shade turf

[Chris McN]

Does anyone know where in CT I could purchase sod specifically grown for shady areas. About how much would it cost per ft. or yd.?

Thanx!



Chris Mc

[MaineDesigner]

Grass seed mixes for shade are predominantly fine fescues. They shouldn't be hard to find or cost appreciably more than ordinary grass seed mixes. The catch is that even the fescues aren't all that shade tolerant. If you have a really shady area it is probably better to think about an alternate ground cover of some sort as trying to establish turf grasses will be a losing battle. If you would post a couple shots of the area (mid morning and mid afternoon would be ideal) on the landscaping forum and let us know whether the area tends to me moist or dry you would probably get some good suggestions. Good luck.

[Chris McN]

Hi,

I've posted these elsewhere on this forum. These were taken around 4-5 p.m. EST.

[img]https://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/ChrisMcN/front1May08.jpg[/img]
I posted earlier about black mulch vs. natural/brown mulch (the picture above was taken prior to mulching) I did return the black mulch and got the brown, but it looks just like a continuation of the bare ground--not much contrast which is disappointing. I've since planted a border impatiens along the landscaping in hopes to brighten the area and provide contrast. I'm waiting for those to fill in before I take another photo.

[img]https://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/ChrisMcN/front3May08.jpg[/img]
The groundcover in the foreground is some sort of wild violet. My husband is attempting to plant grass again this year and I do see tiny tufts sprouting now, but I have a sinking feeling it won't fill in. If I have to resort to groundcover I'd rather plant dead nettle (something short with tiny leaves) than have the violets. Also, the walkway is caving in. I'm told that back in the 1970s it was customary to bury new home construction debris onsight rather than haul it away, and so 30 years later sink holes are cropping up It's getting worse, I think, because of the erosion, too. After a lot of precipitation (winter snow melt) the walkway gets flooded, otherwise the ground does not seem particularly saturated.

The retaining walls + plantings were put in last year (I've replaced some perennials with evergreens) Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to have the whole front lawn and walkway renovated so I'm trying to figure out the best way to work with what we have (less maintenance the better!)

[newsunrise]

I'm not much help But what you have done so far looks great!!
I understand about not being able to afford to do what you want and Working with what you have. I have a 100 year old farm house and It needs a lot of help.....
from what I can see from your pictures I would continue to do what you've done. sorry I wasn't much help!

I have an area in my side yard that we want to xeriscape because nothing wants to grow there except a few shrubs. you could maybe check more into that. I also came accross a site that is about clover lawns It may work for you take a look at this page
[url]https://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns_4.htm[/url]
I think I'm gonna give this a try!

[Chris McN]

Hi newsunrise,

Thanks for the reply.

I've considered a clover lawn, but it would have to be reseeded every 2-3 years--and it's not very tolerant of heavy foot traffic. We have a dog that runs like a maniac around the yard.

Here's a great how to:
https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Clover-Lawn

Hope you're having a great weekend!