Lawn cover is important, and sometimes covering other than grass is important. Places like foundation plantings, banks, and shady spots often need a covering other than grass. Covers other than grass are inexpensive and add beauty without the worry of weeds.
There are different desired covers for different locations. For an open and sunny location, like a bank or anywhere a higher cover is needed, a wild trailing rose vine is a great option. It features a natural white blossom, and a thick carpet of foliage that reaches two feet off the ground. Juniper is also a good option for these types of locations. They can create a matting of 8 to 20 feet tall. These types of ground cover can look lovely, either left to grow naturally or pruned back.
For areas of shade, consider evergreen vines like the Baltic ivy and the pachysandra. Periwinkle is another good option, the white and blue flowers are a bright and cheerful feature. English ivy is a great option for shaded areas, especially to the north sides of buildings. If your soil is sandy, making it difficult to grow shrubs, consider Scotch broom, hay-scented fern, sandwort, lily of the valley, maiden pink, or phlox.
Sometimes using a cover instead of grass for a lawn is an option; however this option can often lead to more work than just maintaining grass. These often claim they do not require mowing, but they still need upkeep to look clean and well kept. Plants for this include chamomile, and Sandwort. These plants create stunning turfs that are soft and fleshy.
Sandwort will need to be moved because it can grow to one inch long with a seed stalk. For hot and humid climates, Pearlwort is a good option, but it is prone to grubs, moths and beetles. Dicondra, often considered a weed, is a good cover plant as well. It is a low growing herb that is easy to grow, but cannot withstand too much abuse.
When it comes to planting grass seed, the heaviest sales for grass seed are in the spring, even though most grass seed sales are highest in the spring. The fall is best because the hottest season has passed, and there is more moisture in the ground and air. If you seed the grass in the spring, make sure you do it as early as the weather permits, so the roots will be well established before the hot weather arrives.
When you plant grass seed in the spring, you often risk it competing with crab grass and other weeds. This can be harmful to your seed because the weeds will compete for the nutrients and the food. If grass needs to be planted this late in spring create a temporary lawn of rye grass, this can be turned over in the fall to allow for permanent planting.
Grass seed should never be planted deeply into the soil, the seeds are too small. For rye grass, where the seeds are slightly larger with enough soil just to create contact so the soil moisture will cause germination. Small seeds, like the bent grasses, will need to only be partially covered. There needs to be four pounds of seed for every 1000 square feet of lawn.
Seed quality is important as well; simply planting heavily will not fix bad seed quality. This will actually create more seed competition.
Mechanical spreaders will work best. The seeds should be sown by spreading in one direction first, and then spread the rest crosswise to the first. This allows for coverage to be even and that way you will not miss seeding any spots. The seeds should then be carefully raked over, and then rolled lightly to keep the seed in the soil. For a small lawn, consider a top-dressing of 1/8 inch or so of screened soil or compost.
