraying in a larger area around it to steadily kill the grass and weeds. We will cover the sedum with a bucket so the weed spray won't get on it.

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