Question
What stepable ground cover would you recommend for a lawn space of about 20' by 5' for a backyard in Mountain View? Drainage is not very good, but it does get quite hot in the summer. We are basically looking for pretty with little care needs. Thank you, Danielle PS. do you sell it?
Danielle
Mountain View
Answer
The first thing you should consider is improving the soil. Rototilling is a very easy way to incorporate larger amounts of planting mix and/or compost. This will improve your drainage and make the soil looser. The groundcover you ultimately choose will root better and spread more quickly with improved soil.
If you are willing to start by seed, there is the white clover which basically fertilizes itself, is deep rooted so can withstand some summer drought. It does flower and attract bees.More conventional "plug type" groundcovers that take light foot traffic are Potentilla (cinquefoil), Polygonum capitatum (now known as Persicaria capitata), Herniaria glabra (green carpet), Isotoma (best for foot traffic but is hard to get started) and Dymondia margaretae. Many of the creeping thymes will work also but are not forgiving of poor drainage. If we do not have a particular ground cover in stock, we can order it.
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