Tools & Materials
Grub hoe
Power tiller/cultivator
Garden trowel
Garden rake
In this video, This Old House landscaping contractor Roger Cook shows how to replace grass with lush ground cover. If you can’t stand mowing every week, this one’s for you!
Steps:
1. Use grub hoe to remove all grass from planting area.
2. Loosen up soil with tiller.
3. Spread peat moss across area and till it into soil.
4. Hand-broadcast low-nitrogen fertilizer onto the soil.
5. Add bark mulch and rake out to create a 3-foot-wide planting strip.
6. In shady area, use garden trowel to dig holes for individual ivy plants; space the holes about 10 inches apart.
7. Plant the ivy in the holes, then spread another 3-foot-wide strip of mulch and repeat.
8. In sunny area, spread fertilizer and mulch and plant pachysandra 4 to 6 inches apart.
9. Water two to three times a week.
10. If any weeds sprout, pull them out immediately.