Question
I hail from Scotland where my parents enjoyed a garden with roman chamomile planted as a maintenance-free, fragrant ground cover.   I am wondering if that type of ground cover would do well in southern Ontario?   We are near Lake Ontario, so the climate is fairly humid.  This is for a small, well-shaded lawn.  Thank you.

Answer
Maintenance-free Roman Chamomile lawn?  Maybe if you do the maintenance, it's free!  Or we'd all be growing Roman Chamomile here.

As I've said before, Grass is a commitment - and homeowners across the Continental are making that commitment in U.S. Dollars every summer day.  It would be WONDERFUL if we could pick up the English habit of growing lawn alternatives.

But it sounds like you're the adventurous type, Les.  I'm sure there's someone out there who's told you your Astrological Sign points to a nontraditional, independent, practical decisionmaker.

I must point out, before continuing, that there is a downside to non-grass.  The hand weeding is murder.

In Dickensonian England, no one gave weeding a second thought.  David Copperfield was always waiting eagerly to  hand clip and weed anything the Sheep missed.

And so in some contexts, the democratic Grass lawn is American as apple pie.

Still, there is a strong, contemporary argument against the suburban lawn.  In times like these, watering grass when farmers in the Sudan cannot find water for their livestock is just plain vulgar.

Lawn alternatives? It isn't simple. University of Illinois Extension says it in plain English: "Picture-perfect lawns in shade are not realistic." They post a full page recommending "Groundcovers as lawn alternatives in shade" (www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawntalk/lawntalk17.html).


The cutting-edge lawn choice: White Clover.  

Not to be confused with Yellow Clover (which is actually a weed, Medicago lupulina, known to gardeners as Black Medic - photographed and posted by Colorado State University Ext. (www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Weed/black.htm)).

In their review of White Clover, Trifolium repens, as a living lawn amendment, the Versicolor (versicolor.ca/lawns/docs/clover.html) website notes: "When white clover invades a lawn naturally, it develops initially in discrete clonal patches of almost pure clover, each one derived from a single plant. Because the patches stand out, they can look unsightly and often the first reaction is to get rid of them. However, if the lawn is managed to encourage clover, it will eventually be distributed throughout the lawn and, with the associated grasses and herbs, contribute to a thick turf and a pleasing mosaic of leaf textures."

But these people are talking about incorporating Clover in a grass lawn.  And there are compelling reasons to grow Clover in a grass lawn.  Carefree Clover sails through drought and heat even as the grass sinks into brown dormancy at the height of summer.  Clover fixes Nitrogen so effectively that budgeting for a lawn care company's fertilizer services becomes a complete waste of cash.  Clover brings biodiversity to the lawn, reducing all kinds of side effects.  The less traditional alternative would be an all-Clover lawn.  

The downside: Clover is a short-lived perennial.  In 2-3 years, it will have to be re-sowed.

And foot traffic is murder on Clover.  Clover is not a tough plant; it is ruined by pedestrians will ruin it in a heartbeat.  Slates and stone pavers needed.

Alas, this is a moot point.  You have shade.  Clover needs sun.

Let's look at Creeping Thyme.

Creeping Thyme, Thymus serphyllum, can take a moderate amount of foot traffic.  The High Country Gardens website
(www.highcountrygardens.com/article198.html) posts instructions on "How to plant a thyme lawn".

But this plant is hardy in zones 7 through 9.  You are in Canada.  Scratch Thyme.

Can we consider Pennyroyal?  Part of the Mint family, the semi-evergreen perennial Mentha pulegium is one of those creeping, aromatic plants that smells so good as you walk along, you don't want to leave.  Butterflies love it; Fleas and Mosquitoes hate it - this is a registered Pesticide in some states.  Left to flower it will grow to 2 feet.

But Pennyroyal needs mild Mediterranean air and temperatures - 45 degrees F to 78 degrees F.  And full sun.  Scratch Pennyroyal.

A possible exotic alternative:  Moss.  Never needs mowing. Never needs fertilizing.  MUST HAVE SHADE, MOISTURE (as in Clay Soil), and LOW PH to grow with vigor.

The Japanese love it.  There are Moss Gardens in Japan that were originally planted in the 1800s. Many Westerners, however, an overwhelming disdain for Moss - for every question I get from a person asking how to cultivate Moss, there are 5 asking me how they can get rid of it.

If your soil is poor, acidic, compacted and has terrible drainage, you can grow Moss.  Oh, and one other thing: Moss needs serious shade.

This is not your average lawn alternative.  It does not make seeds.  It does not have roots.  And being a bryophyte, with no vascular system to transport water and "cilia" instead of leaves, it is not even classified as a green "plant".

Moss gets slippery when wet; that makes it dangerous to walk on.  

Which is very good because Moss can't take foot traffic.  Ever see any growing on a sidewalk?

To grow Moss, mix equal parts Moss (dirt removed), Buttermilk and Water in a blender.  Paint over the area you expect to grow your Moss on.  Wait months or even years for this mixture to "blossom".

You can also purchase Moss plants from a specialist in Pennsylvania, Moss Acres (www.mossacres.com).  I recommend the website for its inspiring photographs of what a well designed Moss garden would look like.  Moss Acres also sells Ferns, which are highly compatible with Moss.

Depending on the size of your real estate, you may decide to devote only a small area only to Moss and install a more traditional groundcover - Vinca, Sweet Woodroof, even Ivy.  Your Moss will look far more lovely with a bit of garden furniture - a stone birdbath, a bench, a small statue, even a large rock.  Especially one that will not mind if a little Moss manages to grow there.

So - if you thought you were between a rock and a hard place - perhaps this is the best answer for you.

Let me know what you decide.  Send pics.  Then YOU can be the Moss Expert around here.  I'm looking forward to it!

Any questions?  I'm here.  Thanks for writing.  Please keep in touch.