Gazebo? The neighbours would appreciate it and you can grow climbers over
it. The open side could face the house, or anywhere you would like to see.
Neil


"Neil" wrote in message ...
I'd considered something architectural also (benches and other non-plant
things),
but the area doesn't seem very conducive to it. If you look off to the
left
of the picture
you can see some asphalt. This is a shared driveway that runs the length
of
my property.
It is used by everyone on my cul-de-sac. While it's not a busy road (there
are only
five houses that use it), it doesn't lend itself to a closed contemplative
setting.
I would probably need to lay out a few hundred feet of dense hedge along
the
drive to pull that off.

The marshy patch is a nice idea, but the front of my property is
relatively
dry.

As for my tastes, well I'm fond of color. Unfortunately the previous owner
seemed to be fond of green and white. The property (front and back) is
loaded with
oak and maple trees (the ones that DONT turn red in the fall, only a
sickly
yellow).


"gastropod" wrote in message
...
Designer he
Use the ground cover you like and fits your zone requirements as said in
small groupings. Also add some shrubs to the scheme that form dense low
mounds. Not knowing your locale or taste makes it harder to suggest
plants,
but local nurseries will have good plantsmen to help. Another use of
the
space would be a marshy patch. If you have enough rainfall, dig out a
shallow (24" deep) area, as large as you have patience for and monies to
line, fill it with a mix of local soil and compost. Plant it with
marginal
water plants as found in local ponds. Again a good nursery can help
select
plants. Of course the leaf fall should not be tidied away. That which
falls in the marsh and on the hard ground will feed worms, which tend
your
soil for you, feeding your trees etc.
These strategies will absorb much of the mulched area and thus negate
the
need for a lot of the work.
Neil
PS If I put my site details up, this message would be blocked I
guess.


"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Neil" wrote in message
...

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.

It looks a lot better than what I was expecting from your description!
I
would forget the grass. First of all, you have very nice grass
already
and
the grass that would grow under the trees would be inferior to the
existing
lawn. It would also be monotonous. Finally, even if you could get
grass
to
grow it would be a maintenance nightmare mowing around the trees and
rocks.

I like the idea of ground cover, but not all ground cover. I would
contact
a landscape designer or two and get some ideas. You might drive around
your
area and take some pictures of things that you like. I don't know
where
you are, so it is hard to make specific suggestions for plants. I
would
like to see some hostas under the trees. There are many nice
perennials
that would look wonderful planted in a border meandering around the
trees.
You could also plant areas of ground cover. I would use a variety of
ground
covers. You can mulch some paths between the plantings. You should
only
have to mulch the area every two or three years and you would have far
less
mulching, and more a more diverse and interesting landscaping. You
are
starting with a very nice setting.

An interesting thought, but I don't think the strip of land in question is
really wide enough for something like that

"gastropod" wrote in message
...
Gazebo? The neighbours would appreciate it and you can grow climbers over
it. The open side could face the house, or anywhere you would like to
see.
Neil


"Neil" wrote in message
...
I'd considered something architectural also (benches and other non-plant
things),
but the area doesn't seem very conducive to it. If you look off to the
left
of the picture
you can see some asphalt. This is a shared driveway that runs the length
of
my property.
It is used by everyone on my cul-de-sac. While it's not a busy road
(there
are only
five houses that use it), it doesn't lend itself to a closed
contemplative
setting.
I would probably need to lay out a few hundred feet of dense hedge along
the
drive to pull that off.

The marshy patch is a nice idea, but the front of my property is
relatively
dry.

As for my tastes, well I'm fond of color. Unfortunately the previous
owner
seemed to be fond of green and white. The property (front and back) is
loaded with
oak and maple trees (the ones that DONT turn red in the fall, only a
sickly
yellow).


"gastropod" wrote in message
...
Designer he
Use the ground cover you like and fits your zone requirements as said
in
small groupings. Also add some shrubs to the scheme that form dense
low
mounds. Not knowing your locale or taste makes it harder to suggest
plants,
but local nurseries will have good plantsmen to help. Another use of
the
space would be a marshy patch. If you have enough rainfall, dig out a
shallow (24" deep) area, as large as you have patience for and monies
to
line, fill it with a mix of local soil and compost. Plant it with
marginal
water plants as found in local ponds. Again a good nursery can help
select
plants. Of course the leaf fall should not be tidied away. That
which
falls in the marsh and on the hard ground will feed worms, which tend
your
soil for you, feeding your trees etc.
These strategies will absorb much of the mulched area and thus negate
the
need for a lot of the work.
Neil
PS If I put my site details up, this message would be blocked I
guess.


"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Neil" wrote in message
...

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.

It looks a lot better than what I was expecting from your
description!
I
would forget the grass. First of all, you have very nice grass
already
and
the grass that would grow under the trees would be inferior to the
existing
lawn. It would also be monotonous. Finally, even if you could get
grass
to
grow it would be a maintenance nightmare mowing around the trees and
rocks.

I like the idea of ground cover, but not all ground cover. I would
contact
a landscape designer or two and get some ideas. You might drive
around
your
area and take some pictures of things that you like. I don't know
where
you are, so it is hard to make specific suggestions for plants. I
would
like to see some hostas under the trees. There are many nice
perennials
that would look wonderful planted in a border meandering around the
trees.
You could also plant areas of ground cover. I would use a variety
of
ground
covers. You can mulch some paths between the plantings. You should
only
have to mulch the area every two or three years and you would have
far
less
mulching, and more a more diverse and interesting landscaping. You
are
starting with a very nice setting.

The mulch is free. I know a guy who takes down trees and is
happy to dump the chips on my land instead of taking it to the
dump.

I could sort of imagine lower maintenance configurations. Certainly
an area with dense groundcover would not need to be mulched. It's just that
this area is just tough for me to configure. Too narrow to be "woods", but
too big to treat like a regular garden.


"sam" wrote in message
...
In Neil wrote:
I like it as is also, but the strip in question eats over 5 truckloads
of mulch a year. Too much for me to put down.

I know pretty much what I have.
The stubby green bushes are Forsithia that have been pruned against
their natural habits.

There are some sickly azeleas, probably due to the lack of light from
all the trees.

A number of large burning bushes (hard to see in the picture) which
grow well but never turn red in the fall, again due to lack of light.

There are lots of bulbs, but what the squirrels don't dig up, the deer
decimate so I'm not going to plant anymore.

Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too much.


i'm afraid what people are (sort of) saying to you is that it just
doesn't get much more low-maintenance than what you have. are you
hoping someone will tell you to cut down and remove all those beautiful
old leaf-dropping trees? you'd get more light and fewer fall leaves, i
guess, but weeding that 9000 sq ft will be a whole lot more work than
the mulching you just did. do you want to asphalt over the strip?

it sounds like the expense of the mulch is what you want to avoid. are
you sure the area "eats" all that mulch every year?

sam
pnw z/8

The patch really isn't wide enough to feel like a natural strip of woods, so
the leaves just look really messy. Also my wife refuses to have the
front of the house loaded with leaves.

Ground cover is an option, but again in such a large area I'm concerned that
it would be either very costly to implement, or even worse, look terribly
tedious
once established. Also, as a personal note, I don't like pachysandra.
Probably because
it seems to be the dominant life form in my neighborhood (after the deer),
and i'd
prefer something different. (BTW, the deer seem to have no interest in my
neighbors
pachysandra).

I have about a dozen fist size patches of periwinkle which are kinda nice. I
like the
little blue flowers and 9000sqft of little blues flowers could be rather
dramatic in the
spring. However, I get the impression that if I wait for this stuff to
spread, it'll be my
great-great grand-children that get to enjoy it.

Neil

"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...

"Neil" wrote in message
Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too much.

Ahh, there's a partial solution for you.....stop removing the leaves!!
They
constitute a free mulch that applies itself, and breaks down to nourish
all
your plantings. They will give your strip even more of an authentic
woodland look. If you are wedded to the way the bark mulch looks, you can
add a thin layer on top in the spring--you won't need nearly as much, as
you
are just topping up the leaf mulch.

Have you considered planting drifts of pachysandra? Once you get a few
patches established, in future years you can take cuttings or pull out
bits
to use to expand your ground cover area. It is very tolerant of shade, in
fact requires it, and the fallen leaves settle down in between the plants
very nicely. An established patch does not require any further mulch. I
don't have deer, though, so I don't know if they like it.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

The burning bush have to stay just because of their size. I have
three that are over 10ft tall and 18ft wide. They're monsters and are
one of the few plants in the area that are doing well (other than the
trees).

There have clearly been numerous attempts to populate the area with
different plantings, most of which have failed. The area is littered with
shrub stumps with plant labeles still attached. My best guess is that this
is due to lack of light. The picture is rather deceiving and makes the
area look well lit. It is not. This is actually the north side of the house.
Most of the day the area is in deep shade from both the house and the
trees that line the lawn.

Since posting this my neighbor convinced me to cut down what he
calls the "weed maples". About half a dozen young maple trees between
12 and 18ft tall that are blocking out alot of light. With them gone the
area
doesn't look substantially different, but the plants along the drive (left
side
of picture) like the azeleas are now at least getting a little bit of sun.

Well perhaps I'm being unrealistic, but keep in mind that this area I have
trouble with is just one part of the property.
I still have foundation plantings, a few perennial beds in the back and a
rock
garden in the back. All the later of which I plan to mulch and maintain.

Neil


"David J. Bockman" wrote in message
...
Yearly mulching all that space is insane, unless you're extraordinarily
wealthy or enjoy doing the work yourself. What's more, it's not necessary
for the health of the trees and shrubs. Visually, yearly mulching of
course
looks nice.

-- Any tree service will gladly dump their truckloads of woodchips on your
driveway for free if you simply call them.

-- Another possible route would be silver dollar pine bark nuggets-- those
are very slow to break down and should last 3-5 years.

-- Another route would be to blow out the yearly leaf fall, shred the
leaves
yourself, and replace neatly. That would necessitate a rather large leaf
shredder if it's not to be tedious work. High school and college kids make
great helpers!

-- If it were my space to work, I would concentrate on mainting crisp
edges
to the turf/bed demarcation, keep the area weeded, and figure out a plan
of
attack for naturalizing the space. I like the stones, although they are
apparently layed rather haphazardly and could be placed much more
beautifully (IMHO). The light and surroundings seem perfect for azalea, so
I'm not certain why yours aren't thriving. I think the forsythia should
go,
as should the Burning Bushii (maybe move them to a sunnier part of your
yard?) I would work to improve the heights and layers of plantings, trying
to fill the space with attractive understory trees and shrubs (think
Viburnums, Kerria japonica, Witch Hazels, Hydrangea, azaleas, Japanese
Hornbeam, Stewartia, etc. etc) along with groundcovers that will slowly
fill
the space so that one doesn't even notice the mulch-- the space is so bare
now that one does tend to focus on the ground. Good luck, it has a lot of
potential,

Dave





"Neil" wrote in message
...
I like it as is also, but the strip in question eats over 5 truckloads
of
mulch a year. Too much for me to put down.

I know pretty much what I have.
The stubby green bushes are Forsithia that have been pruned against
their natural habits.

There are some sickly azeleas, probably due to the lack of light from
all the trees.

A number of large burning bushes (hard to see in the picture) which grow
well
but never turn red in the fall, again due to lack of light.

There are lots of bulbs, but what the squirrels don't dig up, the deer
decimate so I'm not going to plant anymore.

Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too much.


"Tsu Dho Nimh" wrote in message
...
"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

Neil - I've been reading this thread with interest (btw, that is a very
attractive border, even in its less than finished state) and can offer a couple
of suggestions from a landscape designer's point of view.

If you want to avoid constant remulching and achieve an attractive, low
maintenance setting, you are going to have to bite the bullet and expend some
cash. There is not really any other way around it.

1) The light issue - you say this photo is misleading and the area is
darker/shadier than the photo suggests. I doubt the house has much impact on
this - it is far enough behind the border so that its shade cast should be
minimal, specially during the growing season.. My primary mixed border is on the
north side of my house, just feet away from it, and this area receives indirect
but bright light most of the day. Only in winter when the sun is very low on the
horizon is the house shade significant. I think your trees may be the primary
light obscuring culprits. Hire a qualified arborist to investigate some removal
and thinning. Lifting and thinning the canopies would allow a more dappled shade
situation which should be conducive to an expanded plant palette.

2) Once that has been accomplished, you can select additional plantings to fill
in. Consider using native plants. They should adapt easily to climate conditions
and typically will require less watering to get established than more exotic
ornamentals. The failure of previous plants is likely due to inadequate watering
to get them established. The quantity of trees in this area probably makes for a
pretty rooty soil condition and tree roots will outcompete those of smaller
plants for soil moisture and nutrients. Many native plants tend to be well
adapted to these types of conditions and will take hold easier. Look at some
native viburnums, flowering currants, species azaleas, ferns and whatever else
is common to your area. These will add presence and bulk and reduce the area
needed to be covered by mulch or ground covers.

3) Relocate or place more exotic (as in non-native) ornamentals closer to the
edges of the border where there should be less root competition and where
watering should be easier.

4) Fill in with patches of ground cover. Ajuga, more of the vinca you mention
and epimediums will work. Also salal, creeping mahonia and Euphorbia robbiae if
your climate suits. All are pretty tolerant of dry shade conditions. You don't
have to fill every square inch and if you plant them in concentrated areas, they
will appear to have more of presence than they do - this is the concept behind
the landscape practice of planting in sweeps or drifts. While they may not cover
the area immediately, they will show up more than isolated plantings. If the
soil is prepared properly and they are given adequate moisture, they should all
take off pretty quickly and start to expand. Once that happens you can divide
them or remove clumps to plant elsewhere.

5) When you do mulch (which can be every other year - not essential to do it
annually), use a heavy textured mulch like bark nuggets or coarse wood chips.
These will not break down rapidly and will be effective over a long period of
time.

All of this will take some initial investment from you in terms of time, effort
and cash, but it should not be a ongoing thing and will eventually result in a
very low maintenance but attractive and tidy planting.

pam - gardengal



Neil wrote:

The patch really isn't wide enough to feel like a natural strip of woods, so
the leaves just look really messy. Also my wife refuses to have the
front of the house loaded with leaves.

Ground cover is an option, but again in such a large area I'm concerned that
it would be either very costly to implement, or even worse, look terribly
tedious
once established. Also, as a personal note, I don't like pachysandra.
Probably because
it seems to be the dominant life form in my neighborhood (after the deer),
and i'd
prefer something different. (BTW, the deer seem to have no interest in my
neighbors
pachysandra).

I have about a dozen fist size patches of periwinkle which are kinda nice. I
like the
little blue flowers and 9000sqft of little blues flowers could be rather
dramatic in the
spring. However, I get the impression that if I wait for this stuff to
spread, it'll be my
great-great grand-children that get to enjoy it.

Neil

"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...

"Neil" wrote in message
Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too much.

Ahh, there's a partial solution for you.....stop removing the leaves!!
They
constitute a free mulch that applies itself, and breaks down to nourish
all
your plantings. They will give your strip even more of an authentic
woodland look. If you are wedded to the way the bark mulch looks, you can
add a thin layer on top in the spring--you won't need nearly as much, as
you
are just topping up the leaf mulch.

Have you considered planting drifts of pachysandra? Once you get a few
patches established, in future years you can take cuttings or pull out
bits
to use to expand your ground cover area. It is very tolerant of shade, in
fact requires it, and the fallen leaves settle down in between the plants
very nicely. An established patch does not require any further mulch. I
don't have deer, though, so I don't know if they like it.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"Neil" wrote:

The stubby green bushes are Forsithia that have been pruned against
their natural habits.
OK - let them grow out.

There are some sickly azeleas, probably due to the lack of light from
all the trees.

Azealeas usually like light shade ... try fertilizing.

Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too much.

Uh ... have you thought of leaving the fallen leaves as mulch?
Let nature do the mulching.



Tsu

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

"Neil" wrote in message ...

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







I think it's gorgeous just as it is. Accent with annuals, perennials and a
few specimen plants chosen for shape. Use the boulders to your advantage.
I'd love a few!

--
elizabeth, Baton Rouge, LA
http://community.webshots.com/user/elott63

Lots of good suggestions have been posted already. Converting the
fallen leaves to mulch would be the cheapest...

If you like some plants, what about some bulbs that like it in
shade....I think there are toad lilies that like it shady....Bulbs are
probably the ultimate low-maintenance plants that naturalize
well...What about s mass of foxgloves--I believe they're sort of like
wildflowers, liking it damp and shady...

I would follow the suggestion of mixing up the textures...You can have
bark, some rocks, some plantings, and some features (statues, benches,
etc.) mixed strategically. I would actually spend some time
diagramming things out in a graphics program like Microsoft
Powerpoint, Adobe Photoshop, etc. so you can fiddle with the different
combinations and how to site them.

Lil


"Neil" wrote in message ...
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

"Lil" wrote in message
om...
Lots of good suggestions have been posted already. Converting the
fallen leaves to mulch would be the cheapest...

If you like some plants, what about some bulbs that like it in
shade....I think there are toad lilies that like it shady....Bulbs are
probably the ultimate low-maintenance plants that naturalize
well...What about s mass of foxgloves--I believe they're sort of like
wildflowers, liking it damp and shady...


Toad Lilies (tricyrtis) are lovely plants, but they don't grow from bulbs
but rather rhizome-like roots or seed. They do best in shade and they
require a good amount of moisture. I had a clump that got planted out of
desperation in a very sunny spot. They survived, but the foliage got very
unsightly by mid summer. I relocated them to rather deep shade in a moist
spot and they took off like a rocket! One down side that I have noticed is
that they seem to be the food of choice for rabbits.

Thanks for the ideas.
You're right about the shade. The house does cast quite a shadow on the
immediate
lawn, but not the area in question. Much of the shade there comes from trees
on the other side of the property (when the sun is low), or from the larger
ones
in the immediate area.

I've already taken out (this week), what a friend calls the "weed maples". A
whole mess
of 12-20ft maple trees that were making the shade very heavy. It's still a
shady area, but
it's more dappled now.

Swatches of ground cover is tough because there always seems to be some
boulders to
break the flow. My next step is going to be to move all the smaller stones
to the edge to
make a very small rough rock boundary. This should clear up some space for
ground cover
and should give the area some sort of edge. It should also allow me to
extend the lawn into
the area by a few feet, which makes the whole space a bit more manageable
for me.




"Pam" wrote in message
...
Neil - I've been reading this thread with interest (btw, that is a very
attractive border, even in its less than finished state) and can offer a
couple
of suggestions from a landscape designer's point of view.

If you want to avoid constant remulching and achieve an attractive, low
maintenance setting, you are going to have to bite the bullet and expend
some
cash. There is not really any other way around it.

1) The light issue - you say this photo is misleading and the area is
darker/shadier than the photo suggests. I doubt the house has much impact
on
this - it is far enough behind the border so that its shade cast should be
minimal, specially during the growing season.. My primary mixed border is
on the
north side of my house, just feet away from it, and this area receives
indirect
but bright light most of the day. Only in winter when the sun is very low
on the
horizon is the house shade significant. I think your trees may be the
primary
light obscuring culprits. Hire a qualified arborist to investigate some
removal
and thinning. Lifting and thinning the canopies would allow a more dappled
shade
situation which should be conducive to an expanded plant palette.

2) Once that has been accomplished, you can select additional plantings to
fill
in. Consider using native plants. They should adapt easily to climate
conditions
and typically will require less watering to get established than more
exotic
ornamentals. The failure of previous plants is likely due to inadequate
watering
to get them established. The quantity of trees in this area probably makes
for a
pretty rooty soil condition and tree roots will outcompete those of
smaller
plants for soil moisture and nutrients. Many native plants tend to be well
adapted to these types of conditions and will take hold easier. Look at
some
native viburnums, flowering currants, species azaleas, ferns and whatever
else
is common to your area. These will add presence and bulk and reduce the
area
needed to be covered by mulch or ground covers.

3) Relocate or place more exotic (as in non-native) ornamentals closer to
the
edges of the border where there should be less root competition and where
watering should be easier.

4) Fill in with patches of ground cover. Ajuga, more of the vinca you
mention
and epimediums will work. Also salal, creeping mahonia and Euphorbia
robbiae if
your climate suits. All are pretty tolerant of dry shade conditions. You
don't
have to fill every square inch and if you plant them in concentrated
areas, they
will appear to have more of presence than they do - this is the concept
behind
the landscape practice of planting in sweeps or drifts. While they may not
cover
the area immediately, they will show up more than isolated plantings. If
the
soil is prepared properly and they are given adequate moisture, they
should all
take off pretty quickly and start to expand. Once that happens you can
divide
them or remove clumps to plant elsewhere.

5) When you do mulch (which can be every other year - not essential to do
it
annually), use a heavy textured mulch like bark nuggets or coarse wood
chips.
These will not break down rapidly and will be effective over a long period
of
time.

All of this will take some initial investment from you in terms of time,
effort
and cash, but it should not be a ongoing thing and will eventually result
in a
very low maintenance but attractive and tidy planting.

pam - gardengal



Neil wrote:

The patch really isn't wide enough to feel like a natural strip of
woods, so
the leaves just look really messy. Also my wife refuses to have the
front of the house loaded with leaves.

Ground cover is an option, but again in such a large area I'm concerned
that
it would be either very costly to implement, or even worse, look
terribly
tedious
once established. Also, as a personal note, I don't like pachysandra.
Probably because
it seems to be the dominant life form in my neighborhood (after the
deer),
and i'd
prefer something different. (BTW, the deer seem to have no interest in
my
neighbors
pachysandra).

I have about a dozen fist size patches of periwinkle which are kinda
nice. I
like the
little blue flowers and 9000sqft of little blues flowers could be rather
dramatic in the
spring. However, I get the impression that if I wait for this stuff to
spread, it'll be my
great-great grand-children that get to enjoy it.

Neil

"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...

"Neil" wrote in message
Again, the idea is low maintenance. Removing all the fallen leaves
is
hard enough, having to lay down 9000 sq ft of mulch is just too
much.

Ahh, there's a partial solution for you.....stop removing the leaves!!
They
constitute a free mulch that applies itself, and breaks down to
nourish
all
your plantings. They will give your strip even more of an authentic
woodland look. If you are wedded to the way the bark mulch looks, you
can
add a thin layer on top in the spring--you won't need nearly as much,
as
you
are just topping up the leaf mulch.

Have you considered planting drifts of pachysandra? Once you get a
few
patches established, in future years you can take cuttings or pull out
bits
to use to expand your ground cover area. It is very tolerant of
shade, in
fact requires it, and the fallen leaves settle down in between the
plants
very nicely. An established patch does not require any further mulch.
I
don't have deer, though, so I don't know if they like it.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"Neil" wrote in message ...
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

Good idea with the rocks...remove what you can, roll the rest of them
up to the edge to serve as a rocky border. (One day) Or even see if
you can find a company to remove them with a backhoe and dumptruck for
a couple bucks. Can't cost that much for a few hours work.

I only see one tree there that's really big. Leave that one. For the
rest of them, gather up a bunch of friends who have chainsaws (or buy
yourself a decent one for $200) and take those puppys down (couple
days). Hack em up and burn them over the winter.

Grind the stumps. (rent the machine for like $50)(one day)

Last but not least, rake out the bug-infested wood chips (couple days)
have a few yards of loam delivered $400-$500 and spread it out (couple
days), grass seed, fertilizer, water, and beatiful front lawn! That
will improve the value of your house too. People like grass more than
woods.

Lots of potential good space there. You don't have to spend that much
more.

A few "yards"???? Obviously the picture is misleading. The entire
area is 9000 sqft.


"JayPomp" wrote in message
m...
"Neil" wrote in message
...
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

Good idea with the rocks...remove what you can, roll the rest of them
up to the edge to serve as a rocky border. (One day) Or even see if
you can find a company to remove them with a backhoe and dumptruck for
a couple bucks. Can't cost that much for a few hours work.

I only see one tree there that's really big. Leave that one. For the
rest of them, gather up a bunch of friends who have chainsaws (or buy
yourself a decent one for $200) and take those puppys down (couple
days). Hack em up and burn them over the winter.

Grind the stumps. (rent the machine for like $50)(one day)

Last but not least, rake out the bug-infested wood chips (couple days)
have a few yards of loam delivered $400-$500 and spread it out (couple
days), grass seed, fertilizer, water, and beatiful front lawn! That
will improve the value of your house too. People like grass more than
woods.

Lots of potential good space there. You don't have to spend that much
more.