What is an Alternative ground cover to grass for a yard that gets wet and shady where kids play ?
Brooklyn, NY, small backyard. Tried to cultivate grass for years but often dies. Would love alternative ground cover. Ideally not waiting months for it to establish (young kids would love to be out there). Considering clover, thyme, mint, fescue... Prefer plants over seeds... Would love guidance. Even finding a gardener with similar focus may be challenging but we are open.
Here is our page on alternative ground covers, have a look here first –
Which are the best Eco-friendly alternatives to grass lawns in backyards?
That pages should give you some alternatives to consider, but we wouldn’t be able to help you much in finding local installers of grass alternatives that come in rolls like sod as opposed to seed. I would say try local home and garden stores, or contact a local landscaping company. Growing up we always had thyme in our yard, which was not necessarily intentional, it’s just what was there. But it certainly was a hardy plant that withstood a lot of abuse from us as kids.