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Alternative Grass Mixtures


Question
I want to replace my grass with a mixture of herbs and grass that will grow between 2 - 4 inches in full shade and sun, with little or no watering.  I live in Atlanta GA and we are constantly under water conservation controls.

I also have a section of grass in front of newly installed sidewalks, this section is about 16 inches wide in some places.  It is a pain to mow, causes damage to my lawnmower.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Derrick,

All herbaceous plants and grasses will need at least 1-3 inches of water per-week to do well.

You can work to make the soil better able to hold moisture to reduce watering needs to be able to try a greater variety of plants.  Otherwise so much will depend upon your climate and type of soil.

 To make the soil more moisture retentive add organic matter like humus, compost, peat-moss and manure. These soil amendments can be purchased at any garden center.

Ground-cover plants that store water in their stems such as Portulaca ("Rose-Moss"), Purslane, Sedum and similar plants can cover dry areas and look good as annual or semi-perennial plantings. These plants are almost like cactus in their water needs.

Establish 'Weed-Barrier' garden coverage with ground-hugging plants such as "Juniperus procumbens nana"  aka 'Carpet Juniper' and this too may do well without much care.

Some ornamental grasses such has Festuca Glauca ('Blue Fescue') can tolerate dryness and be used to cover the areas.

At your local lawn and garden center there should be a variety of ground-cover plants you can ask about and try.  
Certain mail-order nurseries can be found on the internet which specialize in 'Xeroscape' garden plants.  These are plants that do not need to be watered very much if at all. Use key-word 'xerocape plants' to find more about this in web searches (try Google.com).
----I Hope this has answered your question(s)!
Have a fantastic Summer!

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