[emmeya]

Hi! I am totally over mowing my front yard! I think I want to put in a ground cover over most of it and I'm not sure what to put in... maybe periwinkle? Does anyone have any ideas for central NC, zone 7... I have awesome topsoil because the woman that had the house for 75 years before me was a great gardener, but then the house was a rental for almost 10 years and it has all gone to pot...

And, how do you do that? Till the entire yard and plant plugs?

The yard is full sun and kind of hilly. (Directly related to why I don't want to mow it anymore!)

Thanks for any help!
Emme

[RickJ]

I find lots of good suggestions for your zone here (click the cached link for them) but you'll also want to consider the type of soil you have.

If I were you I'd go with the advice of a local plant store who knows the soil types of your area the best. Don't go to Home Depot or Lowe's Lawn and Garden people... go to a place that does plants only.

And as for planting, yes, the best way to do it would be to get rid of all the grass first.

Hope this at least gives you some things to think about.

[fredg]

HI,
Does your local town/city have any kind of Farm Supply Store? Or maybe a Southern States Cooperative? I live in VA, and you being in NC, might have something similar.
I would ask them what they would suggest as ground cover. Normally, someone working at places like this will have experience with your area. You might also have an Agricultural Extension Agent, or similar. Look in your local phone book.

[labman]

Tilling really doesn't kill off grass and weeds. You would do better to use Round Up or other brand of vegetation killer. A large expanse of ground cover isn't maintenance free either if you don't want a bunch of grass and weeds. Ortho makes a great product that kills grass and leaves ground covers including periwinkle. I have a big section of lawn in the front full of trees and steep slopes. When we moved here, somebody had the good sense to plant it to ground cover, but it was full of grass and weeds. I have slowly cleaned out most of the grass with grass killer, but I am still fighting broad leaf weeds and tree seedlings. Of course, I select certain trees and let them grow.

[fredg]

HI,
I fully agree with the answer before mine, in regards to using a Tiller... wish I had thought of it in my first answer!
The tiller willl not get rid of weeds... it merely replants them! I have used one in clearing off space for a vegetable garden in a never-before cleared area. I then used a rake (the kind with sturdy teeth) to rake over the area, getting rid of as many roots as I could. It helped a little, but still had weeds come up... don't think as many though.
You might also consider buying a gal or two gal. sprayer to use with weed killers.

[emmeya]

Thanks for the good ideas!

[dmatos]

There are also chemical-free methods of removing ground cover, which are a good idea if you have children or pets. Those herbicides tend to be persistent toxins, easily tracked into your house, and almost impossible to get rid of.

If you're not in a hurry, cover your lawn _completely_ with several layers of newspapers, then put manure or compost about six inches thick on top. After a few months with no sunlight, anything down there will be dead. The manure or compost will make a great rich soil base, and the newspaper will be mostly decomposed.

If you're in more of a hurry, and in a sunny climate, spreading black plastic tarps over the ground will raise the temperature underneath to levels high enough to bake out any roots.

[cjevans]

First, take soil samples from several places throughout your front lawn to your local Agriculture Extension Service. The Extension Services are usually in your local county. They have boxes in which you can collect and identify the soil (under oak tree, center of lawn, etc.). They will test your samples and then give you an analysis to tell you what soil prep you will need to grow your groundcover. Be sure to specify