"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 finda 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.

Not to mention destruction of some really nice trees.

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.

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

I like it as is, and would just spend some time identifying the
various shrubs, perhaps adding some that flowr ot have some
striking decorative feature, and planting appropriate herbaceous
perennials and self-seeding wildflowers among the trees. They
all look deciduous, so spring bulbs should do well and
naturalize.

Keep mulching as leaves fall, and enjoy the low-maintenance
strip.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré