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

"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.

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.

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.

I never meant to imply that it wasn't attractive. I like it quite alot, it's
just that it's a maintenance nightmare as it is.

Unfortunately the area is heavily shaded, so many plants and shrubs don't
do terribly well. Also the deer here in Connecticut are a nightmare. The
area
is actually loaded with tulips and hyacinths and such, but I never saw a
single
one as the deer mowed them down as they emerged from the ground.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
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.

I'm in connecticut.

The deer in my area seem to like Hostas, so that's out as an option.
I'm fond of Periwinkle, but 9000sqft is an awful lot (though it would
be pretty dramatic when it all bloomed in the spring).

"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.

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.

"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" wrote:


The deer in my area seem to like Hostas, so that's out as an option.
I'm fond of Periwinkle, but 9000sqft is an awful lot (though it would
be pretty dramatic when it all bloomed in the spring).


You only have to plant things that are less tasty then the
neighbor's bushes ...

Any landscaping book has lists of the plants that deer usually
don't eat:

Calluna (heathers)
Ceanothus
Ajuga (ground cover)
St.John's wort
Columbines
Crocus
Bleeding Heart
Daffodils
Viola odorata
Senecio hybridus



Tsu

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

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

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

"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

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

Yeah I agree. He can remove all the leaves from his lawn to the area and it
will break down. Breaking some down with a shredder will make it look
"mulchier" from a distance and cause it to break down faster.

--
Bob Provencher
ICQ 881862
AIM bproven

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" 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 though you wanted to improve the area, not decrease your investment in
time. As others have said, there isn't anything short of mulching the area
that is going to be less effort unless you decide to abandon it and let
nature take its course. Newly planted shrubs and perennials will need to be
watered for at least the first year or two. You would have to weed the
areas with ground cover until it becomes mature and even then you would have
to remove the odd thistle and sapling. Perennials generally need to be dug
and divided every three to five years. Shrubs and perennials don't live for
ever and will have to be replaced occasionally. Some plants need to be kept
under control of they will take over a space. All this would involve more
effort and skill than mulching the area and it would be far more expensive.
You said that you got the wood chips for free. I would suggest that you
hire a couple of teenagers or day laborers to spread the wood chips. That
wouldn't be too expensive and would require no skill. Even at that, I can't
believe that you would have to mulch more often than every other year.