What are my options for external ground covering on dirt?
Question:MY BACKYARD CONTAINS DIRT AND PARTIAL WEEDS. I NEED THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE & LOW MAINTENANCE METHOD TO COVER IT UP.
Answers:
Get a roto tiller, till it up and sow grass.
Choices are living and non living coverings. Not knowing where you are or what you have to work with or how much you want to spend, how large an area.
You can grow grass or leave it weedy and add a lot of wild flower seed to it and let it stay rough. If sandy South West you can fill it with Yucca and prickly pear (you can do that on any of the coasts and the southern interior). You can fill it with ground cover plants like Junipers or the like. Mixed species are fun.
In the non living idea group, you can go with the Buddhist sand garden which is a relaxing, meditative, form of area decoration with an Eastern flavor (see below links). Then there are the mulches and bulk materials. Find what you have the most of in your area. Bark, wood chips, pine needles, gravel, whatever is available to cover and keep the erosion to a minimum. Thickness will keep it from getting weedy and unsightly.
Look in home and garden mags for ideas, something will appeal and fit the budget.
If you are looking for a living groundcover, try taking a look at http://www.stepables.com/store/scripts/p...
They have a questionnaire that asks how much traffic the groundcover will get, how fast-growing you want it to be, how tall, what color foliage and flowers, etc. Once you've answered the questions, they make suggestions as to which plants are best suited to your needs.
Good luck with your yard.
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