On Wed, 14 May 2003 17:55:28 -0400, "Neil" wrote:


My new home has an area that is about 275ft x 30ft in front of the house
(essentially the length of the lot and about 30ft deep). It is uneven and
strewn
with large bolders.

The previous owner of the house took a very costly approach. The area
has a fair amount of trees, some random shrub plantings, and is covered from
end to end with mulch (wood chips). The previous owner told me it cost
about $2000 to put down mulch along this entire area. Well I was fortunate
enough to find
a free supply of wood chips, as long as I was willing to spread them myself.
Five truckloads (and over a month later), and
I've finally finished "chipping" the area.

This is unmanageable as far as I'm concerned, but I'm at a loss as to
how to improve the situation.

1) Grass - preparing the land (tree removal, bolder removal, fill) is too
expensive.
2) Ground cover - Seems that I either have to spend a fortune for an acre of
the stuff, or wait the remainder of my life for a little bit to spread out.

There's a picture of the area at

http://www.panix.com/~nradisch/yard.jpg

The area curves a bit, but the very end can be seen at the top of the
picture.


Any suggestions greatly appreciated

Neil



Actually, it looks quite nice. The trees, shrubs, mulch and rock
complement each other in tecture, color, and shape. Determine what
ground covers do well in your area and do well in shade. Plant
groupings of the ground cover in random areas. You can pick 3 or 4
groundcovers. Spring bulbs and Lily of the Valley would be nice
addiitons. Plant blooming shade plants such as impatients--I know
these are annuals but that will fill-in some of the bare areas until
the perrenials take over. Leave some spots bare. A pond, fountain,
or other water feature would provide a focal point. Install a
stepping stone path with some footlights leading to a bench.