i'm not sure if this is the right place, seeing as i want to get rid of a "lawn"....i live in the city, and i just dislike having to mow the grass curbside. i was hoping someone has suggestions on a ground cover that i could use to replace the grass....the area doesn't get a lot of direct sun, the soil is absolutely terrible...and in the winter gets all kinds of crud from the plows....and as with alot of city places....there is a tree smack dab in the middle of the area .....i've even tried pachysandra and that didn't live through the winter.....any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....
The biggest problem with that location would be from any salt spread over your street in icy/snowy weather then dumped on it by plows. There are many part shade ground covers that will tolerate, even prefer, poor soil but I don't know if any of them will tolerate the salt. The few plants I have found that tolerate salt are not readily available to buy as plants or seeds. You might call the local Master Gardener program in your area and ask if they are familiar with something that would work. I know it would be a lot of work, but have you thought about removing the grass, laying down a weed barrier then covering the area with either gravel or deep mulch. Then you could have assorted potted annuals out there, bring the pots in for winter then replant them with annuals in the spring...after the plows have been stored in the maintenance barn for the season.
thanks, toni......you are right...the street side of the part is horrible from the road salt.....and as much as i don't like to hear it....digging it all up and starting from scratch will probably be the best solution....but once it's done....it's done!
Annette, We lived in upstate NY for 25 years, so I know what you mean about the road salt and plows! You may want to check with your municipality. The right-of-way for streets may extend into the area between the curb and sidewalk. We couldn't plant anything there because the town didn't want anything to interfere with repairing sewers and water lines. Grass was okay, but nothing else (and of course the homeowner was responsible for mowing the right-of-way!) Your town may consider weed cloth and gravel an infringement. Personally, I think you should be commended for going to all that trouble to make a pretty spot!
Ooops I hadn't thought about city ordinances. Ours allows us to plant what we want as long as the water meter is still reachable and the plantings are at least 12 inches away from the curb. And we realize that they are not responsible for plant if they do have to dig pipes up. But they do give warning enough to get plants dug up and stored somewhere safe Re-doing that strip has long been on my gardening to-do list.
thanks for all the input....and you are right....in such a depressed area as ours, they should be thankful anyone wants to make something look better!
