Does anyone have ground cover instead of a grass lawn?

[RoughCollie]

I am thinking of switching out my lawn for an evergreen ground cover.

 

Does anyone have this? Can you tell me about it, in terms of appearance and upkeep?

 

I don't want my typical grass-lawned neighbors to get mad at me, but I think a non-grass lawn is better for the environment. I want it to look good, not like a ratty wannabe cottage style garden.

 

I have a contemporary colonial, 2-story, house and it is ugly -- don't want to add to the general ugliness either.

 

I appreciate the help!

 

Thank you,

RC

[Liz CA]

I am thinking of switching out my lawn for an evergreen ground cover.

 

Does anyone have this? Can you tell me about it, in terms of appearance and upkeep?

 

I don't want my typical grass-lawned neighbors to get mad at me, but I think a non-grass lawn is better for the environment. I want it to look good, not like a ratty wannabe cottage style garden.

 

I have a contemporary colonial, 2-story, house and it is ugly -- don't want to add to the general ugliness either.

 

I appreciate the help!

 

Thank you,

RC

 

but we have Vinca Minor and Vinca Major (V. Major spreads like wildfire), there are a number of pretty ground covers that bloom. Check a garden book for a good cover that will thrive in your area.

The Vinca is sturdy, the dog tramples across it but it has not marred its beauty. I always liked Rosemary too but we live a fire prone area and someone recommended staying away from Rosemary for that reason.

[Mamagistra]

Does poison ivy count? :lol::lol:

[Laura K (NC)]

We have vinca in two places and ivy in two patches. The vinca does not look good in the wintertime but it's beautiful in the spring and summer. We have a varigated vinca in one patch and I like it the best. What's neat is when you plant bulbs in it, then you have a few layers to look at.

 

I don't recommend ivy. I always thought it was pretty. I never knew how much work it was. It's woody. It's invasive. If you get other vines in it (like the honeysuckle and the Virginia creeper that are in ours) it's very difficult to sort it out. Snakes like living in it. You have to weed it regularly or else it looks terrible, and I am squeamish about walking through it. You can't tell the difference easily between ivy and poison ivy when the ivy is in big patches. Once it's in, you might need heavy machinery to remove it if you change your mind. Honestly, grass is easier than ivy. The good thing about ivy, though, is that it will grow where grass won't. New trees will spring up in a bed of ivy, and we've gotten a few great trees that way... maples, redbuds, a holly, and an oak. I'd rather have a forest than a lawn, so I encourage these trees, but I don't encourage the ivy. Next time I have to get it off the fence and out of the neighbor's yard, I might hire someone with a chainsaw.

 

You know what's pretty is a groundcover of roses. I put an entry and some pictures on my blog, linked below. Mine grew very tall, but they're supposed to be short. I got them from Heirloom Roses, and I've been amazed at how little work they are and how big they get.

[Fourmother]

We live on a steep hillside which is not conducive to a traditional lawn. We followed the example of some neighbors by installing ice plant, a succulent ground cover. It needs little to no water once established, reduces fire danger, requires little weeding or maintenance other than cutting it back every once in a while. Ice plant is very common in my part of California for all these reasons.

 

Note: Unfortunately the following does not depict my house, yard, or driveway.

 

 

[Jane in NC]

We have shore junipers on part of our yard that slopes. They are a low growing evergreen, virtually maintenance free. Far better than grass for our heat since the plants really don't need watering after they are established. I would contact your friendly Master Gardener program at the Extension Service to see what they would advise. (Our local Master Gardeners also sell plants twice a year at prices that beat the garden centers!)

 

Jane

[Kay in Cal]

 

Note: Unfortunately the following does not depict my house, yard, or driveway.

 

 

 

 

Lol! I was about to ask if we could come stay with you--maybe for a few months? There have to be enough bedrooms in there, right?

[RoughCollie]

Liz, the Vinca Minor & Major are exactly what I was thinking of putting in. Thank you for suggesting it. I'm glad they spread like wildfire because that means less work for me, unless they are like kudzu.

 

Debra, I live in dread of poison ivy -- never had it but it's probably in our yard somewhere. If we had a trespasser problem, I'd consider planting it all over the place -- that would be funny -- a would-be burglar covered in welts.

 

Laura, thank you for the warning about ivy. It is highly touted on many websites I visited while researching ground covers. It's off my list.

 

A double thank you for your blog post with the beautiful pictures. I love those heirloom roses -- they are the old-fashioned kind I have long admired. I have seen them in a couple of parks around here, so they will live in Mass. Now that I know they don't take a rose genius, I will get some. My dad grew roses as a hobby and they were a lot of work. He once had a hedge of roses that ran the entire length of our driveway. People would come from miles around just to see them. I can't get into that much work, but the heirloom roses sound like a good fit for me.

 

Fourmother, thanks for posting the picture. It shows ground cover and ornamental grasses, and while the house is spectacular, so is the landscaping, and it gave me a better idea of what this stuff actually looks like. I wish I could swap my house for that one.

 

RC

[RoughCollie]

What do you do about leaves when you have ground cover? We have several very tall oak trees which shed their leaves twice a year. This means a lot of raking. We fill up 40 - 50 of the tall brown paper leaf bags every year, and that is a lot of leaves.

 

I'd glady cut down those trees and plant something I like. But at around $800 per tree (a few years ago), we can't afford it. I tried to get DH to get me a chain saw so I can do it myself, but he won't. I can cut down trees that are 4"-5" in diameter with my pruning saw, but not an oak tree.

 

So now I'm worried. I don't want the lawn -- which is no prize, by the way. It is so shaded by those darned oaks that moss grows nearly everywhere. Maybe I should get moss as a ground cover.

 

Anyway, back to the question. If you have ground cover, how do you rake leaves without destroying it?

 

Thank you so much for your help!

 

RC