I'm currently cutting sod off some of the front yard and putting the sod
in the back yard under the magnolia tree. I figure if it (some grass,
some dandelions, whatever) takes root there, it'll cover the dirt left
after the chickens scratched out the very sparse grass and moss that was
there before. If it doesn't grow there, it'll be good compost for seed
later. Either way, the front area will be level and will be real lawn (or
whatever I plant), not just native whatever that has blown in over the
last 20-30 years.

I'm considering planting shade-tolerant grass and cutting it out in the
fall to put under the apricot tree which also was "de-grassed" by the
chickens with it being sparse grass and moss also. After moving that new
sod/turf/grass/whatever to the back yard, I'm thinking of wooly or
creeping thyme there. Irish moss might be good there also. The idea is to
have it as low maintenance as possible since I prefer to spend my time in
the garden in the back yard. It's on the east side of the house so gets
the morning sun and is fully shaded late in the day from the house.
Because it's the front of the property, though two rows of Roma tomatoes
would be perfect, veggies are not practical there and I really do want to
basically ignore it as much as possible and still have it look good. It's
an area 30 feet long and 9 feet wide. What would you do with it?

Is the growing of new turf for under the apricot tree really "out there"
or is it a reasonable thing to do? What would be good for a permanent
planting in the stripped area? We are in the Portland, Oregon, area so
weather is mild compared to many parts of the U.S.A.

Glenna

I'm a big fan of rye grass now. My entire back yard is in the shade
almost 100% of the time, and rye grew in just beautifully. I simply
threw some down last fall. If you can prepare the dirt a little with a
tiller, that will help, but I didn't. I just waited for a rainy week
and threw a bunch of seed down. And I had a very recent turf only two
weeks later. It stayed green all winter (my grass only in the whole
neighborhood) and it's still growing great, although rye is supposed
to be annual. Even if I need to plant it every year, that will be fine
by me. It's only about $10 for a 25-lb bag. Two bags ($20) covered the
whole back yard (maybe 20yds x 30yds.) I got some from WalMart and
some from Lowes. The price was the same, but the grass from Lowes grew
much, much better. All plants and seeds I get from WalMart crap out
very quickly, so stay away from that. Get rye seed from someone else
and you'll be happy. I'm mixing in fescue with this rye right now,
mostly just for the hell of it. BTW, I live in North Texas. Rye grass
should grow even better for you up there in Oregon.