grass alternative, looking for recommendations

[KennyRE317]

excuse the poor photo, just snapped it real quick to try and give you guys an idea in what i have to work with.

the whole area is lowered and has okay drainage since i have completely hosed down the area to work in the amendments since i was originally going to lay sod once the weather started cooling off. now that the time is here i'm hesitating because of maintanence and water usage(at least to keep it looking good) .... in fact, i'm looking to dig out parts of the lawn in the upcoming weeks to extend planting areas, and i can already see my lawn getting real spotted when there's shade but i'll be reseeding with shade tolerant grass later.

we've been tossing around the idea of pavers or synthetic grass. but drainage might be an issue with pavers and from seeing the neighbors synthetic lawns i'm still not completely sold on the look. i might have to lower the planter in the middle too or else during rain i'll get a bunch of water runoff. have thought about just laying down stepping stones as well and maybe some ground cover

any other type of recommendation?

Edited September 18, 2014 by KennyRE317

[KennyRE317]

the wife brought it up today because i was mowing the lawn and she said that area won't be fun to mow

[Alicehunter2000]

Do pavers....that's the way to go....can always sit some potted plants around If you want more greenery

[Kostas]

Seeing how well you have planted the area and how small the area to be covered is,i think it will look and be fine with pavers. Maybe go with darkish earth colour pavers for a more natural look.

You could also go with dark gravel or fine lava. Or with short,decorative grasses and a walkway in the middle of them.

Btw,i think the stonework is begging for growing bromeliads on it...Would look awesome if you are going for a wet area look!

[KennyRE317]

i thought about pavers, and it was one of the wife's preferred options but one of my biggest concerns about covering so much ground is the area not draining since i would use some sort of paver lock to keep them in place and prevent weeds from sprouting everywhere. i was looking at it earlier and was thinking possibily larger flagstone stepping stones (18" or so) around the middle planter and fill the majority of the area in the foreground right behind that bucket (it was going to be a grass sitting area before) i'd leave gaps between the stepping stones and then fill gaps with smaller ground cover but not sure if it'd look odd with a larger area to the right done the same way as the walkway. i could always try and separate the middle planter into two planters (left and right) and then a walkway down the middle as well, disadvantage would be that the planters would be pretty small imo.

having it completely paved would actually be pretty nice if i could get some drainage, the heat would be pretty intense in that area since it's by far the hottest corner of the lot.

thanks for some options, keep the suggestions coming

Kostas, i'm planning on putting a bunch of bromeliads around the yard for color along with Ti plants, the biggest problem i have right now is that i have no canopy anywhere. i have a few that are sitting in full sun from morning well into the late afternoon so 6+ hours of direct sun and i'm starting to find which ones can tolerate alot more sun. most of my broms get at least a 2-3 hours of morning sun so i can slowly move and mark how much sun them get.

here's my brom corner, i need to build a second level to my rack since this one's been outgrown. the 2nd picture is the only spot in the actual yard that is mostly by my only plant that's been in the ground for over a year

Edited September 18, 2014 by KennyRE317

[SailorBold]

Synthetic grass.. 150-160F (60C+) Hot.

[Silas_Sancona]

Agree with others regarding the use of pavers though id probably also use some sort of gravel between each to help with drainage after laying two layers of 15-20 yr fabric to keep out any stubborn weeds. Also could see using a dwarf Mondo grass between the pavers or flagstone though without much canopy, the Mondo would burn in the heat.

As far as Lawn alternatives? if you were here in FL, id suggest considering either Perennial Peanut or Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigulosa). Not sure why neither of these have shown up in nurseries out west but both are being used more often by people replacing their lawns here. While Peanut might be more cold/wet sensitive, the Mimosa can handle pretty much anything and temps down to 15F or so. Being Legumes, both also fix Nitrogen. In any event, like the design. Going to be a sweet place to escape once your canopy gets established.

Btw, what a collection of Broms!, Very nice.

-Nathan-

[_Keith]

Perfect area for a Lawnbot. But I jest. $2K, I think not.

[Sabal Steve]

Place looks great Kenny.

Pavers are the best way to go. Or, cement with color and texture.

I can spot synthetic grass from a mile away. Not that it looks bad, but it's obvious. With all of the bends of your yard it will look like a mini-golf course:)

[WestCoastGal]

Backyard is shaping up nice Kenny. I would suggest if you can work it into your landscape budget, using travertine pavers, particulalry if you are planning on staying in your home for a period of time. They should be installed over an appropriate depth of gravel base and then appropriate sand layer--this depends on your area and soil underneath. This is how we did ours in the back. It drains, and if you stay with a lighter color you can actually walk barefoot comfortably on it in 90 degree weather. The tiles are very slip resistant actually when wet and unsealed. If sealed this will vary depending on the type of sealer. The patio and walkways were sloped away from the house as required by code and we added some drainage to the lawn and planting bed areas should we get one of our downpours and need faster drainage.

We live inland and get into the 90s-100s during the summer. I hated the thought of using a material that radiated so much heat that you didn't want to be on your patio or walkways during the summer until evening. Travertine pavers are amazing. We've had ours for a few years now and both of us feel it was the smartest decision we made. BTW you do not want a polished finish as it will generate more heat and will be slippery when wet. Another big plus in California is that should the ground shift where you are at, the pavers can be picked up, ground releveled and any broken tiles replaced (so do buy some extra). We did not use a weed barrier under ours. We used a Gator Sand product for the finishing joints.

I should mention that the perimeter edges on our patio and walkways had a concrete footing installed and smaller pavers were mortared on to the footing for a firm and unmoveable border to hold the rest of the pavers in place.

We considered everything from a stamped color concrete to various other stones and just couldn't be happier with what we ended up with. Colored concrete or any concrete for that matter will crack over time especially in earthquake country and repairs are visible and never really match anyway. The travertine worked out to be much cooler than any other stone underfoot. At one point we considered walkways of decomposed granite but have wooden floors inside and didn't want to see them scratched from particles that invariably would get picked up in shoes or sandal bottoms.

I love all your bromelaids BTW.

[KennyRE317]

Place looks great Kenny.

Pavers are the best way to go. Or, cement with color and texture.

I can spot synthetic grass from a mile away. Not that it looks bad, but it's obvious. With all of the bends of your yard it will look like a mini-golf course:)

hahah ... the New Cal side has a bigger bends. there's this giant bend that's like a boomerang that i can put some sort of backplant at the bend to bounce the ball off of

[_Keith]

Kenny, I forgot to say that it does look great. Get the bones right, and it looks like you are, and the rest kind of falls into place. Can't wait to see it grow and evolve.

[LilikoiLee]

Aloha Kenny,

We've accidentally had really good luck with English Ivy. We planted a single plant a few years ago in an area that bordered a trail and it quietly took over the entire rough and tumble hill. It's attractive, hugs the ground so it never gets tall and rangy and it's pretty easy to control. If it begins to climb out onto a path or unwanted area it can be trimmed back with a pair of common scissors. On occasion it will climb the trunk of one of our larger palms but the look is tropical so as long as it isn't choking the palm we let it go. It seems to do equally well in sun and shade and is durable enough to walk on it without doing it any damage. We didn't intend on the outcome but it has been a pleasant surprise. I'll post some pictures tomorrow when the sun comes up.

Lee

[Kim]

If foot traffic will be low, you could plant Dymondia -- doesn't need much water, and will take light traffic. Grass would look nice, but you'd probably have to cut it with a string trimmer. If the grass gets shaded out when the palms get tall, remove the grass and lay down a very thick layer of organic mulch. If you really prefer no plants, maybe decomposed granite would work. It's completely porous and gives the garden a very pleasant mediterranean feel.

[_Keith]

Permeable paving is the way to go.

https://www.google.com/search?q=permeable+paving&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=a1gcVJroEMm5ogTT6YKwBQ&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1216&bih=729

[KennyRE317]

If foot traffic will be low, you could plant Dymondia -- doesn't need much water, and will take light traffic. Grass would look nice, but you'd probably have to cut it with a string trimmer. If the grass gets shaded out when the palms get tall, remove the grass and lay down a very thick layer of organic mulch. If you really prefer no plants, maybe decomposed granite would work. It's completely porous and gives the garden a very pleasant mediterranean feel.

i had almost just decided to do large flagstone with 2" gaps or so across the entire area with Dymondia, until i saw Keith's post of the permeable paving. trying to imagine which would look better with all the surrounding palms

[Palm crazy]

Up here in the PNW we use mostly cool looking New Zealand ground cover but not sure if they would grow in your dry environment, most are pretty drought tolerant. I’m planting on using plain old Soleriolia solerolii baby tears on my pathways next year. But maybe you could use some Australian type of ground covers instead. If it was me I would use some really cool looking paver in warm tones, or use plain pavers and paint them the color you want…yes they make paints for pavers and patio in every color imaginable.

Personally I like using stone with something growing between them, or smaller stones in-between the larger ones like this photo…http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke1OMzRgHnE/TOUAN58p5CI/AAAAAAAAABs/DayMz3uRb2U/s1600/Perez+Stepping+Stone+Path+lr.jpg

Edited September 19, 2014 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Another idea would be to put paver and plants between them and instead of plants in the middle put a small above ground bubbling water feature (instead of the island planting you have now.)

Edited September 19, 2014 by Palm crazy

[Pando]

The bad thing about synthetic grass is that all the debris and crap that lands on it is easily visible. With a normal lawn, the periodic mowing cleans and refreshes the surface, and smaller organic debris tends to just disappear into the soil.

Synthetic grass will look really bad if it doesn't get cleaned every couple of days with a blower or a vacuum.

Pavers and/or stamped concrete walkways will work great, creatively combined with areas of mulch and rock.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Pando

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Kenny your yard is looking great !

I have used gravel ( crushed limestone ) in many areas of my yard and it looks great and is a lot cheaper than expensive paving . I have seen some synthetic turf over here and at Jim in Los altos yard that look amazing -might be worth looking at several different types .

cheers Troy

[palmislandRandy]

Plan ahead. In time you'll have a canopy & most turf won't grow well in deep shade. I'd go with the stepping stones with gravel or pavers.

-Randy